NMMI Sports Press

All-American middle blocker Vitoria Oliveira and defensive specialist Evelyn Araujo signed national letters of intent to continue their volleyball careers at four-year universities during a small gathering with their teammates, coaches, friends and supporters Thursday afternoon at Cahoon Armory.

Oliveira will take her talents to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois where she will play for Alicia Williams, who won back-to-back national titles in the junior college coaching ranks.

"I feel like I can have a big impact at Bradley and help them out immediately," Oliveira said. "They had a good start last year, but had some injuries set them back. I think a strong new class added to what they already have will lead to success."

Oliveira plans to continue studying business, but her current career goal is to play volleyball professionally, which requires talent, but also an extreme drive to improve as a player and person.

"Tori came in as a freshman and did a great job for us, but at the end of that season she expressed that she was not satisfied," said NMMI head coach Shelby Forchtner. "She worked very hard in the offseason and over the summer and when coaches saw her as a sophomore, they asked, 'what did you do to that kid?', but she did it. She took everything we said to heart and did it all. You love a kid like that."

Oliveira said she experienced a bit of shock upon first arriving at NMMI, which was very different from her environment in Brazil.

"Everything was so different, but having such an amazing group of people around me made the transition easier," she said. "The things I've learned here about discipline, time management and leadership will go with me, and the people I've met will be in my life forever."

The 6-foot-2 middle blocker was an easy selection for the NJCAA All-American first team, but she said she considers one of the top individual honors in sports to be a team award.

"It was a shock to me, I was not expecting it, but the first thing I did was thank my coaches and teammates, because I can't be an All-American by myself," she said. "My teammates that start with me, my teammates that work so hard in practice to help us all get better, they deserve as much credit as anyone else."

One of those hard-working non-starters is Araujo, who saw limited playing time backing up two of the best liberos to play at NMMI.

"Of course I wanted to play more, but I looked at it as an opportunity to learn from and compete with great players that were the best in our conference or the country," Araujo said.

Araujo will join former teammate and fellow Brazilian Barbara Guedes at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, another team led by a longtime coach with strong junior college ties, NJCAA Hall of Famer Ronda Shirley, entering her second season with the Crusaders.

"The coaching style is similar and from talking to Barbie I think it will be a great place for me to grow as a player and a person," said Araujo. "They want players with discipline and I'll have the space to be myself, play my game and keep improving my English."

Araujo is also studying business and while she isn't quite sure what sort of career she will enter after college, she knows the attributes she acquired at NMMI will serve her well in life. She also had the unique experience of playing for her older sister, Bronco assistant coach Camila Araujo.

"Getting to come to NMMI to further my education and volleyball career was already amazing, and to play with my sister was a dream," she said. "I'm so thankful for my time at the Institute."

Anyone close enough to the program knows Araujo didn't make it to NMMI just because her sister was a coach.

"She has done nothing but give back to this program, without logging much playing time, and that's impressive," Forchtner said. "She was voted onto the player's council by her peers, a high honor. She navigated this campus life and formed good relationships, became a leader in the Corps and did it while learning a new language."

Oliveira and Araujo thanked their coaches, teammates and fellow members of the Corps for their guidance and friendship, and their families back in Brazil for always supporting them from afar and keeping up with matches through the live streams.

Both players were adamant in acknowledging their host family, Larry and Paige McCreary, who have provided an off-campus home since they arrived in the States.

"Paige and Larry have been like our American mom and dad. They come to every game, they give us a place to feel relaxed and at home and they were always so patient with us as we learned English," said Araujo.

Forchtner said she's confident her players will be crucial pieces to the success of their new programs.

"I've known both of the coaches for a long time and I know how they run their programs and treat their players," she said. "I envision both being very successful at the four-year level and so I'm very happy to send them a couple of our kids. We all know what Tori can do and Evelyn will compete for starting libero."

From Brazil to the NMMI barracks to big-time college sports, Oliveira and Araujo have demonstrated how dedicated athletes of all skill levels can achieve their goals, on or off the court.