Flormarie Heredia Colon, a senior outside hitter for the University of Miami Hurricanes volleyball team, has established herself as one of the program’s most accomplished athletes. Arriving in Coral Gables as a freshman, Heredia Colon was encouraged by head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara to aspire to join the ranks of previous Miami All-Americans whose names are displayed in the Knight Sports Complex.
“He would point and say, ‘You’re going to be there one day,’ and my freshman year, I would look at him like, ‘Whatever!’” Heredia Colon said. “I used to tell him, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ I was never that sure it was going to happen. Now that I realize what we’ve done together, I’m like, ‘Wow.’ He really knew it and it was amazing. He had confidence in me since day one and that helped open things up for me.”
Heredia Colon’s career is ongoing as she prepares with her teammates for the NCAA Tournament opener against Tulsa. She has already become Miami’s all-time leader in kills with 1,836, surpassing Lane Carico’s previous record of 1,749. This season alone, she set new single-match kill records three times—first breaking Olga Strantzali’s 2017 mark with 38 kills against Pittsburgh, then topping her own record with 42 kills versus Florida State and again with 43 kills against Louisville.
In addition to holding the top five single-match performances in program history and setting a new season record with 719 kills, Heredia Colon has been named ACC Player of the Week seven times this year. She was also selected tenth overall by the Columbus Fury in the Major League Volleyball draft.
“It’s been amazing. I can’t even explain the emotions,” Heredia Colon said. “It’s finally showing up, everything that I’ve worked for. I’m just so happy that I’ve been able to reach a few of my goals. … This is family for me. Miami is a place that has my heart, and it’s everything. I came here; I’m around my people. … I’m just so happy I get to live this experience here and that God sent me here for a reason.”
Coach Gandara recognized her talent early on while she played high school volleyball at Central Pointe Christian Academy near Orlando: “It didn’t take long to see her ability to hit the ball and her complete skillset to be an outside hitter at the next level,” Gandara said. “But she played with passion. She was this personality on the court that you could just see from day one … She was fun to be around. And then just getting to know her, learning what her goals were and her ambition to play professionally, we were like, ‘Yeah, she’s got everything.’ She’s got an incredible arm; she plays with passion and she’s fun on the court and fun off the court. We were fortunate to be able to get her like we did.”
Heredia Colon comes from a family deeply involved in volleyball—both parents and several uncles played for the Dominican national team—and she represented her country in twelve tournaments before joining Miami.
“I always grew up in volleyball. In my family, everybody played for the national team: my mom, my dad, my uncles,” Heredia Colon said with a smile. “I grew up with it, and I fell in love along the way.”
She developed chemistry on court with teammate Ariana Rodriguez while playing together on national teams: “It all stems from family and culture and playing with the national teams. Our moms played together… Every day, we’re just amazed by it,” Rodriguez said.
Her decision to attend Miami was influenced by academic offerings as well as connections with coaches: “Academically, the University of Miami is really good,” said Heredia Colon. “But another point that I really looked at was my coaches and the connections I had with them… being in Miami… feels natural.”
A two-time first-team All-ACC honoree who started as an All-ACC Freshman Team selection, Heredia Colon hopes her journey inspires young athletes back home: “I think I’m the first Dominican to have all these merits in a U.S. league… In the D.R., a lot of girls don’t know how to get here… But I came here in high school… joined Miami. I hope that through my story… more girls can get that opportunity.”
While aiming for professional play and Olympic competition in future years, Heredia Colon remains focused on helping Miami pursue its first NCAA championship.
“I want an NCAA championship… We’ve been practicing so hard…” she said.
Reflecting on her legacy at Miami beyond statistics or records set during her time there:
“I want them to remember Flor as being happy Flor… who always had a smile on her face… The Dominican Queen… who brought happiness and energy.”
