The Next Big Thing in Volleyball: Raquel Montoro
Feature
You might not hear of many Spanish players in the main European leagues, but the progress of the women’s Volleyball in the recent years is something that the Volleyball community is keeping an eye on. For instance, CV Tenerife La Laguna are now fighting in the final phase of the CEV Challenge Cup, and in the national team, there is a young generation of players who last summer won the third place in the Golden #EuroLeagueW. One of the these players is the 19-year-old Raquel Montoro - Best Server at the 2021 Golden League and top scorer of Spain in the Bronze medal match, she also delivered a top performance for her team at #EuroVolleyW group stage in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Get to know Raquel as she might be the Next Big Thing not only in Spanish Volleyball, but on the European stage as well.

The Beginning
Born in 2002 in Córdoba, Raquel Montoro is one of the youngest components in the team of the Spanish Lionesses. She started playing Volleyball in this sunny Southern city, at her first team- Salesianos Córdoba. But before joining a club, Raquel remembers playing Volleyball with her fiends, just for fun.
Raquel Montoro“I started playing Volleyball when I started going to school. This was a funny way to spend more time with my friends.”
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Going Pro
At the age of 13, Raquel calls the attention, and joins the “Concentration” in Soria where the Spanish center for Volleyball development is based. "The Permanent Concentration" of Spain follows the example of other countries (as Club Italia in Italy), reuniting the best players, giving them the chance to train together and to play matches throughout the whole year. There, Raquel gets to know “another type of Volleyball” - with a more professional approach to training process and to the athlete’s life, and higher expectations. Joining this group of players and changing drastically her lifestyle, Raquel realizes she wants to pursue a career in Volleyball.
“I had the big luck to go to Soria, to train and play with these group of players. It wasn’t easy, but now, I am happy that I have passed through this period. It has helped me a lot to grow, both as an athlete and a person. It is like a continuous mental preparation, besides of the trainings. My life spins around the Volleyball, and I am the person who I have become thanks to the decision of going in Soria,” Raquel shared back in August during EuroVolleyW.
The Present
The opposite is currently playing in CV Gran Canaria, in the Spanish league. They’ve recently won the Cup of the Princess (second one for Raquel), and last season the 181cm tall Montoro also became champion of Spain.
“Winning the Princess Cup for the second time has been very special, especially when you can enjoy the achievement with your teammates. It’s the reward for the work that you all have done previously,” Montoro says.
The Future
Although enjoying a lot the experience that she is gaining at the Spanish league, Montoro hopes to continue developing in other, stronger leagues.
“I would like to play in other places, outside of Spain as well. I think that way I would learn much more and develop as a player. I would love to play abroad, to get to know other leagues and get the chance to play in big teams.”
The National team
At her age, Raquel is already a titular in the senior national team. She and compatriot Ana Escamilla contributed the most for the Bronze medal at the 2021 Golden EuroLeagueW, when Montoro finished as top scorer with 24 points in the match against Czechia, and Escamilla added 23. Later on, Raquel was one of the main weapons of coach Pascal Saurin during #EuroVolleyW, and although Spain didn’t make it out of the pool, they’ve showed motivation to keep on developing.
Raquel Montoro“I am always very excited to play in the national team. I have been there for several years to learn from the other, more experienced players. Last summer, the experience was very nice - having responsibility in the group has helped me to improve. I would love to continue being part of the team, and to be able to grow in Europe together with my colleagues.”
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