The 21-year-old from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, is a senior at Morgan State, a valuable team leader and defensive specialist on a Bears volleyball squad that should contend for a MEAC championship whenever such matters can again ascend to the forefront.

For “Gigi,” the pandemic has just been another obstacle to overcome on a long road from Bayamon through Florida and finally to Baltimore. She had to find the right fit at a couple of schools, including full scholarship aid, and she had to become more comfortable speaking English, all while working through a serious, initially problematic case of shyness.

Veteran Morgan State volleyball coach Ramona Riley-Bozier took a chance on the Palm Beach State College (Lake Worth, Fla.) transfer last year, and for a time, Riley-Bozier thought maybe she had made a mistake.

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