Ep 38: Natalia Valentín-Anderson: Defying the Giants to Become One of the World’s Elite Setters

About this episode

Natalia Valentín-Anderson shares her inspiring journey as a top volleyball setter and her experiences in overcoming challenges in a sport dominated by taller athletes.

In this episode of Side Out Society, we sit down with a true pioneer, an international icon, and a master floor general: Natalia "Naty" Valentín-Anderson. Standing at 5-foot-6 in a sport dominated by giants, Naty has spent her entire career defying the height restrictions, relying on relentless hard work, pristine location, and unmatched grit to prove that shorties can absolute dictate terms in a big girls' game. She opens up about her unique journey from Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she originally trained as a track runner before her mother stepped in with a life-changing suggestion to try volleyball, to shattering records as Florida International University’s all-time assists leader. Naty takes us behind the scenes of her extensive global resume, spanning top professional leagues across Europe and captaining the Puerto Rican national team to its historic first-ever Olympic appearance at the 2016 Rio Games. We also explore the incredible twist of fate that brought her back to the States, from winning the inaugural PVF championship with the Omaha Supernovas in her husband Colt’s hometown, to moving to Texas to become the captain who orchestrated a fairytale run for the expansion…

People in this episode

Host: Side Out Society

Guest: Natalia Valentín-Anderson

Topics covered

• volleyball
• athlete journey
• Olympic sports
• women in sports
• professional leagues
• sports leadership

Keywords

• volleyball
• setter
• Olympics
• Puerto Rico
• professional sports
• athlete
• sports history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Florida International University, Omaha Supernovas, Dallas Pulse

Places: Caguas, Puerto Rico

More episodes of The Side Out Society Podcast

• Ep 39: Whitney Lauenstein: Stepping Into Happy Valley, Reclaiming the Joy, and the Reality of Being a D1 Super-Mom · June 10, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Encore: Jordan Thompson: The Underdog Mentality, Olympic Gold, and the Fine Art of Antiquing · May 28, 2026 · 48 min
• Ep 37: Kaylee Cox: From Flower Mound Phenom to Major League Volleyball Champion · May 13, 2026 · 36 min
• Ep 36: Jordan Thompson: The Underdog Mentality, Olympic Gold, and the Fine Art of Antiquing · May 6, 2026 · 48 min
• Encore: Mimi Colyer: Redefining Gravity as the Heartbeat of the Dallas Pulse · April 29, 2026 · 37 min
• Ep 35: Gage Worsley: Viral Hits, Content Chaos, and the Out of System Movement · April 22, 2026 · 53 min