Sports are often passed down through generations. Fathers playing catch in the backyard or mothers playing a game of pig in the driveway with their children are the humble beginnings for many athletes. 

Sophomore outside hitter Andrea Estrada’s mother, Silvia Jaramillo, was a 20-year captain for the Colombian national team and a member of the first Colombian team to qualify for the World Cup of Volleyball in 1991. The next time Colombia qualified for the World Cup of Volleyball was in 2013, when Estrada was the captain.

When Estrada’s team qualified for the World Cup, it was the first time Colombia attended the tournament. Jaramillo’s national team did not have the funding to pay for travel expenses for tournaments overseas, so they were unable to compete on the international stage. 

Advertisement

In 2013, Colombia placed in the top three teams in the South American championships, which qualified them for the 20-team World Cup. Estrada understood this was a big moment for herself and her mother. 

“The World Cup was amazing … it was the best feeling in the world,” Estrada said. “It was pretty cool to know I was able to play for my mom.”

Colombia survived pool play, which narrows the field down to a 16-team bracket. They then lost in the first round. At the time, SIU coach Justin Ingram was beginning to recruit Estrada.

“When you go overseas to take a look or to gain interest in some of these athletes, the pool is unbelievably small,” Ingram said. “There might be less than 50 people in the country that are incredibly talented, compared to the thousands in the states.”

After the World Cup of Volleyball, Estrada chose to play volleyball at SIU. Her mother played club volleyball in California after her season for the national team ended.

Jaramillo gained interest from many universities in the country during her time in California. 

UCLA, USC and Miami offered her scholarships, but she instead returned to Colombia to take care of her sick mother and continue to represent her country on the court. 

Advertisement*

Jaramillo said Estrada is a stronger player physically than she was, but she used her wits to her advantage when she went up for a kill.

Jaramillo and Estrada are both 5-foot-8 inches tall. Jaramillo was also an outside hitter.

As a freshman last year, Estrada led the team in kills and kill attempts. Through six matches this season, Estrada has a team leading 94 kills on 243 attempts and six service aces. 

Evan Jones can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter @EvanJones_DE.