Elyria alum on Cruz control with Puerto Rican professional volleyball team

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and Madison Cruzado made the most of hers. The Elyria High grad was drafted by Changas de Naranjito of the Puerto Rican professional volleyball league LVSF. But even though she was selected, Cruzado had to travel to the team's facility and pass a tryout in order to make the roster. The team obviously liked her performance, signing her to a contract for the 2021 season to fill out its 12-player roster. The season begins today against Sanjuaneras de la Capital (San Juan). Changas is the defending runner up from 2019 — the league did not compete in 2020 — and did not have a libero returning from that squad, giving Cruzado a chance to make an immediate impact. "I honestly couldn't have asked for a better situation to have landed in," Cruzado said. "It's a great team. We have talented players and a great coaching staff. The organization is amazing and treats its players with support and respect, which is something I really value. It feels like a family environment, I find myself connecting with my teammates and it makes being able to perform that much easier." Cruzado just wrapped up her collegiate career with Norte Dame. She played all 115 sets and led the team with 451 digs in 2019. She recorded a career-high 27 digs against Louisville on Oct. 16, 2019, and recorded at least 20 digs in five matches with double-digit digs in 24 of 29 matches. Little did she know that her junior season wound up being her last. She contracted COVID-19 right before the 2020-21 school year. Because so little was known about the virus' long-term side effects at the time, Cruzado said she decided to opt out of her senior season to focus on her health. She also spent the time laying the foundation for her professional career, eventually connecting with the LVSF and getting a tryout video in front of multiple teams. One element of the pre-draft process was proving her Puerto Rican heritage, which Cruzado did through her grandparents Zoriada and Roberto, who were born on the island. "Not only is this a great opportunity volleyball-wise and to pursue a dream that I had, but it's an amazing opportunity to connect back to my family's roots, experience the culture and connect my family back to the island," Cruzado said. On draft day, Cruzado said she didn't expect to be selected. Her family had a draft party to celebrate her volleyball career while watching the live stream, and in the fifth round they heard her name called. Then came the hard part: deciding whether to pursue this opportunity or take advantage of her extra year of eligibility and continue to develop in college. "After the draft, my family and I had to sit down because I was still in the process of trying to decide (if I wanted to return to college)," Cruzado said. "I was talking to some schools and thinking about transferring, kind of going back and forth in determining what was the best path for me. Professional volleyball was always something I wanted to pursue, and they were calling for me now, so my heart really wasn't in going back to school and earning a masters degree even though I had some great opportunities and talked to some great coaches. I didn't want to push off an opportunity that I dreamed of." Cruzado will compete with Changas through at least the team's 12-game double round robin regular season schedule that wraps up on July 25 at home with a championship rematch against Criollas de Caguas. Should the team qualify for the playoffs, her tenure will extend into August. Once the season concludes, Changas can protect up to seven players for next season. Until then, Cruzado will get to play with and against some of the world's best players like Destinee Hooker, who plays for Sanjuaneras and won a silver medal with the U.S. Olympic team in 2012. "It's really exciting," Cruzado said. "My parents definitely made the transition easier. They were here with me for about a week and we stayed in a couple of different places. I got to see a lot of the island, get familiar with some of the spots and just get acclimated to a different environment. Notre Dame was far enough away to feel like college, but close enough for my family to come watch games. That's not really the situation anymore, but at the same time I'm ready to not allow that distance to influence any decisions because I am really far away from home. Puerto Rico is beautiful, the island has a way of making you feel relaxed and loose. I'm finding myself playing some of the best volleyball that I've played. I feel confident and free and just excited for what's in store for the future." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeneyCT on Twitter.