By Taylor Lupetti (@tayclupetti):
In the past few weeks, Fernanda Vido has showed her followers what a great comeback looks like.
After being sidelined with an injury for three weeks, the sophomore outside hitter returned to the court ready to make up for lost time. Her first match back against University of Nevada, Reno set her off to a remarkable start when she led her team with 11 digs.
“It feels really good to be back,” Vido said. “My teammates helped me a lot and made me feel comfortable playing and it’s really great to have the support from the crowds as well.”
Despite having her entire leg wrapped in various tapes and bandages, Vido’s ability to play never seemed to be lagging. Contributing to her team’s three consecutive shutouts in the past two weeks, her leg didn’t get in the way of her dominating prowess.
“We had other players who did great in the front row,” said sophomore middle blocker Thaliana Grajeda. “But it is really great to have Fey (Vido) back on the court.”
At the end of Vido’s first week back, fellow outside hitter senior Giulia Gavio was taken out of the game with an injury during the match. With Gavio gone, the time for Vido to step in became even more apparent.
“It’s a sport, it happens,” Vido said. “We are going to focus on keeping her (Gavio) positive. When we decided to become athletes we know that we are risking our bodies. It’s part of it.”
Vido is originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and is one of five Brazilians on the team. While playing volleyball was a personal choice, Vido does have the sport in her blood. Her mother, Luiza, was a volleyball Olympian for Brazil in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
“I was never forced into sports,” Vido said. “I just grew up playing all kinds of sports at home with my family and loved it. I also saw my older sister play but I never even watched my mom on video.”
Playing for a Division 1 school in the United States runs in the Vido family as well for her older sisters Clara (volleyball at Louisiana Tech) and Julia (swimming at Old Dominion). To add to the athletically talented family, Vido’s father, Marcelo was an Olympian in 1980 and 1984 with his wife as a basketball standout for Brazil.
Before coming to San Jose State, Vido played her freshman year at Eastern Washington University in 2015 where she played 21 sets averaging 1.79 digs per set. After playing three games in the 2016 season with EWU, Vido redshirted the season. It was after this season that Vido made the move to San Jose where she started the 2017 season as a sophomore.
While the move to San Jose was a personal choice, Vido does have a playing history with Gavio and junior libero Luiza Andrade. The trio brought big things to their team in Brazil just as it is now at SJSU.
“She has been the perfect puzzle piece we needed to fit the team,” said head coach Jolene Shepardson. “The fact that she has played with some of our athletes in the past definitely strengthens our chemistry.”
The 2017 season is Vido’s first as a Spartan, but that has not stopped her from already taking a leadership role and taking a firm place on the court as a starter.
SJSU and Vido have both had an incredibly successful season. The Spartans have had the most wins since 2012. As the season is coming to an end, Vido’s hope for the team is finish the season on a high note.
“It would be nice to finish in the top three,” Vido said. “As long as we stick together and play strong, we will be fine.”
