News 07/07/2020 Gaila Gonzalez working on her potential Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 7, 2020 – Step by step Gaila Gonzalez is making her way into the starting lineup of the Dominican Republic women’s national team now and has become an important piece of the squad.The left-handed opposite understands how big the challenge is, but feels ready for it when the team gets the green light to go back to practice following strict health protocol rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic.“I just turned 23 and there are a lot of things to learn from my teammates,” said Gonzalez, who led her team to victory at the U20 World Championship in 2015. Hard work has been the philosophy for the 1.88 meter tall Gonzalez who is a product of the National Programme of the Dominican Volleyball Federation, and has played in Turkey for the last two years.Gaila Gonzalez in action for the Dominican Republic during the NORCECA Tokyo Volleyball Qualification tournament in January.“Working hard I have reached the point where I am now, trying to take advantage of each opportunity,” she said. “Each chance I get I try to do my best, always looking for the best for the team.”Marcos Kwiek, the Brazilian who has coached the Dominican senior team since 2009, speaks high and loud about the talent of Gonzalez and also about the facets of her game she needs to work on.“Last year I started to use her more and more,” Kwiek says. “She is a good offensive player with good blocking ability who needs to improve her serve, defense, attacks from the back row and to be more aggressive. But she has the tools to be a complete package.”“She needs to keep working hard to reach the top level because she doesn’t have a complete idea of her potential. She can improve a lot. She has a very high ceiling.”Quick links:FIVB Volleyball Nations LeagueOlympic Games Tokyo 2020FacebookTwitterInstagramYoutube Print this Page News {{item.LocalShortDate}} {{item.Title}} All the News