Bethania De La Cruz de Pena

Sport: Volleyball

Nation: Dominican Republic

DOB: May 13, 1987

Career Highlights: Considered one of the best players in the world, de la Cruz anchored the Dominican Republic’s campaign to reach the Olympics through continental qualifying. She made her mark at the World Cup in November, being named best scorer and best server at the tournament after racking up 228 points - 42 more than MVP Carolina Costagrande of Italy - to help her country place eighth. She had three of the top five scoring performances at the completion, highlighted by a 42-point effort versus Germany. She won MVP honors at the Olympic qualifying tournament in helping the Dominican clinch a spot in London, finishing second among spikers with a 57.48 percent conversion rate and third with 84 points overall. She also shares the world record for points in a match with 54. De la Cruz has won a Pan American Cup title and a NORCECA Championship at the national level, and is an emerging talent at the club level internationally after signing with Japanese team Denso Airybees in November. Prior to that, she led Puerto Rican squad Criolla de Caguas to a domestic title with a league-record 57 saves and had a league-high 392 points, winning league MVP honors.

Olympic History: None