Brenda Castillo (born June 5, 1992) is a volleyball player from the Dominican Republic and plays as a libero. She was a member of the Dominican Republic national team that won fifth place in the 2012 Summer Olympics, while she was named the tournament's Best Libero. She played in the 2014 World Championship reaching also the fifth place and ranking 17th in the 2010 World Championship and the 2011 FIVB World Cup where her national team ranked eight and the 2015 FIVB World Cup, winning the Best Libero individual award and ranking in seventh place.
She won the silver medal at the 2009 U20 World Championship, 2013 U23 World Championship and Bronze in the 2009 FIVB Women's World Grand Champions Cup and the 2015 Pan American Games. She won the gold medal of the 2009 NORCECA Championship, 2010 Final Four and the 2010 and 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. Castillo also won the 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016 Pan American Cup championship.
In club competition, Castillo won the 2011 Puerto Rican League with Criollas de Caguas and the 2012–13, 2013–14 Azerbaijan Super League and 2014–15 with Rabita Baku. She became runner-up with San Cristóbal at the 2008 Dominican Republic Volleyball League and won the silver medal in the 2012–13 and the bronze in the 2013–14 CEV Champions League with Rabita Baku.
Personal and early life Castillo is tall and weighs . She was born on June 5, 1992, in Haina, San Cristóbal. Her parents are Argentina and Alfonso. She is married to Julio Enrique de los Santos.
She started practicing volleyball when she was ten under the guidance of coach Valentín Arias Pérez in the club Siglo XXI. Her nickname is "Chin Chin", which translates from colloquial Dominican speech as "small portion". She is also recognized for having a pretty face and model looks.
At the San Cristóbal Carnival 2010, Castillo was named Queen of the Carnival, "Reina Califé". After living a hard life, she decided to become a Christian in 2010. Castillo used to arrive late to national team practices because of a problem with alcohol, but decided to change her life in order to help herself and her family.
In January 2015, she revealed via Instagram the pictures of her wedding with Julio Enrique de los Santos. She often shares Bible verses on her Facebook account.
Career
2007 Castillo played with the Senior National Team that traveled to Guadalajara, Spain for a friendly series. She then played the 2007 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup in Colima, Mexico. Her team qualified for the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix with a 3–2 victory in quarterfinals over Puerto Rico, and finally winning the competition's bronze medal with a 3–1 victory over the United States. Castillo then played in the 2007 Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her national team lost in the quarterfinals after falling to Peru and ending up in fifth place. Castillo played in August her first Worldwide competition by playing the annual FIVB World Grand Prix in Tokyo, Japan then Hong Kong, China and finally Taipei, where her team won their first competition's match ranking in eleventh place overall. After that competition, she moved in September with her national Senior Team to Winnipeg, Canada, playing the NORCECA Championship. There she won the bronze medal.
She then took part in the world cup in the FIVB World Cup when the Dominican Republic was assigned with a wild card. Her country ranked ninth after winning only three matches during the competition. In the second half of December, Castillo played in Monterrey, Mexico the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament; but her team fell 0–3 to Canada in the semifinals getting out of contention for the Olympic berth and later 2–3 to Puerto Rico in the Bronze medal match.
2008 She played for the Senior National Team at the 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan. There her team ended up in fourth place, and did not qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. She then played in July with her National Junior Team, winning the silver medal at the 2008 NORCECA Junior Continental Championship U-20, and was elected Most Valuable Player, Best Libero, Best Digger and Best Receiver. Shortly afterwards Castillo claimed with her Senior Team the gold medal at the 2008 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup in Mexico as a sixteen-year-old. Later that year her team won the silver medal at the Final Four Cup, as she won the Rising Star award.
2009 During the Holy Week Sport Festival held in Hato Mayor, Castillo played Beach Volleyball (three) with Yenifer Calcaño and Evelyn Carrera winning the Gold Medal of the event.
She won with her Senior team the silver medal and the "Rising Star" award at the 2009 Pan-American Cup. In June 2009, at the 2010 World Championship NORCECA Qualification Pool H, at Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, she took the public ovation at the Gran Arena del Cibao winning the Best Digger, Best Receiver, Best Libero and MVP awards. She then participated with her Junior National Team she won the silver medal at the 2009 U20 World Championship, being awarded Best Digger, Best Receiver, Best Libero and MVP awards. She won the Best Digger, Best Receiver, Best Libero awards and the bronze medal with her team at the 2009 Final Four Cup held in Lima, Peru. She then played with her Senior National Team, winning the Continental Championship at the 2009 Women's NORCECA Volleyball Championship, and was awarded again, Best Libero, Digger and Receiver. This win qualified her team to the 2009 FIVB Women's World Grand Champions Cup, there she was at the age of 17 one of the youngest players. The Dominican Republic and Castillo won the Bronze Medal of the event.
2010 Castillo crowned her 2009 performance winning the 2010 Dominican Republic "Athlete of the Year" and 2010 Dominican Republic "Volleyball Player of the Year". She started the 2010 year winning the Best Libero, Digger and Receiver awards at the 2010 Pan-American Cup, won by her home team playing in Rosarito and Tijuana. Two weeks after the Pan-Am cup, she won the silver medal and the "Best Libero, Digger and Receiver awards at the 2010 NORCECA Junior Continental Championship U-20.
The Dominican Republic Olympic Committee selected Castillo as the Dominican Republic Flag bearer for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games held at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from July 17, 2010, to August 1, 2010. In the volleyball tournament of the Regional Games, she won with her team the gold medal. She later played in Chiapas, Mexico winning the Best Libero and Best Receiver awards, along with the gold medal with her National Senior Team at the 2010 Final Four Cup. Castillo later participated in her first Senior World Championship in Japan, finishing second in digs and Best Libero categories, and being 17th with her national team.
At the end of the 2010 year, Brenda joined the Dominican Republic club Mirador that participated in the 2010 FIVB World Club Championship finishing in 4th place with this club and earning the Best Libero award.
2011 The Puerto Rican team Criollas de Caguas signed Brenda for the 2011 season, as her first international club experience, joining the Canadian Stacey Gordon and Dominicans Bethania de la Cruz and Annerys Vargas. She replaced the injured Yarimar Rosa. During the regular season, Brenda accumulated statistics that make her Best Libero and Best Digger, and crowned the season winning the Puerto Rico League Championship, sweeping the final series against the Mets de Guaynabo.
Castillo then played the 2011 Pan-American Cup being awarded with the Best Libero and Best Digger awards, also winning the silver medal with her national team. She then took part of the 2011 Junior World Championship held in Lima, Peru. She helped her Junior National team to reach the 5th place in the tournament. Brenda won the silver medal and the Best Libero, Best Digger and Best Receiver awards at the 2011 NORCECA Championship, held in Caguas, Puerto Rico. She was also awarded the Best Libero, Best Digger and Best Receiver awards at the 2011 Pan American Games where her team finished in fourth place.
Castillo played the 2011 FIVB World Cup and her national team ranked in eight place and she finished in seventh place among the Liberos.
2012 In the Summer Olympics NORCECA qualification tournament played in May in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, Castillo saw her team qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal against the Cuban team. She earned awards for the Best Receiver and Best Libero of the competition. Later, she would confessed, that she played the tournament being pregnant and would not be able to play at the Olympic Games. But about one month later, the National Team doctor gynaecologist Albert Fiorinelli Milciades Camilo, announced that Castillo suffered a spontaneous abortion after 19 weeks of pregnancy. Two days later, she predicted that she would start training in 15 days in order to get physically fit to play in the Summer Olympics.
At the Pan-American Cup held in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, she returned to play with the National team, finishing with her team in the 4th place and winning the Best Libero, Best Digger and Best Receiver awards.
Castillo played at the 2012 Olympic tournament and her national team ranked 5th, after losing the quarterfinal match 3–0 against the United States. Nonetheless, she managed to win the individual award of Best Libero of the competition. She would later recall, as of July 2016, that award as the peak moment of her career.
In September, Castillo won the gold medal and the Best Digger award at the first 2012 U23 Pan-American Cup, played in Callao, Peru.
In early November 2012, Castillo signed with the Azerbaijani club Rabita Baku to play the Azerbaijan Super League and the CEV Champions League. Her goal was to achieve the league championship, even when she was playing without any knowledge of the Azerbaijani language.
2013 As one of the 15 women awarded by the Dominican Republic Olympic Committee in her sport, Castillo won the 2012 Volleyball Player of the Year. Castillo was one of the candidates for the top prize, the Dominican Republic Athlete of the year, along with Félix Sánchez, Luguelín Santos, Yamilet Peña and Aumi Guerra. Castillo was also considered by the volleyball portal Volleyball.it among the candidates for the 2012 Globe Awards prize. She managed to survive Brazilian Fabiana de Oliveira in the semifinal round, but she lost the final round to Italian Enrica Merlo 55% to 45%.
Castillo played the 2012–13 CEV Champions League Final Four held in Istanbul, Turkey. Her team defeated the Italian club Unendo Busto Arsizio 3–2 in the semifinals, but lost 3–0 in the championship match to the Turkish VakıfBank.
In April, Castillo's club, Rabita Baku claimed the Azerbaijan Super League Championship ahead of Igtisadchi Baku and Azerrail Baku, three weeks before the end of the season to win their sixth title in a row. She won the league's Best Libero award. She then played the 28th Montreux Volley Masters held in Montreux, Switzerland, after the invitation received by her National Team for the first time since 2003. Castillo's team won the Bronze Medal defeating Italy 3–1 after dropping the semifinals 0–3 from Brazil. Soon after this tournament, the Dominican Republic National Federation announced the Castillo's separation from the National Team due to erratic behavior and indiscipline.
She would later apologize for her previous behavior and promised to change her attitude, being then readmitted in the national team just in time to take part in the 2013 FIVB World Grand Prix. She helped her team to reach the 10th position in the competition, posting a 3.69 digs per set average, topping all the diggers in the preliminary round. Castillo played in late September the NORCECA Continental Championship, winning the silver medal and the Best Digger award.