‘Working mom’ outsider, ‘happy volleyball’ with daughter…oldest active duty, ‘comrade-in-arms’ I know the feeling!

It was like watching a men’s game. The first person Gisele Silva, 32, turned to after the victory was her beloved daughter, whose powerful spikes could tear up the opposing court. 

Silva is a newcomer to the team this season, replacing Moma, who led GS Caltex for the past two seasons. GS Caltex head coach Cha Sang-hyun chose to take on a new challenge by not signing Moma, who has been such an integral part of the team that it has been dubbed ‘Moma Caltex’. 

Cha chose Silva. Silva is a 5-foot-9 Cuban-born opposite spiker who has played in various leagues for over a decade, starting in the Cuban league in 2010 and moving on to Azerbaijan, Turkiye, China, the Philippines, Italy, Poland, and Greece. She is a powerful player with a strong serve and attack.

Silva’s spike is a simple swing, but it hits the opponent’s court with tremendous power. Her power is as overwhelming as her male counterparts, and she makes a strong impact. After the first round, she ranks second in points (143), third in attacking success rate (47.27%), and second in service aces (0.33). Thanks to her performance, GS Caltex is in second place in the first round with a 4-1 record (11 points).

For all the charisma she brings to every game, Silva is a mother of one. Silva came to Korea with her husband and 34-month-old daughter, Ciana (3), so she is close to the oldest active mom athlete, Chung Dae-young (42). As a “working mom” with a daughter of her own, Chung made sure Silva was well taken care of in the unfamiliar Korean soil.

On March 3, GS Caltex swept the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League Women’s Division home match against Hyundai E&C with a set score of 3-0 (25-16 25-20 25-14) at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul. Silva led the way with a team-high 21 points, including six behind-the-back attacks. After the victory, a jubilant Silva was joined on the court by her daughter, Ciana. It was her daughter, Siana. Silva lifted her into the air to share in the victory. 캡틴토토 도메인

One player who looked out for her daughter as much as Silva did was Jung Dae-young. She had a great time playing with Siana. 

Silva talks to her a lot and relies on her. They talk a lot about balancing life as a professional athlete and motherhood, and she helps her a lot.

Despite being new to Korea, Silva has quickly adapted to the V-League by finding good teammates and seniors, and is becoming one of the league’s leading foreign players.