Chambana Sun

Illinois volleyball has announced the addition of Christina Martinez Mundo to its team. The transfer comes after her four-year tenure at Eastern Illinois University, where she played both indoor and beach volleyball.

Martinez Mundo, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, was a standout player during her time at Eastern Illinois. She earned spots on the All-OVC First Team in 2023 and the All-OVC Second Team in 2022. In her senior year, she started every match as a libero, achieving 676 digs with an average of 5.63 digs per set. Her performance included logging 33 digs in a three-set contest during the OVC Championship match, which helped send her team to the NCAA Tournament.

Reflecting on Martinez Mundo's skills and contributions, Illinois head coach Chris Tamas stated: "Christy is a tenacious player and fiery competitor. We played against her several times in the last few years and were always impressed with her ability to read the game and lead her team. She always seems to be in the right place at the right time and is able to come up with big plays defensively. That is needed at every level, especially ours."

Expressing her enthusiasm for joining Illinois, Martinez Mundo shared: "I felt that it was time for me to level up, get better and bet on myself. The moment I stepped foot in Illinois and met the coaches, it all felt so familiar. The most important thing for me was that the coaches gave me the feeling that they want me to make an impact by being myself."

Martinez Mundo looks forward to contributing to Illinois' volleyball program while preparing for a future professional career.