Puerto Rican National Volleyball Team player Pilar Marie Victoriá López was found dead in an apartment in Turkey, according to several international news outlets.
The 28-year-old athlete was in Turkey playing for the Nilüfer Belediyespor club. So far, no details about the cause of her death have been reported, but her agent informed the Puerto Rican volleyball community that Victoriá López was found lifeless in her bed, with no signs of violence.
The press confirmed the news through multiple sources, including Carlos Beltrán, former president of the Volleyball and Basketball Federations, who contacted other players who confirmed the information.
Beltrán mentioned that, according to what he was told, the player missed a team practice, and when they went to check on her at her apartment, they found her dead in her bed.
Reports say that Victoriá was living in a club-owned property in Besevler, a neighborhood in Ankara. Media outlets also report that local authorities have begun an investigation, and the exact cause of her death will be determined by a forensic examination.
Pilar was the daughter of former Puerto Rican Double-A baseball pitcher Luis Ernesto Victoriá. Originally from Caguas, Pilar graduated from Notre Dame High School in that town. She also played for the Criollas de Caguas team in the Women’s Superior Volleyball League.
As an outside hitter and passer, Pilar was considered a key player on her teams.
Her younger sister also plays volleyball and is currently part of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) program.
Governor Pedro Pierluisi expressed his sorrow over her passing in a social media post, highlighting the athlete’s accomplishments.
