Hall of Fame
Renata Silva Gray closed a decade by becoming the first Academic All-American in Cal U volleyball history and she begins another decade as the program’s eighth Athletic Hall of Fame inductee.
Her journey to eventual athletic, academic and professional success in Western Pennsylvania was indeed a long one, as she came to Cal U sight unseen and unable to speak a word of English from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She studied 12 hours a day for five months in preparing to take her SAT.
“Looking back, it almost feels like a movie because you never know what would happen, but it certainly has had a happy ending,” said Silva Gray. “I thought about quitting multiple times early on but my mom always pushed me because she knew there were so many opportunities here that I wouldn’t have in Brazil.”
She received multiple All-American honors each of her final three seasons and was a four-time all-conference setter for the volleyball team from 2006 through 2009.
Silva Gray holds the all-time school record and ranks fifth in PSAC history with 5,507 assists.
She also ranks third in school history with 497 sets and her 126 career service aces still ranks 10th overall. Her career totals also include 1,065 career digs and 311 blocks.
Success was immediate during her freshman season as the Vulcans won 30 matches and finished second at both the PSAC and NCAA Regional tournaments. Silva Gray was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year.
Over her final three years, Silva Gray helped Cal U compile a 111-12 cumulative record and a 41-0 conference mark with three-straight PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Regional titles, plus three-consecutive appearances in the national quarterfinals. The Vulcans’ single-season records were 35-4, 40-2, and 36-6.
Silva Gray was named the 2008 and 2009 PSAC Tournament Most Valuable Player and following her senior season she was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team. At that time, Silva Gray was the first volleyball player and only the 13th different student-athlete in Cal U history to receive prestigious Academic All-America laurels.
Former Cal U head coach Melissa Myers said she knew Silva Gray was a great player when after seeing her play in Brazil, but one couldn’t have foreseen the impact that she would eventually make on Cal U’s program.
“Renata took Cal U volleyball to another level, and it wasn’t just her talent, but her attitude, energy, and effort that separated her from others,” said Myers, a 2018 Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. “She was one of the most mature, hard-working, and resilient athletes I’ve ever coached and made her teammates better.
“You could see in the way she conducted herself on the court, in the classroom, or wherever she was that, Renata was working to make a better life for herself and I’m not surprised by any of her success.”
Silva Gray remembers Myers picking her up from the airport and called her a mentor.
“I didn’t know anything and Melissa was so excited, but I couldn’t understand anything she was saying the whole ride,” Silva Gray recalled. “As time went on we developed such a trust with one another and all of us were so driven to play hard for her. She saw the full potential in me, cared about all of us as people and made a huge difference in my life.
“Every time I speak with her to this day I thank her.”
Silva Gray started playing volleyball at the age of 11 and played on many competitive Brazilian clubs before graduating from Colegio Ateneu.
She earned two bachelor’s degrees at Cal U, one in international studies with a business concentration and the other in Spanish, as well as a master’s degree in business administration. She was a Cal U volunteer assistant coach in 2010, worked as a graduate student in the criminal justice office and was active with the International Club.
“Cal U had so many different options and doors I could go in and everyone there was so receptive and trying to help you in one way or another,” Silva Gray said. “I keep in touch with my teammates and we all understood that volleyball was not forever and have gone to be successful, which directly relates back to our time at Cal U.”
Renata began working for Anova Healthcare System Inc. shortly after graduation and now serves as the company’s director of Administrative Services and Human Resources.
Silva Gray remains involved with volleyball as a coach the past eight years for the Pittsburgh Elite’s 17-premier 1 team and also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Robert Morris in 2016. She was named to the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 Class of 2019.
“Coaching has been very rewarding especially when you see players go to college,” she said. “Whether it’s my players or employees at work, I always tell them to step out of their comfort zone and engage.”
Renata and her husband, Donald III, reside in Pittsburgh. Understandably, she is looking forward to receiving Cal U’s highest athletic honor at the Bow Ties and Pearls Ball.
“I was blessed to be healthy during my four years playing at Cal, and now I am able to help my family back in Brazil,” she said. “I will always be grateful to Cal U and it’s been a great ride.”
updated 04/24/22
