CHARLESTON, S.C. – Middle blocker Maddy Cardenas has signed her first professional contract with SSC Freisen out of Germany.
 
Cardenas becomes the second player in program history to sign a professional contract since Sharlissa de Jesus did in 2021.
 
A five-year member of The Citadel Volleyball team, Cardenas finished with 892 kills with 227 total blocks. She appeared in 130 matches during her career as a Bulldog. During the 2023 season, Cardenas recorded 251 kills, which was second most during her career. Defensively, she finished with 74 total blocks, which was the most of her career.
 
Cardenas played a major role in securing The Citadel's first-ever women's Southern Conference Championship during the 2021 season. Also, her play during the 2023 season led to the most successful season in the program's history, which included breaking the all-time wins record for the season, winning 23 straight matches, and securing the 2023 Southern Conference Regular Season Title.
 
Cardenas was honored with a selection to the 2023 All-SoCon Team. She was an All-Tournament selection at the Jacksonville Invitational and the Buccaneer Invitational. During the 2022 season, she made the Campbell Invitational All-Tournament team.
 
"We are all excited and proud of Maddy for taking this next step in her career. She expressed early on that playing in Europe was a goal for her, and for the past 3 years, she's been working on the skill set needed to become a professional," said head coach Dave Zelenock. "Where most middles exclusively work on hitting and blocking, Maddy was always pushing for defensive and passing reps and improving her serve. We even had to kick her out of setting reps a few times. I'm confident that she will navigate the European volleyball scene, representing The Citadel Volleyball and herself in a positive way, and impress a lot of people."
 
For more information and score updates on The Citadel volleyball team, please visit CitadelSports.com or follow @CitadelVB on X and @CitadelVolleyball on Instagram.

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