Milagros Cabral De La Cruz (born October 17, 1978 in Santo Domingo) is a retired female volleyball player from the Dominican Republic who won the 1998 silver and three consecutive gold medals in 2002, 2006 and 2010 at the Central American and Caribbean Games.
She competed for her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Great Britain and played in four consecutives World Championships from 1998 to 2010.
As a professional player, she won the "Most Valuable Player" for the Spanish club Ícaro Alaró, when her club won the 2007 Liga Fev Championship. In addition, in 2008 with the Puerto Rican club Pinkin de Corozal, she was awarded Most Valuable Player and crowned with the championship.
Early life
Milagros started playing volleyball with the team Los Cachorros in 1993, and internationally at Japan with the club Pioneer in 1997.
Career
1998
She started playing for the Senior National team, winning the silver medal at the volleyball tournament during the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games.
Milagros also played at the 1998 World Championship where the Dominican Republic won the last ticket.
1999
She played in Italy for the Marsi Palermo, at a mostly Latin team, playing with fellow Dominican Nuris Arias, Argentines Marianna Ratti and Carolina Costagrande, and Cubans Marta Sánchez and Lilian Izquierdo.
2000
At the 2000 USA Volleyball Open Championships playing with the Dominican Dream Team, Cabral won the championship and she was selected among the All-Tournament Team.
2002
During The 2001/2002 season Milagros played with fellow countrywoman Cosiri Rodríguez at the Spanish club Construcciones Damesa de Burgos. She won the 2002 Pan-American Cup silver medal.
At the 2002 FIVB World Championship, in her second participation at the top volleyball championship, she helped her country to finish in the 13th position.
For the 2002/2003 season, Milagros played with Nuris Arias at the same club, this time sponsored by Universidad de Burgos. In both seasons with the club, she helped her team to reach the quarterfinals of the Indesit European Champions League, and the second place of the Spanish Queen's Cup.
Cabral won her first gold medal at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games held in San Salvador, El Salvador, also winning the "Most Valuable Player" award.
2003
Cabral's National Team won the silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Cup. The cup was won by the United States. Milagros finished the tournament with the Best Attacker and MVP awards.
Cabral was selected to swear the athletes' oath at the 2003 Pan American Games, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In those games her national squad claimed the gold medal in this event for the first time, defeating for second time in the same year the powerful Cuban Team.
For the 2003/2004 season she returned to the Italian League, this time as a middleblocker for Volley Modena.
2004
Returning home from Italy, where Cabral helped her team Modena to reach the semifinals, she played at the 2004 Distrito Nacional Superior Tournament, resulting in runner up playing with Los Cachorros, who lost to Mirador
The 2004 Summer Olympics saw the first Dominican Republic participation in women's volleyball, and Milagros had the chance to finish with an attack (scoring spike shot). It was the only Dominican Republic win against the US team in 5 sets. The Dominican Republic finished its participation in 11th place.
The Russian Super League received Cabral for the 2004/2005 season with the Samorodok Khabarovsk team. There Milagros averaged 18 points.
2005
The Dominican Republic National Volleyball Federation chose Cabral and José Miguel Cáceres as 2004 Volleyball Players of the Year
During her season with the Samorodok team, she was voted to be one of the favorites of the team fans and team leader.
At the end of the 2004/2005 season, the Samorodok from Khabarovsk were able to play at the league quarterfinals. When at the 5th set against Balakovskaia AES Balakovo, Milagros suffered an injury in the achilles tendon of her right foot. Her team lost that game whose 5th set ended 19-17, and could not make it to the Final Four.