Brazilian middle blocker and team captain Karin Rodrigues had her first major success in 1991 when she was part of the team that won the gold medal at the Junior World Championship in Spain. In the same year she transferred to São Caetano club where she won the Brazil Cup.

Her success at club level continued the following year and she was also part of the team (Colgate/São Caetano) that finished fifth in the Team’s World Championship.

In 1993, Rodrigues moved to Sorocaba and one year later won the silver medal in the Brazil Cup. She then went to Japan and then to Peru before returning to Sorocaba in 1995, the team that won the Superliga 95/96.

In that year she was called up for the Brazilian national team and won the World Grand Prix title. In 1997, she was in the team that finished first in the South American Championship, first in the World Championship qualifying tournament and third in the Grand Champions Cup, in Japan.

Karin’s other successes include the gold medal in the Grand Prix’98, gold in the Pan American Games’99, in Winnipeg, and gold in the South American Championship ’99. In 1999-2000, she was champion of the Superliga, playing for Club Rexona and was part of the Brazilian bronze medal team at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

In 2001, under the coaching of Marco Aurélio Motta, Karin was included in the team that finished fifth in both the World Grand Prix and the Grand Champions Cup, as well as first in the World Championship Qualifying Tournament and the South American Championship.

Last season Rodrigues won the silver medal in the Supercopa dos Campeões and finished fourth in the Superliga. Now 32, and the team’s most experienced player, she took part in the 2002 World Championships where Brazil finished seventh and the Montreux Volleymasters 2003, leading Brazil to third place.

The 187cm Middle-blocker and opposite hitter likes Italian food, rock music, romantic adventure films like Braveheart and books by prize winning Portuguese author Paulo Coelho.