Regla Bell (CUB)
The unstoppable howling Cuban lefty

Her second surname is Mackenzie—Regla Bell Mackenzie. But her jersey just reads BELL in big letters. In the world of volleyball, "BELL" has become associated with far more than just a ding-a-ling: a lightning-quick left arm cranking down on a ball, and an almost karate-like "Ha-yeee!" Forget Monica Seles, Regla Bell is the real athlete yelper! In fact, other Cubans players do that as well, such as Tanya Ortiz, and setter Raúl Diago on the men's team, whose "haaaaahhhhh!!!!" after every jump serve seems like more intimidation than actual energy release. Regla Bell plays opposite the great Mireya Luis, and together, they form an unstoppable duo of outside hitters. When Mireya rotates to the back row, the opposing team doesn't feel any better at seeing Regla Bell in the front. They know that Bell tends to hit quicker balls than Mireya, that her left arm can deceive angles very well, and that she hits with the same strength as Mireya. An interesting fact is that neither Regla Bell nor Mireya hit from any other position except position 4. Occasionally Mireya will hit from the back row, but that is very rare. And Bell, who should feel more comfortable as a lefty hitting from position 2, never hits from that side.

The Cuban offence is structured in such a way that the only variation from a basic textbook offence are the so-called "stacks" (two-balls hit behind fake one-balls). But other than that, there is not much innovation in the Cuban offence worthy of admiration. However, this simplicity taken to near perfection has worked wonders for Cuba. It also helps that Bell and Mireya can hit OVER their blocks. They say that the Cuban Women's National Team practises with a net set at the 1.43 metre height for men! Not surprising after one sees how easily Cuban players pound ball after ball on a women's net! Bell's yelps add a spicy punctuation to her spectacular kills, a trait that has become vintage Cuban by now.

Regla Bell is also one of the more complete players of the Cuban team. Known for some of the team's best passing and smart defence, she also blocks well on the outside. And as is usual with all the Cuban players, she has a good floating serve, which makes it Cuba's first way of destabilising their opponents' strategies.

After Sydney: Regla was the only player in the world to have been a real starter in three Olympic gold winning lineups. Though Regla Torres was also in the lineup in the same three winning matches, she had been a rookie when Eugenio George subbed her in the Barcelona final for Mercedes Calderón, though she played well. In Atlanta, Torres had been on and off throughout the tournament, so Ana Ibis Fernández got some real playing time in key matches. In Sydney there was no doubt Torres was the team's go-to hitter. In contrast, Regla Bell had been a sure pick for all three finals. However, the Best Player of the Century award from the FIVB went to Regla Torres instead of Regla Bell, perhaps because Torres had a more spectacular presence in the middle of the net. I don't think Bell cared about this. She now has three gold medals, THREE GOLD MEDALS!!!! Who else can boast something like that?