Biography
Priscilla Eckstein Piantadosi-Lima was born in December 19th, 1979 in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil to parents Fatima de Medeiros Eckstein and Luz Angelo Lese Lima. She has a younger brother from her mother’s side named Victor and two older brothers from her father’s side named Luiz Sergio and Leonardo. She has three nieces from her oldest brother “Lula”.
Pri as most people call her, attended Colegio Imaculada da Conceicao on her freshman year where she was a starter in the Handball team, and then she transferred to MV1-Anderson where she played Volleyball as a starter for the next 3 years of school. At the same time, she was playing club volleyball at Tijuca Tenis Clube where she met one of her dearest friend Olympic Beach Volleyball Player Renata Ribeiro, and she was also playing beach volleyball regionally in Rio at the age of 17, winning all of her age events until an opportunity to go play in USA and have a scholarship to go to school came to her. She then decided to go to University of Louisiana at Lafayette where a former teammate was already attending.
While at UL, Pri surprised and helped the Cajuns with her Brazilian soccer skills plays and also her dominant presence and skills on the court. Right off her third week of her freshman career, Pri was ranked nationally in aces, with that came along other Conference awards throughout her college career. Pri still carries 3 school records up to today.
While in college, Pri completely abandoned beach volleyball, playing only in local tournaments and leagues around Louisiana. After playing from 99-02, Pri graduated in the Spring of 04 and took a year off. She then went to play a fun four man tournament in Destin, FL where she met her first AVP partner and friend Mary Hegarty who asked her to go play an AVP qualifier in San Diego in 04. Since that qualifier, she has not stopped playing beach volleyball.
Pri entered her 5th year on the AVP Tour in 09, which in previous years was played with friend and partner Angela Lewis and now she plays with fellow Brazilian Tati Minello. After starting the year playing two tournaments with Jenny Pavley in 09' while waiting for Tati's come back after shoulder surgery, Pri played the remaining season with Tati. In their first appearance as a team, they finished 7th in San Diego, by the third tournament they finished 5th, and the partnership only grew from there on. In the last five tournaments of the year, they had 5 final four appearances and one Final appearance in Muskegon, MI.
Pri got her first award in her beach volleyball career at the end of 09 season. AVP Most Improved. After the season Pri went back to Brazil to play the remaining tournaments from the national Brazilian tour. In her very first appearance played with Taiana Lima (Taiana's partner was injured), they finished 3rd in Joao Pessoa Open becoming Pri's first podium ceremony in Brazil.
In 2010 after starting the season with Tati in Brazil and the AVP, Pri got re-united with long time partner Angela Lewis to play the remaining of the season on the AVP. They started ranked 7th and in 3 tourneys climbed up to 6th! One of the highlights of their season was a victory over Misty May-Treanor and Nicole Branagh in the Hermosa Open.
After AVP went down and cancelled the last 5 tourneys, Pri went back to Brazil to play the Banco do Brasil Tour with a new partner: Taiana Lima. The coincidence about their last names is just it, they are from two completely different places and met last year when Taiana's partner got hurt and Minello couldn't register on time for a tourney. So Tata and Pri got together to play the Sao Joao Open as you read before!
In 3 tournaments the duo placed one 4th and two 5ths as of right now. They also won the South American Games in Colombia and the Continental Cup in Bolivia.
2011 a whole new chapter started, but with very familiar faces. After an excellent season in 2010, Pri got invited to play with Renata Ribeiro. Renata finished 4th in the Olympics in Beijing in 2008. After stopping for almost a year due to her pregnancy she played the last round of tournaments in 2010 and came with full force in 2011 united with Pri.
The duo started off with two solids 5th places right off the bat! Getting in the podium in their 3rd event together with a 3rd place finish. In 6 tournaments they had 5 top 5 finishes, which puts them in 4th ranked team in Brazil. With such great results, the team decided to go play in the FIVB season this year. Even though they know it'll be really tough to qualified for the 2012 Olympics, the duo hopes to do well overseas, to gather experience as a team and come back even stronger for the remaining of the 2011 season in Brazil.
Pri as most people call her, attended Colegio Imaculada da Conceicao on her freshman year where she was a starter in the Handball team, and then she transferred to MV1-Anderson where she played Volleyball as a starter for the next 3 years of school. At the same time, she was playing club volleyball at Tijuca Tenis Clube where she met one of her dearest friend Olympic Beach Volleyball Player Renata Ribeiro, and she was also playing beach volleyball regionally in Rio at the age of 17, winning all of her age events until an opportunity to go play in USA and have a scholarship to go to school came to her. She then decided to go to University of Louisiana at Lafayette where a former teammate was already attending.
While at UL, Pri surprised and helped the Cajuns with her Brazilian soccer skills plays and also her dominant presence and skills on the court. Right off her third week of her freshman career, Pri was ranked nationally in aces, with that came along other Conference awards throughout her college career. Pri still carries 3 school records up to today.
While in college, Pri completely abandoned beach volleyball, playing only in local tournaments and leagues around Louisiana. After playing from 99-02, Pri graduated in the Spring of 04 and took a year off. She then went to play a fun four man tournament in Destin, FL where she met her first AVP partner and friend Mary Hegarty who asked her to go play an AVP qualifier in San Diego in 04. Since that qualifier, she has not stopped playing beach volleyball.
Pri entered her 5th year on the AVP Tour in 09, which in previous years was played with friend and partner Angela Lewis and now she plays with fellow Brazilian Tati Minello. After starting the year playing two tournaments with Jenny Pavley in 09' while waiting for Tati's come back after shoulder surgery, Pri played the remaining season with Tati. In their first appearance as a team, they finished 7th in San Diego, by the third tournament they finished 5th, and the partnership only grew from there on. In the last five tournaments of the year, they had 5 final four appearances and one Final appearance in Muskegon, MI.
Pri got her first award in her beach volleyball career at the end of 09 season. AVP Most Improved. After the season Pri went back to Brazil to play the remaining tournaments from the national Brazilian tour. In her very first appearance played with Taiana Lima (Taiana's partner was injured), they finished 3rd in Joao Pessoa Open becoming Pri's first podium ceremony in Brazil.
In 2010 after starting the season with Tati in Brazil and the AVP, Pri got re-united with long time partner Angela Lewis to play the remaining of the season on the AVP. They started ranked 7th and in 3 tourneys climbed up to 6th! One of the highlights of their season was a victory over Misty May-Treanor and Nicole Branagh in the Hermosa Open.
After AVP went down and cancelled the last 5 tourneys, Pri went back to Brazil to play the Banco do Brasil Tour with a new partner: Taiana Lima. The coincidence about their last names is just it, they are from two completely different places and met last year when Taiana's partner got hurt and Minello couldn't register on time for a tourney. So Tata and Pri got together to play the Sao Joao Open as you read before!
In 3 tournaments the duo placed one 4th and two 5ths as of right now. They also won the South American Games in Colombia and the Continental Cup in Bolivia.
2011 a whole new chapter started, but with very familiar faces. After an excellent season in 2010, Pri got invited to play with Renata Ribeiro. Renata finished 4th in the Olympics in Beijing in 2008. After stopping for almost a year due to her pregnancy she played the last round of tournaments in 2010 and came with full force in 2011 united with Pri.
The duo started off with two solids 5th places right off the bat! Getting in the podium in their 3rd event together with a 3rd place finish. In 6 tournaments they had 5 top 5 finishes, which puts them in 4th ranked team in Brazil. With such great results, the team decided to go play in the FIVB season this year. Even though they know it'll be really tough to qualified for the 2012 Olympics, the duo hopes to do well overseas, to gather experience as a team and come back even stronger for the remaining of the 2011 season in Brazil.