Michelle

Gerlosky Schiffler

Birth Year: 1983

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: 2012 – Paralympic Games (Silver Medal)… Shanghai Exhibition Tournament… Netherlands Exhibition… Volleyball Masters (Gold Medal). 2011 – ECVD Continental Cup in Yevpatoria, Ukraine (gold). 2010 – WOVD Sitting Volleyball World Championships (Silver Medal)... WOVD World Cup (Gold Medal)... Parapan American Championship (Gold Medal). 2009 – Michelle helped the U.S. Women’s Sitting Team win the Parapan American Zonal Championship (Montreal).

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 2012 – Played in 11 sets of the 2012 Paralympics as a substitute. Finished with 14 points on 10 kills, one block and three aces. Scored a tournament-high five points against China in the gold medal match. Led all players with three aces against Brazil in pool play. 2011 – Helped the U.S. Women to a 7-0 record and a gold medal at the ECVD Continental Cup in Yevpatoria, Ukraine... Named best server of the tournament with a total of 22 service aces… Competed with the U.S. Women's Sitting Team in China in four exhibition matches against the Shanghai club team...Helped the U.S. Women defeat the Shanghai club team in four exhibition matches played in conjunction with the 2011 Colorado Crossroads on March 17-20 in Denver… Totaled 16 points with seven kills. She was third on the team with six aces. 2010 – Played in nine sets for the Women's Sitting Team at the World Championships in Edmond, Okla., and tallied 13 aces, 0.50 per set. She also added two kills, 0.22 per set.

Quick Facts

• Born Michelle Denise Gerlosky on March 20, 1983, in Lake Wales, Fla.
• Parents are Mike Gerlosky and Dayl Davis
• Has a brother named Greg Gerlosky and a sister named Donna Davis-Ebaugh
• Married Alexander Schiffler in 2011. Husband competed for Germany in sitting volleyball at the 2000, 2004 and 2012 Paralympic Games. The pair met at the 2010 WOVD Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Edmond, Okla.
• Michelle was born missing her right hand and part of her forearm. She says she finds it lucky that the radiology technicians had missed this in sonograms prior to her arrival because her mother had nothing to worry about during her pregnancy. After she was born, it was confirmed by geneticists that her disability was not genetic and was just a sporadic event that occurred during development
• Graduated from University of Georgia on the Dean’s List, Provost’s List and with cum laude honors
• Played standing volleyball from seventh to 12th grade and joined the U.S. Women’s Sitting Team in January of 2009
• Favorite professional team is Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Her favorite athlete is Ronde Barber
• Likes to read journal articles, bike, watch and play football, basketball and volleyball
• Most admired person is her mother because “she taught me to me to have an open mind, strong will, and yet to be empathetic through her example."