RUIZ '15/'17 RETURNS AS ASSISTANT VOLLEYBALL COACH

American International College head volleyball coach Matt Cribbin announced the hiring of AIC alum Vanessa Ruiz '15,'17 as assistant volleyball coach on Wednesday, July 24. Ruiz joins the coaching staff after spending time in the private sector. From 2015-19, Ruiz served as the head coach with the Pioneer Valley Juniors Volleyball Academy as well as a volunteer assistant coach from 2016-19 at Chicopee Comprehensive High School. During her time with Pioneer Valley, Ruiz developed practice plans, created game strategies, ran the program operations as well as developed one-on-one skill programs. At Chicopee Comprehensive, Ruiz worked with the boys' and girls' programs while helping build scouting reports and providing instruction. Ruiz was a standout for the AIC volleyball program from 2011 through 2014, appearing in 356 sets and 102 matches. In 2011, she set a career-best in kills with 171 while also recording 168 digs and 51 blocks. The next season she set a new personal digs record with 252. During her senior year, Ruiz transitioned from an outside hitter to the team's setter. In her lone setting season, she recorded 444 assists, 6.25 per set, as well as 20 aces. She ended her career with 294 kills, 550 assists, 679 digs, and 110 blocks.