2014 Volleyball Roster
Sep 12 (Fri)
6 PM
Neira Ortiz Ruiz
- Position:
- Outside Hitter/Right Side
- Height:
- 6-5
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- High School:
- Cupeyville
As a Senior in 2014
Ortiz Ruiz finished her career with the Buffs on a high note, recording a career-best 17 kills in a pair of matches. Against Idaho State (9/12), she had 17 kills and just two errors on 32 attacks to hit a season best .462 and also recorded 21.5 points, after which she was named to the Omni Invitational All-Tournament Team. Ortiz Ruiz also tallied 17 kills in a five-set road win against Arizona State (11/2). In that contest, she hit .400 with five errors on 30 attempts while posting six blocks. Ortiz Ruiz also played a key role in CU’s upset win against No. 2 Washington (11/13) with 11 kills and a career-best eight blocks. She ended the year with 227 kills and 63 blocks while hitting .212. Ortiz Ruiz is 15th all-time in career kills with 581.
Spring/Summer in 2014
Ortiz Ruiz was invited to train with the Puerto Rico Senior National Team. Puerto Rico won the bronze medal at the Pan-Am Cup with a five-set victory against Argentina.
As a Junior in 2013
Ortiz Ruiz saw action in 21 matches, including two starts. She made a huge impact in CU’s upset win over No. 11 UCLA (9/27) when she recorded a career-high 14 kills, four blocks and 16.5 points. Prior to conference play, Ortiz Ruiz was errorless in her attacks in back-to-back matches with 16 attacks against Stony Brook and five against Oakland on Sept. 6, recording 11 kills in those two matches. One of CU’s best reserves, she made key appearances throughout the season to add a bigger block to Colorado’s defense. She recorded 68 kills on 177 attempts and posted 18 total blocks (two solo and 16 assists).
As a Sophomore In 2012
Ortiz Ruiz had a breakout year as a sophomore, playing in all 32 matches and 103 of the 116 sets. She led the Buffs in kills seven times and had 13 matches with 10 or more kills. She hammered a career-high of 14 kills three times during the season. One of those matches was the conference home opener against Utah (9/19) where she also hit a career-best .565 with just one error on 23 attacks. Ortiz Ruiz was second on the team with 231 kills. She also added 45 digs, 35 blocks and eight service aces.
As a Freshman In 2011
Ortiz Ruiz made her first appearance as a Buff against Albany (9/4) where she recorded her first kill. She saw action in 20 matches throughout the season. As the season progressed, so did Ortiz Ruiz’s performance. She had an impressive match against Arizona (11/12) where she recorded 11 kills on 24 attacks and totaled 11.5 points. She recorded a career and match-high three digs against Cal (11/5). Ortiz Ruiz finished the season with 55 kills, 1.00 kills per game, 14 digs, 10 blocks (two solo, eight assists) and 61.0 points.
High School
Ortiz Ruiz was a 6-5 outside/right side hitter at Cupeyville High School. CHS finished fifth in the league earlier this season. Ortiz Ruiz has played basketball, softball and soccer before deciding to focus on volleyball.
Ortiz Ruiz has trained with the Puerto Rican National Team program since she was 14, playing with the youth, junior and senior teams. In 2007 with the youth national team she played at the NORCECA Continental Championship in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and was named the tournament’s best blocker. Ortiz Ruiz played for the junior national team in 2008 and helped the team to a second-place finish at the same championship. During the 2009 season, she played at the Junior World Championships in Tijuana, Mexico. Ortiz Ruiz started training with the senior national team in 2010 in preparation for the World Championships.
Personal
Neira Ortiz Ruiz was born on July 6, 1993 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is the daughter of Jose Piculin Ortiz and Andrenira Ruiz. Her mother was named Miss Puerto Rico in 1981 and was a contestant that same year for the Miss World competition. Her father is Jose (Piculin) Ortiz-Rijos. He was a highly decorated basketball player at Oregon State (1985-97) and was named all-conference and All-American while at OSU. Ortiz was also named the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1987. He went on to play in the NBA for the Utah Jazz after being selected 15th overall in the 1987 draft. Ortiz has played professionally in Greece, Spain and Puerto Rico and was a member of the Puerto Rican National Team from 1983-2004; playin in four Olympic Games (1988, 1992, 1996 and 2004). Ortiz Ruiz enjoys playing volleyball, singing and dancing.
Academics
Ortiz Ruiz is majoring in linguistics.
