After seven years of training and playing, volleyball player senior Ruthie Brinson is ranked seventh in the nation for hitting percentages. In the past Brinson played for travel team Tsunami and now plays club. The girls varsity volleyball team is now 21-1, with Brinson at the forefront.
“I’ve played club for the past, six years, and I’ll usually practice outside of practice time. For club I practice two times a week for two hours each practice and then when we have tournaments, it’s usually one to two days and it’s four games a day. But mainly, getting my hitting percentage up is just being very intentional with where I place the ball,” Brinson said.
Senior Sidney Rush is a long time teammate of Brinson, and has first hand seen Brinson grow. Both have played since their seventh grade year along with Tsunami. Rush is a setter, meaning she sets the ball for Brinson to hit a good shot, which ups her hitting percentage.
“It depends on if I have a good set so she can get a good hit,” Rush said. “If my set’s bad, then Ruthie’s not gonna be able to get a kill. So, my set needs to be good, to be able to get a kill. Our teamwork together really matters for each possession and has grown significantly over the years.”
In the game of volleyball six players can be on the court at once with three hitters and three defensive players. Senior Bryn Merritt is a setter for middle blocker Brinson, also a long time player since seventh grade and four year Tsunami teammate.
“It’s really cool to watch Ruthie play,” Merritt said. “I’m her setter, so we are on the court at the same time, we’ve formed a really good connection, communication, and energy along with spirit towards each other. But it’s been really cool to see her grow, especially with the talent and the height that she has, because not all of us have both of those things, so I think it’s really cool to see her growth.”
Although with Brinson’s talent and precision in her game she has not planned on playing at the college level. Even still, over the years Brinson has learned how to prepare for her games and have a mindset for each play while being dedicated to her game.
“I don’t really have any pre game rituals, I’m very superstitious, so I make sure I prepare for each game the same, I also tape both of my ankles to help me perform to my fullest,” Brinson said.