Perla Pozo Ruiz was named head coach of the women's volleyball program at Hostos Community College on August 20, 2021 by Director of Athletics Erik Smiles, and enters her second season at the helm of the Caimans in 2022-23.
In her first season patrolling the sidelines for the Caimans volleyball team Ruiz lead her squad to an appearance in the CUNYAC Championship game. Under Coach Ruiz's mentorship Marisabel Pujols and Ashly Cadral were both named to the CUNYAC All-Star team while freshman Savannah Williams was named the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year while also capturing All-Region XV first team honors.
Coach Ruiz brings with her a track record of teaching, mentoring and winning at various levels of volleyball including High School, Club and College both as a player and coach and is known around the Tri-State are as one of the best young volleyball minds in player development, strategy and student athlete development.
Coach Ruiz coaching career started at Legacy Volleyball Club as an assistant coach in the midst of her college career. Her passion to continue to help children that grew up like her, in low-income households in The Bronx through volleyball, was simply an opportunity she could not refuse. As Coach Ruiz coaching career progressed, she spent lots of time coaching multiple volleyball programs such as summer camps, Volleymentals, Mini-Volley, Pre-Season training, and specific skill based clinics. In 2015, Coach Ruiz then became the JV assistant coach at Preston High School.
As a player Coach Ruiz’s love of Volleyball began her junior year in high school at Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy. In her first year of playing scholastic volleyball, Coach Ruiz led her team to a 10-0 undefeated season. The following year, Coach Ruiz co-captained the girl’s volleyball team and became the starting setter to yet again another undefeated season. That same year during playoffs, after triumphing against the number 5 school in New York City, RKA became the Division A Semifinalist for the first time in school history.Â
Following high school, Coach Ruiz joined the John Jay College Women’s Volleyball team. As a walk-on freshman, she earned the starting Libero position replacing a senior Libero. Through leadership and resilience, her teammates and coaches assigned her a team captain role her sophomore year. After being named Libero of the week her junior year and receiving the CUNYAC’s prestigious Sportsmanship award, she led the John Jay Women’s Volleyball team to its very first quarterfinal appearance. With much success and hard work, the following year Coach Ruiz helped John Jay make history once again by defeating Brooklyn College in the CUNYAC playoffs and advancing to become the 2015 Tournament Semifinalist.
Coach Ruiz graduated from CUNY John Jay in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology and currently resides in the Bronx, NY.
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