Name Joe Ruzick
Nickname If there are any out there they are certainly unfit for print 🙂
Age 28
Hometown Cincinnati, OH
Resides Erlanger, KY
Height 6’0
College Thomas More
Did you play volleyball in college? No – Golf and Tennis
How long have you been playing beach? 5 Years
Why is beach volleyball your sport of choice? My grade school had a team and I built some fundamentals there. A few college buddies and I would play very unorganized games on campus. I picked up leagues in 2011 and was hooked. There can be a lot of down time at tournaments (especially if you’re doing well) and
the people are all first class. The sport has taken me all over the eastern half of the country in just a few short years. I’ve made countless friends that are just as passionate and competitive as I am, but also extremely cool on and off the court.
Favorite career moment so far in beach volleyball? Of course I can’t narrow this down to just one. My frist open experience was purely by chance as a player’s partner was unable to attend and I was subbed in about 10 hours before the tournament started (9th). Grinding out middle of the pack finishes when I was trying to get noticed by the stronger players are some of my proudest memories. My biggest win to date was the season ending Chaos Tournament with Adam Miracle as the 6 seed against a strong field. My first open win was at a Columbus tournament early last year with Jon Drake.
Favorite pro player? Why? Adrian Carambula. He is my height which is extremely undersized in our sport. He operates on a different level mentally. Adrian has to play
a different game than the beasts that out-jump and over-power people. He has developed a frustrating array of shots and strategies that make him unpredictable and successful at the highest level.
What other tours have you played on? VolleyAmerica, EVP, TVA, Dig the Beach, AVP Next, NVL Qualifiers.
Next beach volleyball goal you have set for yourself? Pro Tour main event. More importantly, continue to grow as a person and athlete. Sports are a big part of my life, but they also fuel a lot of my personal and professional relationships.
