Despite her relative young years, Ruiz, a dominant player for the Cuban national team, has twice been in the gold medal-winning side at the Olympics (Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000). She is one of the remaining members of the so-called Dream Team.

Ruiz already has her eyes on a third gold medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics and played a central role for Cuba at last year’s World Championship in Germany, where she was the top scorer of the tournament with 217 points from 195 attacks, 16 blocks and 6 service points.

“I enjoy the leadership role and taking care of the concerns of the players,” she remarked in Germany. “These can cover a range of things, so I am able to use my positive personality to motivate the team, and this helps to lift our performances.