Are you scared of Ruby Flath? Because she is probably not scared of you.
“I don’t find myself scared ever,” the Tufts University volleyball commit said. “Embarrassing moments happen all the time. I’ve done a lot of stupid things. Definitely there are stressful moments,” she said of volleyball.
But fear? Nah.
Now, if you answered “yes” that you are afraid of Flath, then perhaps you are one of the players who was on the receiving end of one of Flath’s spikes and did not put your hands up in time.
“At Casti volleyball, I hit a girl down the line, and apparently someone said she had a concussion or broke her nose or something,” Flath said.
If this is you, your fear isn’t really justified, and you might just need some better self-defense.
Flath, in fact, is quite the wise owl, as she had plenty of wisdom to impart to young, aspiring athletes.
First, Flath advised not giving up time from academics for sports: “Do good in your academics, do good in your sports, and then the college part will come better than if you did it the other way around.”
She also emphasized enjoying Castilleja sports and not taking them for granted.
“It’s obviously a privilege to play a Castilleja sport, so get to know your teammates, spend the time to talk with people on the bus,” she said. “Because I know for me, I was a ‘new nine,’ but four years goes quick. When you’re an underclassman, look up to the upperclassmen, learn from them, and use them as resources. And when you’re an upperclassman, give back to the underclassmen.”
Interpersonal relationships and interactions are incredibly important to Flath and contributed to her choice to switch from playing soccer to volleyball.
“I still do love soccer, but you’re very spread out,” she said. “That means that you’re usually really far away from most of your teammates, whereas in volleyball, you’re on a really small court. You’re working together and you’re interacting, you’re constantly like high fiving. There’s so much energy playing in that environment. There’s nothing like it.”
Nobody knows how soccer player Flath would have turned out (there might have still been concussions and broken noses), but one thing is for certain: volleyball player Flath is a star.
The 2023 West Bay Athletic League MVP secured a spot on Tufts’ team, choosing to go to a Division III school in order to have the option to study abroad.
“Tufts has a phenomenal traveling abroad program. A lot of the volleyball team does it, and they’ll travel in groups,” Flath said. “That’s the beauty of playing DIII.”
Flath would like to study in France, where she may potentially live in the future. Finally, all of those grueling years of Castilleja French classes will be put to use.
Looking forward to her collegiate life, Flath will be amongst those “more in [her] territory.”
At 6 feet 4 inches, Flath never had to worry about height, and she said she is probably the tallest girl in volleyball in Northern California.
At Tufts, while she may still be the tallest, “There’s a good handful over six feet, so I won’t be on my own,” Flath said.
You never know, though. One of her Tufts teammates could magically grow another foot in the next few months.
Maybe then Flath would be scared?
Probably not.
