A Family Affair
Tuesday, September 24, 2002 | Volleyball
By Gian Rodriguez
It takes countless hours in the gym, practice, sweat, defeat and the jubilation of winning to develop a bond with teammates. That is, unless you already have that special bond to begin with.
University of Florida junior Aury Cruz represented the Puerto Rican National team at the 2002 FIVB World Championships in Germany this summer with her big sister at her side.
Cruz said playing with her sister is always fun.
"It's just like playing with other girls," Cruz said. "The only difference is that we know each other so well. I know what she is thinking and she knows what I am thinking."
Cruz's sister, Eva, 28, plays volleyball professionally in Puerto Rico and currently resides there. Like her sister, Eva is an outside hitter.
When asked who is the better player, Aury jokingly laughed and said she would leave it up to the competition to decide.
"I don't think about stuff like that," Cruz said.
What she was thinking about was the level of competition she faced at the world championships.
"I had to prepare myself mentally," she said. "You have to face the best in the world. It's something very difficult to prepare for."
Cruz's preparations paid off as she led the Puerto Rican team to a 12th place finish. She started every game and was the top scorer for Puerto Rico in every match they played. She was also a big part of Puerto Rico's defeat of the Dominican Republic – one of the biggest upsets in the World Championships.
While the 2001 first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year had a great showing in Germany, Cruz was anxious to get back to her Gator teammates.
"I missed them," Cruz said. "We are like a family here. We see each other all the time since we go to class together and practice together."
Even though she missed her teammates, Cruz said the experience and knowledge she gained at the World Championships couldn't be passed up.
"I was able to pick up things game by game," she said. "The game at that level is so different. They are much bigger and more physical than what we face here in college."
Cruz hopes she can apply what she learned in Germany to this season with the Gators.
"I was really proud of what this Puerto Rican team did," Cruz said. "Now that I am back, I plan to keep working hard and help my team win as much as possible. We shoot for the SEC title and then go from there."
