Christian Ace Ruperto '20 Recruiting Profile

I have played Men’s Volleyball for 4 years in the Philippines. I know what it is like to be a student athlete while maintaining a spot in the honor rolls. I had been exposed to the world of Men’s Volleyball and had been competing at city levels in the past. My team never won a game in the first three years of my volleyball career, but we never gave up, and in my final year as a senior high school in my country, my team competed at a college event called NORSAA, made us the only high school team to compete at that level, and placed 3rd Runner-Up at the end of the event. Winning NORSAA is one my proudest accomplishment in my volleyball career. I felt that all my team's failures and hard work had paid off.

I tried becoming captain at an event called Governor’s Cup in 2017; however, my team did not earn a place at the event. It was my first time leading my team as a senior, so the loss affected me substantially. After the loss, my team trained harder than we ever did before because on that year, three-fourths of the varsity team was going to graduate, and we did not want to move up without experiencing a win, so our win at NORSAA became a very memorable moment.

I desired to continue playing volleyball in the US, but South Dakota did not have Men's Volleyball. I was compelled to stop playing temporarily, but I knew I want to play again in college. 

My ultimate goal in college is to obtain a degree in Architectural Engineering and become a successful student athlete. I love volleyball, and I desire to play it again after high school while maintaining an excellent standing in my academics. It will not be easy, and I know there will be challenges along the way; however, I will not succumb to failure. Perseverance is my strongest personality. I desire to be a part of a team who will allow me to grow, not alone but with others as one unit.