If you ever were to talk to Ruth Selby, you might want to refrain from any "nerd" jokes. She's probably already heard them from her volleyball teammates.
The sophomore defensive specialist also is a Jefferson Scholar, the biggest effect of which is her interactions with teammates.
"The Jefferson Scholar thing enriches," Selby said. "It doesn't take any time away. It's nice in that I don't have the pressure that a lot of the girls on scholarship have, but I have that pressure in the classroom. Aside from the dorky jokes, it's not really a factor."
Selby didn't come to Virginia to play volleyball. She didn't even play volleyball her senior year in high school. The Palo Alto, Calif. native instead opted exclusively for soccer her senior year and even thought about trying to walk on to the Virginia women's soccer team.
Volleyball "was always my secondary thing, but I always loved it," the 5-foot-6 Selby said. "It was secondary because I was so short. I had talked to [Virginia women's soccer Coach Steve Swanson] about walking on, but the timing didn't work out. I have no regrets about that."
Selby came to Virginia and started playing club volleyball last year. As much as she enjoyed club, she didn't feel like she was getting out of the sport what she was putting in and decided to talk to Virginia volleyball Coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton.
"I called Melissa up and said 'I think I could play for you guys. Come watch me,'" Selby said. "If I hadn't tried, I'd come to a game and be like, 'Could I be playing right now?'"
Selby joined the team last spring and has stepped up to play a major role.
"She brings a lot of fire and intensity to our practice," Aldrich Shelton said. "She's a very determined player. It's always nice to have players on your team who want to go the extra step or do the extra thing to get better, and she's done that."
Selby, like in every other area of her life, has clearly set out her goals for both this season and her Virginia career.
"I want to be the libero," Selby said. "This season, [junior libero Whitney Ashcraft] is playing really well and I still have a lot to learn. This season, I want to be the number one defensive specialist. Anytime Melissa wants someone in the back row, I want to be that person."
The Virginia volleyball program has equally high expectations for the native Californian.
"We're expecting her to keep digging more balls as the season progresses and keep improving in her passing," Aldrich Shelton said. "She is probably one of our players who is improving the most. We expect her to really be our number one defensive specialist."
Off the court, Selby plans to major in international relations and also has become involved in the honor system. Acting on her interest in international relations, she spent this past summer in Italy.
"I was in Florence for two months studying Italian and art history," Selby reminisced with a wide grin. "I took Italian last year and loved it. I think it's better to go places and do things than just be home all summer and work at the ice cream store. I had a great time."
Back in Charlottesville, Selby, who describes herself as feisty, can likely be found in one of two places: the volleyball court or the library. She's probably already heard that joke, though.
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