Indiana University Athletics
Refuse to Lose – Gary Sets IU’s Competitive Tone
9/4/2024 7:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Ramsey Gary sprints to make a play she can't make, dives for a ball she can't save, sliding until stopped by the black-padded base of the Wilkinson Hall west-side bleachers.
Some might see futility in this volleyball scrimmage moment, but those are ones who don't understand elite competitiveness, who can't recognize a leader sending a never-quit message by deed rather than word.
Gary, Indiana's sophomore standout sophomore libero, understands.
"I love throwing my body around. I love being everywhere on the court. That's why I do it. I wouldn't be in that position if I didn't love it."
Gary is, above all else, a fierce competitor, a leader beyond her years, the director of her position's defense-to-offense role crucial to volleyball success.
Liberos play to dig and pass and help set up teammates to score, and few do it better than Gary, an All-Big Ten player as a freshman last year primed for bigger things.
"Ramsey has a real chance to be special," coach Steve Aird says. "She has a fast computer. She can see things before they happen. So many of the greats in any sport are wired that way. They have an instinct of what's about to go down."
Let others play just for fun. Gary pushes to win and dominate with an intensity reflected by her favorite movies, Rocky, and Fast and Furious, because Rom Coms rarely fuel Big Ten excellence.
Aird recognized this when he said during August's Big Ten volleyball media gathering in Chicago that, "If there was a competition in anything, anywhere on the planet, and I've got to pick someone to work with, I'm picking Ramsey."
Where did this drive come from? Gary credits her family. Her father, Mark, played basketball at UNC-Wilmington. One sister, Quincey, played volleyball at Alabama. Another sister, Brinkley, and two brothers, Brogan and Quade also thrived at sports.
Everything, Gary says, was a competition.
"Even if it was cooking dinner, it was a competition. Who could eat faster? Who could cook better? Who could clean their plate the fastest? Whether it was at home or in sports, we competed.
"That's why I'm as competitive as I am. I'm forever grateful to them."
Gratefulness included growing up playing sports with boys because, she says, "Guy sports are so competitive."
"Guys don't think about the emotion side of it as much as girls. We are very emotional. I like that side of us. That mental game instead of all the physical play."
Still, she adds, the power, speed and physicality that came from playing with boys steeled her for now.
"It gave me tougher skin. The guys didn't care about what I thought. They just competed."
*****
Gold medals matter, and if Gary's medal didn't come with Olympic Games prestige, well, you never know what's coming.
We do know Gary helped the U.S. Women's U21 National Team win the NORCECA continental championship last summer in Toronto to qualify for the 2025 Women's U21 Championship.
The U.S. swept Puerto Rico in three sets in the gold-medal match. Gary was named the tournament's best receiver.
The result, Aird says, is that Gary "Has taken a big jump." That involves leadership as much as play.
"I learned a lot about leadership working with Team USA," she says. "My leadership has improved immensely. I'm carrying on that role at IU. I'm taking care of the back row. My job is to get every ball up and take care of everyone in the back row."
Beyond that, Gary adds, playing on the national team brought insight about some of the other Big Ten players on the national team.
"I got to play with a bunch of Big Ten players and got a lead for what they look for and what they like. It's like a cheat sheet."
She flashes a competitor's smile.
"I know how they think."
Teammates are already reaping the benefits.
"That's huge for us," opposite hitter Avry Tatum says. "She unloaded a lot of the things she learned that has helped us hitters. She's played against some of the best. She's really helped us get to a whole new level. It helped the coaches, too. It's been awesome."
*****
Ramsey's competitive ferocity first got Aird's attention when she was a ninth grader at Pendleton Heights High School in central Indiana attending an IU volleyball camp. Participants were playing a queen-of-the-court game scenario. Ramsey was supposed to wait for the other team to arrive before serving, but she had no patience for that. She started serving on her own.
An IU assistant coach asked her if she was going to wait on the other team.
"No," she said. "I'm just going to win."
Aird was impressed.
"It was like, as a ninth grader, she has some things figured out. If I could have a build a (model) of the kind of kid I want to play for me, she is it."
Good coaching demands strong player evaluation. Projecting Big Ten potential years before it emerges is invaluable at any program, especially ones such as IU's that thrive on player development.
"My wife tells me one of my skills is being able to identify young athletes who are going to turn into special players," Aird says. "For Ramsey, it was an easy no-brainer. It was a combination of her family, who she was, and the club (Munciana) she played for. It was very low risk. She's proud to represent the state. She's wired that way."
Gary went on to win a pair of AAU 18U Open national titles with Munciana and become a three-time club All-American. She earned all-state honors at Pendleton Heights, totaling 1,369 digs and 234 aces in her high school career.
She then became an instant-impact IU freshman, setting the program's single-season record with her Big Ten-leading 530 digs, reflecting a high level of hustle, awareness, agility and dive-on-the-floor relentlessness.
"She was uniquely prepared," Aird says. "She played on great club teams. She has a personality that's just not afraid. She came in ready to roll."
More is coming, he adds.
"Her touch on the ball has always been good. She's gotten stronger. The game is slowing down for her.
"Her ability to make people around her better is the next thing. You can't score points in that position. She has to help the people around her, make coverage plays and effort plays."
Can Gary surpass last year's record dig total? That's not a priority.
"I'm working on my game, working on range and taking more of the court," she says. "To have the opportunity to have as many digs as last year, I know is out of my control. Whatever the team needs is what I focus on."
A setter early in her career, Gary fondly remembers the days she could attack rather than just dig and pass.
"I'd love to be in the middle; I'd love to be outside smacking balls; but I really love being on the floor rather than in the air."
Gary had 31 total digs in two matches of last weekend's season-opening Kennesaw State Invitational – 12 against Kennesaw State, 19 against Wichita State. She followed that with 24 during Monday night's 3-1 win over UC Davis at Wilkinson Hall.
Teammates were equally impressive. Tatum had 34 kills in two Kennesaw State Invitational matches. Madi Saris had 28 kills. Candela Alonso-Corcelles had 25 kills, five aces and three blocks, then followed it up with 16 more kills against UC Davis. All-American setter Camryn Haworth had 41 assists and 14 digs against UC Davis.
Now the scheduling difficulty soars. The Hoosiers (3-0) face top-ranked and defending national champion Texas in Austin, Texas, on Thursday night. The Longhorns opened their season with a four-set victory over No. 3 Wisconsin.
On Friday, IU will play Miami of Florida, also in Austin. The Hoosiers beat the Hurricanes last season in five sets.
It's all part of Aird's plan to improve the schedule and boost Indiana's chances of getting an at-large NCAA tourney bid.
"Texas is Texas," Tatum says. "It will be really cool to test us early on. They're a great team. I'm really excited. I'm also really excited for the rematch against Miami.
"Every day we're striving to get better. I think the tournament is in sight for us. That's the main goal. This group will work its (butts) off every day to get there."
Ramsey aims to help lead the way.
"I want to be consistent and level for team," she says. "I want to be someone my teammates can come to if they're struggling and know that I'm there for them."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Ramsey Gary sprints to make a play she can't make, dives for a ball she can't save, sliding until stopped by the black-padded base of the Wilkinson Hall west-side bleachers.
Some might see futility in this volleyball scrimmage moment, but those are ones who don't understand elite competitiveness, who can't recognize a leader sending a never-quit message by deed rather than word.
Gary, Indiana's sophomore standout sophomore libero, understands.
"I love throwing my body around. I love being everywhere on the court. That's why I do it. I wouldn't be in that position if I didn't love it."
Gary is, above all else, a fierce competitor, a leader beyond her years, the director of her position's defense-to-offense role crucial to volleyball success.
Liberos play to dig and pass and help set up teammates to score, and few do it better than Gary, an All-Big Ten player as a freshman last year primed for bigger things.
"Ramsey has a real chance to be special," coach Steve Aird says. "She has a fast computer. She can see things before they happen. So many of the greats in any sport are wired that way. They have an instinct of what's about to go down."
Let others play just for fun. Gary pushes to win and dominate with an intensity reflected by her favorite movies, Rocky, and Fast and Furious, because Rom Coms rarely fuel Big Ten excellence.
Aird recognized this when he said during August's Big Ten volleyball media gathering in Chicago that, "If there was a competition in anything, anywhere on the planet, and I've got to pick someone to work with, I'm picking Ramsey."
Where did this drive come from? Gary credits her family. Her father, Mark, played basketball at UNC-Wilmington. One sister, Quincey, played volleyball at Alabama. Another sister, Brinkley, and two brothers, Brogan and Quade also thrived at sports.
Everything, Gary says, was a competition.
"Even if it was cooking dinner, it was a competition. Who could eat faster? Who could cook better? Who could clean their plate the fastest? Whether it was at home or in sports, we competed.
"That's why I'm as competitive as I am. I'm forever grateful to them."
Gratefulness included growing up playing sports with boys because, she says, "Guy sports are so competitive."
"Guys don't think about the emotion side of it as much as girls. We are very emotional. I like that side of us. That mental game instead of all the physical play."
Still, she adds, the power, speed and physicality that came from playing with boys steeled her for now.
"It gave me tougher skin. The guys didn't care about what I thought. They just competed."
*****
Gold medals matter, and if Gary's medal didn't come with Olympic Games prestige, well, you never know what's coming.
We do know Gary helped the U.S. Women's U21 National Team win the NORCECA continental championship last summer in Toronto to qualify for the 2025 Women's U21 Championship.
The U.S. swept Puerto Rico in three sets in the gold-medal match. Gary was named the tournament's best receiver.
The result, Aird says, is that Gary "Has taken a big jump." That involves leadership as much as play.
"I learned a lot about leadership working with Team USA," she says. "My leadership has improved immensely. I'm carrying on that role at IU. I'm taking care of the back row. My job is to get every ball up and take care of everyone in the back row."
Beyond that, Gary adds, playing on the national team brought insight about some of the other Big Ten players on the national team.
"I got to play with a bunch of Big Ten players and got a lead for what they look for and what they like. It's like a cheat sheet."
She flashes a competitor's smile.
"I know how they think."
Teammates are already reaping the benefits.
"That's huge for us," opposite hitter Avry Tatum says. "She unloaded a lot of the things she learned that has helped us hitters. She's played against some of the best. She's really helped us get to a whole new level. It helped the coaches, too. It's been awesome."
*****
Ramsey's competitive ferocity first got Aird's attention when she was a ninth grader at Pendleton Heights High School in central Indiana attending an IU volleyball camp. Participants were playing a queen-of-the-court game scenario. Ramsey was supposed to wait for the other team to arrive before serving, but she had no patience for that. She started serving on her own.
An IU assistant coach asked her if she was going to wait on the other team.
"No," she said. "I'm just going to win."
Aird was impressed.
"It was like, as a ninth grader, she has some things figured out. If I could have a build a (model) of the kind of kid I want to play for me, she is it."
Good coaching demands strong player evaluation. Projecting Big Ten potential years before it emerges is invaluable at any program, especially ones such as IU's that thrive on player development.
"My wife tells me one of my skills is being able to identify young athletes who are going to turn into special players," Aird says. "For Ramsey, it was an easy no-brainer. It was a combination of her family, who she was, and the club (Munciana) she played for. It was very low risk. She's proud to represent the state. She's wired that way."
Gary went on to win a pair of AAU 18U Open national titles with Munciana and become a three-time club All-American. She earned all-state honors at Pendleton Heights, totaling 1,369 digs and 234 aces in her high school career.
She then became an instant-impact IU freshman, setting the program's single-season record with her Big Ten-leading 530 digs, reflecting a high level of hustle, awareness, agility and dive-on-the-floor relentlessness.
"She was uniquely prepared," Aird says. "She played on great club teams. She has a personality that's just not afraid. She came in ready to roll."
More is coming, he adds.
"Her touch on the ball has always been good. She's gotten stronger. The game is slowing down for her.
"Her ability to make people around her better is the next thing. You can't score points in that position. She has to help the people around her, make coverage plays and effort plays."
Can Gary surpass last year's record dig total? That's not a priority.
"I'm working on my game, working on range and taking more of the court," she says. "To have the opportunity to have as many digs as last year, I know is out of my control. Whatever the team needs is what I focus on."
A setter early in her career, Gary fondly remembers the days she could attack rather than just dig and pass.
"I'd love to be in the middle; I'd love to be outside smacking balls; but I really love being on the floor rather than in the air."
Gary had 31 total digs in two matches of last weekend's season-opening Kennesaw State Invitational – 12 against Kennesaw State, 19 against Wichita State. She followed that with 24 during Monday night's 3-1 win over UC Davis at Wilkinson Hall.
Teammates were equally impressive. Tatum had 34 kills in two Kennesaw State Invitational matches. Madi Saris had 28 kills. Candela Alonso-Corcelles had 25 kills, five aces and three blocks, then followed it up with 16 more kills against UC Davis. All-American setter Camryn Haworth had 41 assists and 14 digs against UC Davis.
Now the scheduling difficulty soars. The Hoosiers (3-0) face top-ranked and defending national champion Texas in Austin, Texas, on Thursday night. The Longhorns opened their season with a four-set victory over No. 3 Wisconsin.
On Friday, IU will play Miami of Florida, also in Austin. The Hoosiers beat the Hurricanes last season in five sets.
It's all part of Aird's plan to improve the schedule and boost Indiana's chances of getting an at-large NCAA tourney bid.
"Texas is Texas," Tatum says. "It will be really cool to test us early on. They're a great team. I'm really excited. I'm also really excited for the rematch against Miami.
"Every day we're striving to get better. I think the tournament is in sight for us. That's the main goal. This group will work its (butts) off every day to get there."
Ramsey aims to help lead the way.
"I want to be consistent and level for team," she says. "I want to be someone my teammates can come to if they're struggling and know that I'm there for them."
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Libero
/ Women's Volleyball
Setter
/ Women's Volleyball
Opposite/Middle Blocker
/ Women's VolleyballWednesday, August 05
Monday, August 03
Monday, August 03
Monday, August 03