CANDELA RUANO FIUZA

Class of 2025 | Setter
Greenwood Village, CO

Left
HANDED

RESUME

4.5
GPA

CCHS 2025 CLASS - Athletic Award Finalist

2024 - All State

2024 - All League

2024 - All State Academic

CCHS 2025 CLASS - Academic High Honors

CCHS 2025 CLASS - World Languages Polyglot Award

2024 - Varsity Academic Award

2023 - Varsity Academic Award

AP SCHOLAR WITH DISTINCTION

AP SCHOLAR WITH HONOR

NATIONAL HISPANIC RECOGNITION PROGRAM

NHS MEMBER

CCHS ACADEMIC LETTER AWARD

My motto: “Persevere, show up, good things happen."

The Spanish name Candela means “mujer luminosa” and comes from the Latin “candēla” which means “light that shines in the dark”. Many teammates and coaches call me Candy.

I am an international player with the U18 Spain Women’s National Volleyball team, a young starting Varsity setter at Cherry Creek High School, and a National Division medallist at USAV GJNC.

I am a highly competitive and very coachable athlete who likes to win and doesn't keep it a secret and a demanding but extremely supportive and caring setter who leads by example, putting in the time inside and outside of practice and always working as hard and smart as I can in every aspect of my game. In short, I am constantly striving to become the best setter, teammate and leader I can possibly be, whether that is at practice, during competition, hanging outside of the gym, cheering hard from the bench, or leaving it all out on the court.

As a National Honor Society, AP Scholar with Honor/Distinction, College Board NHRP Awardee, CCHS Academic High Honors, and CCHS Polyglot Awardee trilingual student, my dream is to continue my volleyball career as a high achieving student-athlete with the goal of winning a national championship.

2024 - U18 Spain Women's National Team

2023 - CEV U17 2nd Round Best Setter Award

2023 - U17 Spain Women's National Team

2024 - 5A Regional Champion

2023 - 5A Regional Champion

2022 - 5A Regional Champion

2025 - USAV GJNC Bid Winner

2022 - USAV GJNC Bronze Medal Winner

2021 - USAV GJNC Open Bid Winner

/

I have had the privilege of coaching Candela for not one, not two, but for three club volleyball seasons, from when I first met her during her 14s season and most recently during her 18s and final season of club volleyball! Throughout my time with Candela, I have had the privilege of seeing her grow into the student-athlete and young lady she is today. She has overcome every obstacle put in her way by staying focused and remaining true to herself and her goals and dreams. Throughout the past few years, she has become a tremendous volleyball player by putting in endless hours of practice, being away on weekends for tournaments, and getting in tens of thousands of reps on her own time. Outside of volleyball, she has also remained incredibly dedicated to her academics and is the epitome of a student-athlete on the court and in the classroom. Lastly, one of the things I admire most about Candela, is her unwavering dedication and love for her family, and I know this will continue as Candela steps into college and continues to pursue her future goals and dreams. It has been a immense pleasure and an honor to be a part of Candela's journey, as she is not only a tremendous student-athlete, but more importantly an amazing human being.

Tarah Harms

17s & 18s Peak Club Coach
/
Elevation Volleyball Club

/

I was fortunate to coach Candela through her 18s season on Elevation 18 Peak. Candela is both a phenomenal player and person. She is loved by her teammates and coaches, and has built a strong reputation for being a hard worker. She took the role of team captain very seriously this season and was a true leader on and off the court.
One thing that stood out to me about Candela during her 18s season was her consistent push to improve as a setter, despite already having all the talent to compete at this level. At practice, she would always ask her coaches and teammates for feedback on her setting choices and location, and would translate that feedback into action right away. She runs her offense at an elite level and makes great decisions on who to set, making the lives of her hitters much easier by constantly getting them into 1v1 situations as a result of her fast tempo setting, impeccable ball location, and being so deceptive and difficult for the opposing blockers to read. She also made huge improvements defensively and was instrumental in extending rallies at our national tournaments this season.
I'm very glad I got to coach Candela and I can't wait to see what her college career has in store for her!

Devin Eugene Rigg

18s Peak Club Coach
/
Ellevation Volleyball Club

/

It has been a pleasure to coach Candela during her 16's season. She has some of the best ball placement I have ever seen from an athlete her age. She has the ability to make an incredible, fast-tempo, set out of just about any pass. It actually becomes easy to overlook her ability based on the ease that she sets with. This season Candela made huge improvements as a 5-1 setter being offensive with setter dumps, as well as improving her defensive reading and movement. She demonstrated steady leadership on and off the court all season serving as Team Captain and helping the team navigate through a few difficult situations. Candela is a hard-working, determined, and positive young lady whose love of the game shines through every time she is in the gym. It was a joy having the opportunity to coach her!

Danni Jenkins

16s Mizuno Club Coach
/
Colorado Volleyball Association

/

Candela’s personality truly defines that of a setter. She is a natural leader, who maximizes her team’s potential, energy and competitiveness. She always leads by example putting in the most time and effort to become the best she can be for her team. She is a learner of the game. Constantly wanting and gaining more information, reflecting on both failures and successes and then applying that knowledge and reflective feedback to increase her effectiveness as a setter, teammate, and leader. Candela is the absolute competitor that any team would be lucky to have on their side of the net!

Sarah Reilly

14s Open Club Coach
/
Colorado Juniors

/

I had the pleasure of coaching Candela during her 14U club season and the best way to describe her is the ultimate competitor. When Candela came into the season, we already knew she had the ability to set the ball for us, but we ultimately pushed her to be a better defender and excel behind the service line, and she did just that. By the end of the season and into her high school and further club career she is leading her teams behind the service line and establishing ace records, digging hard driven balls she wasn’t a year ago and becoming a much more dynamic setter with literally each passing match. It is truly remarkable to see, and I can’t wait to continue watching her game grow!