Janelle Ruen Post Falls Year: Junior Sport: Volleyball Position: Middle Blocker

One might think she’s a professor or CEO, the way Janelle Ruen signs her name: A. Janelle Ruen.

Although family and friends call her Janelle, her given first name is Alicia. Put the first- and middle-name initials together - A.J. - and that’s how she’s known in the Spokane Stars basketball program.

Through the first half of the volleyball season, though, Ruen has been ruin on opponents - no matter how you spell or pronounce it.

With four Inland Empire League matches down and four left, Post Falls finds itself in an unusual position. Can you say first place?

Ruen and the Trojans can. And she’s the primary reason.

Post Falls moved to 4-0 in league (13-2 overall), a half-game ahead of Sandpoint, with a 5-15, 17-15, 15-8 victory over Lake City on Tuesday. Ruen had 11 kills, one above her team-leading average.

The Trojans’ second big test this week is tonight when Sandpoint visits.

“I’m kind of shocked at how well we’ve played,” Ruen said. “I had no idea we’d be playing this well.”

If voting were held at the halfway mark of the season for the IEL’s most valuable player, Ruen would be a runaway selection. Not bad for the 5-foot-10 athlete who had considered herself a much better basketball player until this year.

Coach Karla Merrill considers Ruen’s contributions valuable in more ways than one.

“She’s exceeded expectations if you look at the stats,” Merrill said. “But I’m more impressed with her leadership over and beyond her stats. What I most appreciate is she’s demonstrating great leadership in her competitiveness, in her communication and in her positive attitude toward her teammates.”

Ruen’s improvement on the court was the result of playing club ball with a U-16 Spokane team last spring.

“I had never played club before; I was scared to death,” Ruen said. “My club coach said I had a messed up arm swing. He still thinks it’s a little messed up. He said my serving sucked, and I was timid about passing.”

Said Merrill: “There are some skills Janelle still needs to perfect. She had some great coaching this spring. She played at a competitive level and got a view of the game at a higher level. She’s brought that back to us.”

Because of the improvement, Ruen will divide her time again next spring between basketball and volleyball and keep her college options open.

“It used to be that I couldn’t wait for volleyball to get over for basketball,” Ruen said. “But I’m having a lot of fun now.”

It’s reflected in Post Falls’ record.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo