By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons volleyball team is in the midst of a terrific year. It finished the season as co-District 32-6A champions with a 12-1 record and is poised to make a significant run during this year’s postseason.
The Lady Falcons have done well this year thanks to strong defense and formidable hitting. And right in the middle, the glue that holds the team together, is Peyton Sales.
Sales, a senior, has played for the storied Los Fresnos program since her sophomore season and has been honing her skills as a setter since the seventh grade, when she attended Resaca Middle School. She’s been a lifelong fan of the Lady Falcons, attending games as a child and idolizing past star players, only to become one herself.
An extensive amount of hard work went in to becoming the gifted setter she is today. Extra time during the offseason has paid dividends, and Sales has noticed the improvement.
“It was insane the amount of hours I put in this summer compared to previous offseasons,” she said “It was a lot of repetition. I was working out at UTB with those coaches. I was putting in 25 hours a week. I’m really happy with my improvement.
“I was struggling for a spot on the team last year, this year I’m so much more confident.”
Her coach, Becky Woods, is in her 30th season at Los Fresnos and has seen her share of talent come through the gym. She’s been particularly impressed with the strides Sales has made, especially the work it took to get there.
“She trained all year long,” Woods said. “She came out this year and not only could she set, she can hit, she can serve really well, she can block. She can do any skill there is in volleyball at this point. She worked her butt off over the summer.”
Becoming a better setter allows Sales to play the full-time role of facilitator, a job that fuels her passion for the game.
“I love being the middle man between the defense and the hitters,” Sales said. “I love touching the ball every play. It’s an awesome feeling when a play works out. I may not be the girl that puts the ball on the floor, but it’s so cool to have a hand in helping others succeed. Their success is my success.”
Sales went on to add that a well-rounded squad, chock-full of talented players, goes a long way toward being competitive.
“There’s no one player that stands out,” she said. “We’re not a one-person team, we’re strong at every position. When you watch opposing teams warm up you try to pick out their best hitter, but I don’t think you can do that against us.”
Though it may seem Sales spends all her time on the court, she’s accomplished in academics as well. She is ranked No. 3 in her class of 602 students, and she juggles her schoolwork and athletics along with the extracurricular duties required of her while she serves as the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Los Fresnos and as a member of the National Honor Society. Sales credits a strong family atmosphere for aiding in the task of balancing her life.
“I have incredible parents who help me with my time management,” she said. “I’ve got a brother and sister in my grade as well. They’re just a gigantic help. They’re my best friends.”
Following graduation, Sales will attend Texas A&M, where she has been accepted. She plans to major in parks, recreation and tourism sciences, and hopes to pursue a career surrounding the hotel, restaurant and casino industries.
Volleyball, however, isn’t in the cards for Sales at the next level. With an academic background such as hers, she prefers to stick to the classroom.
“I think I’m going to strictly focus on academics,” Sales said. “Texas A&M has a really great team. I might walk on just to say I did it, but I’ve loved my high school career. I’ll be all right when it ends.”
Her volleyball career may be quickly coming to a close, but it’s not over yet. The Lady Falcons will try to best last year’s playoff performance when they play host to Weslaco High at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
Woods expects great things out of her team this year. Last year’s team lost to McAllen Rowe, but Woods anticipates this team has what it takes to get at least one round further and play in the regional tournament in San Antonio.
“When we’re good, we’re really good,” she said. “When these girls get on fire, they’re hard to stop. They really want to do well this year. They really want to get to that Sweet 16 in this year’s tournament.”
At the beginning of the season, the Lady Falcons played in a tournament in San Antonio to see how they would fare against some of the state’s best competition. Though they lost, Woods was encouraged by the results.
“Yeah, they beat us,” she said, “but I was without (Sales), I was without my libero, I was without (Alex Moya), and we stayed with them. So there’s a chance.
“The best thing that happened to us was going to that tournament. Now we know what to expect. We’ve just got to go in there with confidence.”
All other District 32-6A first-round playoff action will take place tonight as well. The No. 2-seed Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers will travel to Weslaco East to take on the Lady Wildcats at 7.
The Hanna Lady Golden Eagles are the third seed and will play host to the Edinburg High Lady Bobcats at 6:30, and the fourth-seed Harlingen High Lady Cardinals will play host to the Edinburg North Lady Cougars at 7.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.