By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Maybe Port Isabel volleyball coach Julie Breedlove was thinking of another player on the team when asked for the height of sophomore middle blocker Simone Harry.
For whatever reason, Breedlove said, “5-foot-9.”
Later, Harry, chosen The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Newcomer of the Year for 2014, was asked for her height as a matter of double-checking the facts.
“Actually, I’m just 5-6,” said Harry, somewhat surprised to hear she had been listed as 5-9.
Perhaps the discrepancy arose because at 5-6, Harry played very much like a 5-9 standout during her first year on the varsity this season for the District 32-4A tri-champion Lady Tarpons (29-10), who advanced two rounds in the state playoffs.
Harry was third on the team in kills behind senior 5-9 teammates Kelci Swink and Gaby Torres. Harry finished with 118 kills, 19 blocks and seven service aces.
“I think Simone added a little bit of excitement in the middle,” Breedlove said. “We had Kelci and Gaby in the middle last year, and we moved them to the outside this year to kind of make the front row a little bit stronger. Simone added a lot there in the middle. She came out ready to play. She worked hard and wanted to do the things that would help her be a better player.
“I really feel like she had a season worthy of postseason honors,” Breedlove added. “She came in and made a difference right away. She got better, and we got better. Simone became a team leader and helped us out a lot, adding a lot of excitement to the front row. The other girls were really proud of what she did.”
Breedlove said she nominated Harry for all-district newcomer of the year, but she wound up getting first team all-district instead.
“That’s still not too shabby for your first year on the varsity,” the Lady Tarpons coach said.
Harry welcomed the opportunity to move up from the freshman team to the varsity.
“Coming up to the varsity was a big change,” Harry said. “It’s a lot more serious and fast-paced. It was exactly what I was expecting, but it was still kind of a shock that first match. There was a feeling of doing the best you can because everyone else is, and there’s no playing around. I loved it, but it was a little shocking at first.
“I didn’t (initially) feel that I was on the same par with our other players, but they taught me how to get better,” Harry added. “Having these other girls around me and having Coach Breedlove there as my coach was awesome. They took their time to help me. It was really great this year.
“(Getting these postseason honors) is kind of unexpected. I would have been happy with just getting honorable mention and being considered good enough to get a vote. I was pretty happy to get such a high (all-district) honor, and getting this (All-Metro) award has blown me out of the water. I’m still excited about it.”