By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Volleyball is coming to St. Joseph Academy.
Actually, it has already arrived.
The school is starting a volleyball program this fall and playing at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels.
Dolores Olguin-Trevino, mainly known for her coaching stints at Hanna and Los Fresnos, has been named to direct the fledgling program.
She has 16 girls who came out for the sport last month, seven on the seventh-grade squad and nine on the eighth-grade team. The first match is scheduled at 6 p.m. next Tuesday when the eighth-graders play at Port Isabel and the seventh-graders will be at home against the Lady Tarpons.
“First of all, I’m really honored that coach (and acting athletic director) Ben Sandoval thought of me for the job,” Olguin-Trevino said. “I was overjoyed, but a little nervous when he contacted me because I haven’t coached middle school in a while, and it is a brand new program and there are high expectations, mainly from me.
“I’ve really enjoyed starting the program,” she added. “I think it is something many coaches dream of — being able to teach and mold players into great volleyball athletes. I feel that it gives me a chance to not only teach the game but to teach skills like discipline, hard work, honesty, confidence and leadership that will help the girls be successful in many aspects of their lives.”
A 1976 Hanna graduate, Olguin-Trevino coached at her alma mater from 1984 to 2004. Her volleyball teams at Hanna went 350-190 and qualified for the playoffs 16 times. From 2005 to 2011, she served as first assistant at Los Fresnos under veteran coach Becky Woods. Prior to her time coaching at Hanna, Olguin-Trevino coached at Texas Southmost College, Villa Maria and Stell Middle School.
“Most of the girls (at SJA) are beginners, so it’s very exciting to watch them grow in the game,” Olguin-Trevino said. “Some of them have been working at improving their skills and technique for about a month, and it’s amazing and fulfilling to see how far they’ve come in that time. I’m blessed to have a couple of girls that have club experience. Their experience will be something to build on, and it also helps the others to improve and try to catch up.
“I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity and with the ability to still coach. I’m hoping that the program will grow and attract more girls to come out in the next few years.”
GIVING A GRADE
Los Fresnos (20-8) has played an ambitious non-district schedule as the Lady Falcons prepare for the start of District 32-6A on Sept. 12.
Along with playing at a San Antonio tournament last month, the Lady Falcons, ranked No. 3 in the Rio Grande Valley, have played most, if not all, of the Valley’s top teams, including the three McAllen schools and top-ranked Mission Veterans, which edged them 25-21, 25-23, 25-17 on Tuesday in Los Fresnos.
When asked to grade her squad at this point of the season with district drawing closer, coach Becky Woods said, “I’d probably give us a ‘B-plus’ so far, maybe. We’re not at the ‘A’ level yet, but that’s OK because we want to peak at the right time (later this season).”
The Lady Falcons travel to No. 5 McAllen Memorial on Saturday.
KEY INJURY
Rivera’s Litsy Medina, a sophomore middle blocker, suffered a broken nose during Tuesday’s non-district match at Edinburg North. The Lady Raiders suffered a 25-16, 25-14, 25-10 loss to the Lady Cougars.
Rivera coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra said Medina went to see a doctor Wednesday and added she expects to know more about her player’s condition Thursday.
“We’re hoping she is able to come back, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” Avelar-Guerra said. “We’ve had some tough times, but we’re coming together (as a team). We had a tough day on the second day (of the Sharyland Tournament last Friday), but we came back and finished strong the last day.”
The Lady Raiders will be at home against Edinburg High on Saturday.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.