By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Porter Cowgirls are enjoying one of their best volleyball seasons in recent memory and have set their sights on the District 32-5A title and making the playoffs.
Those are lofty goals considering 1999 is believed to be the last time the Cowgirls qualified for the postseason in the sport.
Still, the team’s confidence has been growing and its skills improving under the guidance of third-year coach Laura Fortner. The Cowgirls came within one match victory of reaching the playoffs last year, so realizing that objective has become a primary focus for the squad in 2015.
“I can’t say it enough that (raising) the confidence level is what has helped us the most,” said Fortner, a former standout player at Hanna as a libero who went on to play at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College and at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. “Our girls have always had the potential, they just didn’t have the confidence.”
Three seniors are the heart of this year’s team. They are 5-foot-10 middle blocker Karla Sosa, 5-4 setter Marquel Rivera and 4-10 1/2 libero Karen Garcia.
“I feel that each of them has her own pressure being the heart of the team,” Fortner said. “But I feel they each carry it pretty well. They stay composed. The girls know (what they need to do to help the team).
“All of our girls, not just these three, are natural athletes,” added Fortner, who is assisted by Vanessa Mata. “We had to fine-tune their (athletic) instincts to volleyball because they’re all softball players. We had to get them to the point where they loved volleyball and would really push themselves to dive on the floor (to make a dig) or to hit the ball with everything they could. First and foremost, it was a matter of instilling a love for the game.”
The Cowgirls (10-16, 3-2 district) will try to bounce back from Saturday’s loss at Donna High when they play host to PSJA High at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“Potential-wise, I believe this team has got it,” said Sosa, a three-year starter. “We have a lot of room to grow, but everyone on this team has it in them (to do well). I see us going to the playoffs.
“I have a lot of pride (competing as an athlete) for Porter,” added Sosa, who also plays softball and basketball. “I’m proud to say that I go to Porter and that I play for Porter. Every day when I put on my jersey for a game or I’m dressed for practice, I’m proud to be here.”
Garcia is also certain the Cowgirls have what it takes to reach the postseason this year.
“We’ve been working hard every day for it, and I feel like we will make the playoffs,” said Garcia, a two year starter who has been on the varsity since she was a sophomore. “This is our season. We can do it.
“We’ve pulled ourselves together after everything that has happened (involving the program’s lack of success),” Garcia added. “We’ve found a way to make it all work. Working together and having teamwork has helped us a lot.
“It would be pretty amazing to make the playoffs and make some history for the school because it’s been a while since Porter has done it. It’d be an amazing feeling to end my senior year (of volleyball) like that.”
Rivera, now in her fourth season on the varsity, has seen the Cowgirls come a long way.
“From my freshman year to now, we’ve improved a lot,” she said. “I’ve played volleyball with a lot of these girls since middle school, so having a group of seniors like we have this year gives us a chance to do extremely well. We’re a good hitting team, and we pick up anything we can. I believe in my team, and I feel that it’s going to be a really good year. I think we really are reaching our full potential.
“We have camaraderie,” added Rivera, a three-year starter. “We come together on the court and play as one. I think that’s my favorite thing about this team. Playoffs is the main goal of this team, and it has been since our sophomore year.
“I pray we have an injury-free season and that we can all make it to the end and come out with what we’ve been wanting — the district title, playoffs or both.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.