By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
From the very beginning of the season, Los Fresnos volleyball coach Becky Woods has said she believes her 2015 team could wind up being one of her best.
She’s coached the Lady Falcons for 31 seasons, so that’s quite a statement. At this point, with the squad just beginning District 32-6A competition, Woods has no intention of backing away from the high expectations she has for her group of girls this year.
“This is the tallest team I’ve ever had (overall), and probably one of the most athletic,” said Woods, who is approaching 600 career wins. “The jumping ability of these girls is out of this world. When everything is in sync and the setter is putting the ball up there for our middle blockers, that ball is going down (for a kill).”
The main ones who are making that process at the net work so well for the Lady Falcons are a pair of middle blockers, 6-foot-1 Sam Ibarra and 5-11 Joseline Caraveo, and 5-10 outside hitter Jackie Kingsbury along with 5-9 setter Miranda Gonzales. All are seniors but Kingsbury, who is a junior.
“It’s just a combination of positions that I think we’re real deadly at,” Woods said. “We’ve got the middle hitters, the outside hitters, the middle blockers, and there’s a freshman libero (Isis Delgado) who’s just rock solid on the court. My whole bench is solid. I don’t have a problem with putting any one of them in at any time when we might be struggling.
“These girls are working hard, and they want it,” Woods added. “Our seniors have been working hard for four years, and they’ve always said since their freshman year that they wanted to make a difference and go to state.”
With a little more than half of the season already completed, Woods is confident that her team is right on course to meeting its goals.
Los Fresnos is 26-8 overall and boasts a 3-0 record in district. The Lady Falcons are ranked No. 3 in the Rio Grande Valley. They next play at Harlingen High at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Lady Falcons have no problem with their coach’s high expectations. They aspire to do great things as well.
“I don’t really think it’s pressure,” Ibarra, a three-year member of the varsity, said of the lofty goals for Los Fresnos this season. “I think it’s exciting. Every single girl here has so much talent, and we’re all working together to do well, so it’s something great that’s happening with a good team effort.”
Added Caraveo, a four-year member of the varsity, “I’ve experienced what it was like to be on past teams here, and this team has been the best one I’ve been on so far because we’ve worked so hard. We’ve all been playing together, and we have this sister-like chemistry. We went to the regional tournament last year, and (even so) we didn’t go as far as we thought we’d go. This year we honestly feel that we have the team to make it to state.
“We play for God,” she added. “He’s the one who’s up there and helping us do everything.”
Gonzales said it has helped that the girls train year-round to keep their skills at a high level.
“We’re just always training and always working hard to reach our goals,” said Gonzales, a three-year member of the varsity. “This is the year I feel we have just a little more potential. They had the drive and the skills in the past years, but this year I think we have more willpower, and I think it will help us get back on top.
“Playing for Los Fresnos has meant the world to me,” she added. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Kingsbury said one of the reasons behind the Lady Falcons’ success is the versatility of the players.
“I definitely see our height as an advantage, but not only our height (on offense), because our height can turn into (a strength on) defense,” Kingsbury said. “We’re not one-dimensional players. We can do many things. Our blockers can pass, too. Little do people realize that. All of us put in so much work that we can all play so many positions, which is an advantage for us.
“We’re all just well-rounded players,” she added. “Our hitters can pass, and our passers can hit. It’s just something that is really good for us.”
Having such strong support at home matches has helped, too, said Kingsbury, a three-member of the varsity.
“Our fans are great,” she said. “We thank everyone for coming out, and we invite them to bring everyone else they know.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.