By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Cynthia Garcia and Cassie Valdez were two of the standout senior players who helped lead Brownsville Veterans Memorial to the District 32-5A volleyball title during the season just completed.
The Lady Chargers, who finished 25-8 overall, successfully defended their 32-5A championship in 2017 and won district with a 14-0 record for the second straight season.
As a result of the strong contributions they made in helping power their squad, Garcia and Valdez are the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year on The Brownsville Herald’s 2017 All-Metro Volleyball Team.
Garcia went from being named the 32-5A newcomer last season to being chosen the 32-5A’s top offensive player in 2017. And now she’s the top offensive player on the All-Metro squad as well.
“It’s always such a big honor (to receive these awards),” said Garcia, an outside hitter who provided lots of offense from the side for the Lady Chargers with a team-best 237 kills. “I never played club volleyball, so I never thought I would be good enough to get awards like this. I’m amazed that I’ve come so far since starting to play in the sixth grade, so this means a lot to me.
“There was a point I actually hated to play volleyball, but that was a long time ago (in grade school),” she added. “Now I love the game and it’s such a huge honor to receive these awards.”
Garcia is on course to graduate in 2018 as her school’s valedictorian and says she would welcome a chance to play volleyball in college even though her studies to someday become a doctor come first.
Valdez is a multi-sport standout who just signed an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship to play softball for the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners.
Along with her talent in softball, Valdez is quite a standout in volleyball, too. She was named the 32-5A MVP in volleyball this season. In reality, she is an all-around player who shines all over the court doing a variety of things on defense and offense.
“The volleyball season was great again this year,” said Valdez, a third-year varsity player who this season was third on the team in kills (147) and digs (211), first in assists (313) and second in serving aces (37). “I just tried to go all out every time I played and I would be diving after the ball every chance I got. I worked hard for my team and I knew they were doing the same thing. Whatever my coach wanted me to do, I was going to go do it 100 percent. Winning is what drives me.
“Volleyball has always been one of my most fun sports,” she added. “Getting these accolades for playing it is a huge blessing. I thank God for giving me the gift (to play sports) that He gave me.”
Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares said it was a joy to coach both girls during their varsity careers.
“Cynthia is very dedicated to whatever she does and she worked really hard over the summer (in preparation for the 2017 season),” Mares said. “She was first noticed last year as the newcomer of our district. I love her work ethic. She never shows any signs of frustration or fear. Her demeanor is always the same no matter what, even in practice.
“A lot of hard work and discipline is what Cynthia brought to the team,” Mares added. “I’m just so proud of her accomplishments so far in and outside of volleyball.”
Coaching an athlete of Valdez’s caliber was also quite a pleasure, Mares said.
“Cassie is a person who is so selfless,” the Lady Chargers coach said. “She will give anything to help out the team. I think getting an award for defense really shows the kind of player and person she is. She’s going to do the best she can with her ability to help out. She’s always giving more than she has. She never came out because she was a strong hitter in front and played solid defense in the back.
“Both of these girls have such a tremendous work ethic and I’m glad that it shows and that they are being recognized with these awards,” Mares added. “I know both of them are going to do great things in life. I’m just happy to have had them here with me. They are role models for our younger girls, and I thank them for that.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess