EDINBURG — Evana Ramos is quick to admit she’s “stubborn.”
If stubborn means training at 4:30 a.m., or being told it’s time to leave the RGV Venom training facility because it’s waiting on her to close, or the fact that she repeatedly asks questions to trainers and coaches, she can live with that characteristic.
After all, being “stubborn,” or determined as one of her trainers worded it, is how she feels she reached one of her goals to sign on to play volleyball for UTRGV and continue her academic and athletic careers.
“I’m really excited, but nervous, too,” the Edinburg North senior said during her signing ceremony Saturday, celebrating along with friends and family, in a socially-distanced setup at the Venom training facility. “I want to be with my teammates already.”
Ramos has been part of the RGV Venom traveling volleyball team since she was a freshman. She immediately caught the eyes of Melissa Lowery, Venom club director, and Todd Lowery, Venom director of coaching and UTRGV volleyball head coach.
“Evana is one of a kind and Coach Lowery and I noticed that from the moment she stepped on the court with Venom,” Melissa Lowery said. “Her work ethic and her agility — you can’t teach that. She may be small but she will outrun anybody and she thinks and plays like she’s 6 feet tall.
“I’ve had to kick her out of Venom sometimes. She wants to train so much.”
Ramos, The Monitor’s All-Area Libero of the Year in 2019, said at first she was looking at other schools, but when Todd Lowery started talking to her, she decided to make UTRGV one of her visits.
“I came here to Venom as a freshman and was very, very stubborn with a very bad attitude. It took me a long time to open up to Todd and Missy, but once I did they became family.
“My sophomore year I was looking around to see where I wanted to go. As a junior I went on a visit and then it was a no-brainer decision, Ramos said. “I went with the girls afterward to a baseball game I just liked the environment. When I was there, it didn’t feel like home. I felt like I was in San Antonio or somewhere like that.”
Ramos said her mother and father played integral parts in her volleyball growth along with the Venom coaches and trainer Jorge Mata.
“My mom does not let me take a day off. If I told her I’d like a day off she would say, ‘Too bad. I’ll drive you to practice,’” Ramos said. “She’s a big influence on me, not just on the court, but at work and on the go. She’s determined to get whatever it is she has to get. She’s a great leader.”
Her father plays a different role for her in the volleyball world.
“My dad isn’t so much about on the court stuff but about having a heart for the sport,” Ramos said. “That’s the biggest motivation for me as a player to see him smile on the side. It makes my day every time.”
Ramos was recognized by Sports Illustrated in its “Faces in the Crowd” feature, ranking her as the No. 1 libero in the United States in 2019. Ramos collected the most digs at Edinburg North in school history, while leading the country with 1,045 digs as a junior in 2019, according to MaxPreps.com.
Ramos, who graduates next month from Edinburg North and wants to start at UTRV in the spring, said she plans on pursuing a degree in exercise science, and hopes to also work with Mata to learn more about and “get into” muscle engagement.
She also has other plans.
“My goal as a freshman is to start the recruitment process to play professionally overseas and be on top of it,” Ramos said. “I think volleyball has gotten me everywhere in life and has kept me on a straight line, for the most part.
“I don’t want to stop playing volleyball. Ever.”