MISSION — With an all-star cast of high-level players on both sides of the net Saturday at Sharyland High School, Leah Garcia played at her highest level of the season.

She was a match-changer.

The colorful 5-foot-10 junior was by far the most destructive she has been all season, performing with ruthless aggression and taking over at times — both offensively and defensively — to help lead McAllen Memorial to (30-9 overall) an entertaining and powerful 23-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13 win over Sharyland High to keep their hopes alive for at least a share of the District 31-5A title.

There was no holding back in this match, from the opening play — Memorial’s Alicia Ziegler kill in the middle — to the final play — Memorial’s Amare Hernandez turn-off-the-lights kill. The electricity on the court didn’t stop for 2.5 hours.

The win improves the Mustangs to 11-2 in district, one game behind 12-1 Sharyland with five district matches remaining. The victory also snapped the Rattlers’ 29-match win streak. Sharyland was ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 5A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association at the beginning of the week, holding a 36-3 overall record going into Saturday’s match.

Memorial holds a one-game lead over Sharyland Pioneer (10-3) in district, and the teams will face each other at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at McAllen Memorial. McAllen Rowe is 9-4, and McHi is in currently in fifth at 8-5.

“This is the team I’m used to,” Memorial head coach Ashley Doffing said. “This is the team I know and how our offense can play.”

While Memorial big bombers Amare Hernandez and Madisyn Sosa attacked at every opportunity as usual, the improving play of middles Alicia Ziegler and Kaitlin Martin and a much better defensive effort than Tuesday’s five-set loss to McAllen High kept the Mustangs toe-to-toe with Sharyland’s plethora of big hitters and servers Kenisha Martinez, America Hernandez and Kassandra De La Garza.

Garcia, however, was the X factor — the game changer, a virtual knockout artist on this day.

“When she’s on, she can dominate,” Doffing said. “I’ve got a lot of girls that can dominate when they’re on. Leah was something special today, though.”

Garcia’s performance, however, probably wasn’t something high in the strategy department for Sharyland leading up to the game. Garcia even admitted it had been a while since she performed like she did Saturday, leading the Mustangs with 17 kills, five blocks and several other touches on attacks. She also proved to be a menace for Martinez, the Rattlers’ biggest bopper.

“I’ve waited such a long time to play like this,” said Garcia. “Everything I did, I saw in my mind and I just did it. It’s been a struggle. Nobody knows why. I feel in this game, though, that we all clicked and put all our gooses together.

“Coach said, ‘Let it all out. If you’re upset over the last game (loss to McHi).’ I let the anger out this game.”

Hernandez added 15 kills and an ace for Memorial, while Ziegler contributed 11 kills and a block. Madison Amaya had 25 assists and a pair of aces, and Gaby Torres added 23 assists. Libero Kassie Falcon had 18 digs.

Martinez led the Rattlers with 28 kills and four blocks. America Hernandez added 12 kills and five aces to add to her school record for aces, and Kassandra De La Garza contributed 10 kills and 24 assists.

Sharyland returns to action Tuesday at Valley View. They also have games left against McAllen Rowe, PSJA North, McHi and Pioneer.

Following Tuesday’s match against Pioneer, the Mustangs have Valley View, PSJA Memorial, McAllen Rowe and PSJA Southwest remaining on the schedule.

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MISSION — Late during the first set of the championship match at the Sharyland Invitational, McAllen Memorial sent threestraight free balls over the net to the awaiting Rattlers.

America Hernandez made the Mustangs pay after the third freebie, slamming a kill down the line and helping her team to a 25-22, 25-22 win Saturday at Sharyland Pioneer and the tournament championship in a match between arguably the two top teams in District 31-5A.

With two rosters inundated with big hitters and exciting playmakers, the match came down to what both coaches have talkedabout throughout the season: making good passes on the first balls to be able to attack with their high-powered offenses.

“Every good kid — like Amare (Hernandez) or (Madisyn) Sosa for Memorial — I tell them you’re not going to stop them everysingle time. You’re not going to dig every single ball, and that’s OK,” Sharyland head coach Raul Castillo said. “But we’re gonnatry to slow it down and get a touch. But we need to return the favor. If they get one, we get one. We can’t let them get two orthree or four on us without responding.

“They’re gonna earn their kills, but let’s focus more on us.”

Sharyland led 15-10 during the second set following a block from sophomore Kenisha Martinez. Memorial, however, respondedwith a 5-0 run with some tough serving by Madison Amaya and a pair of kills from Amare Hernandez.

The teams’ two biggest hitters – Amare Hernandez and Martinez – then traded blow for blow, and Sharyland pulled out in front 21-20. Sharyland followed with three straight points and held off a final last gasp Memorial comeback effort to win the tournament.

Martinez led the way offensively for Sharyland in each of the three games Saturday with 14 kills against Edinburg Veka, 18 against Pioneer and 13 in the final against Memorial. America Hernandez contributed eight, four and six kills, respectively for the Rattlers while de la Garza totaled 70 assists during the three matches.

Sharyland missed out on the playoffs last year, finishing fifth in the rugged District 31-5A. Castillo said the girls are hungry to return to the postseason and to battle for the district title.

“We showed we can hang with these teams, and I tell the girls to not cut themselves short,” he said. “In this district, everybody isgoing to swing, everybody is going to block and everybody is going to dig. It’s going to come down to who has the coolest heads.

“We have four seniors on the floor and they want to go to the postseason after missing out. I tell them if we’re going to do thisfor someone, it’s for them. Last year we fell short, now it’s this year.”

Martinez was named the tournament MVP, and teammates Kassandra de la Garza and America Hernandez were selected to theall-tournament team. Memorial’s Amare Hernandez and Sosa also were named to the all-tourney team.

Sharyland advanced with a three-set win over Sharyland Pioneer, and Memorial advanced with a straight-set victory over Harlingen High.

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Texas Christian University volleyball assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Morgan Thomas will run a Cavazos Sports Institute volleyball camp Thursday, June 2, at CSI in McAllen.

She’ll have some help from someone she recruited to Texas Tech while she coached there. Sharyland Pioneer standout Audrey Smith will return to the Valley to assist with the camp.

Smith joined the Texas Tech volleyball program as a preferred walk-on following a standout four-year career with Pioneer. She spent three years with the Red Raiders before joining the UTSA Roadrunners volleyball program last year.

“Morgan is probably one of the greatest human beings on the face of the planet,” Smith said. “She made such an impact on me and changed the game of volleyball for me. I knew I could turn to her all the time to be inspired and help me carry one. I knew I had someone in my corner to help me be the best version of myself.”

Thomas was hired as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with TCU volleyball in January 2022. She joined the Horned Frogs with 10 seasons of coaching experience, including eight years at the Power 5 level.

Thomas spent the 2021 season as a volunteer assistant at Pitt where she helped lead the Panthers to a 30-4 record, an NCAA Final Four berth and a No. 3 ranking in the AVCA coaches’ poll.

Thomas also spent five seasons as part of the Texas Tech coaching staff where she ascended from an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator (2016-17) to associate head coach (2018-20), leading TTU’s recruiting efforts and bringing Smith to the Red Raiders.

Smith is now a student coach for UTSA, similar to a graduate assistant. She said she is incredibly excited to return to her hometown and “pay it forward.”

“I hope I can be a little bit of an inspiration. Volleyball is picking up in the Valley and I have such a passion for it,” she said. “Morgan and I talked a bit and want to give everyone the absolute most they can get in two hours. We want it to be fun like volleyball is supposed to be.

“ I’m really excited to come back home and expose the Valley to more volleyball and some next-level, high intensity volleyball in my hometown. Maybe inspire someone to want to do this at the next level and to follow their dreams.”

The camp will run throughout the day with middle school training from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., sub varsity from 12:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and varsity from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“I think it’s just a great opportunity for our RGV athletes to get the experience of learning in a camp setting and from a Division I coach from a Power 5 program like TCU,” said CSI owner Jaime Cavazos, who has run several different type of camps at his facility, located at 2900 Buddy Owens Blvd. “Being local here in McAllen, it makes it so much easier on parents to attend something like this.

“Audrey was one of the best volleyball players we’ve ever had in our area and I’m proud to have her come back to our community and give back and share some of the things she has learned.”

For more information and to register, visit csitrain.com or call (956) 451-2017.

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EDINBURG — Chasse Conque spent the past weekend at South Padre Island with his wife, Lisa, and three children. Saturday, he woke up at 6:15 a.m. and took an early morning walk on the beach. Lisa made chorizo breakfast tacos, then he took in a baseball game and spent the rest of the day on the beach and concluded it with a shrimp boil.

Sounds like a rare relaxing day for the UTRGV vice president and director of athletics, who enjoyed his 1,000th day in that position Saturday.

“It has been a wonderful first 1,000 days,” Conque said. “It’s hard to pinpoint a specific highlight but there have been certain moments and some thing that stand out. We’ve been through a lot, and so has everyone, and the pandemic took its toll.”

Conque was in his position for six months when the pandemic hit.

“Nobody knew what was ahead of us and what we were about to experience together,” he said. “We had some highs and some tough things thrown our way.”

Still, Conque and UTRGV pushed forward. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment (and most talked about across the RGV) during the first 1,000 days included a referendum to bring Division I football and a women’s swimming and diving program to UTRGV. A partnership with the city of Pharr and PSJA ISD delivered a state of the art natatorium that will be used by the city, the school district the UTRGV swim team.

The university is close to finalizing a deal with the WAC to have the conference’s swimming and diving championships at the natatorium as soon as 2023, before UTRGV kicks off its program.

“The Pharr Natatorium is one of the best in the country,” Conque said. “It’s top notch, top tier and will be wonderful for not only us and the Valley, but it will attract state and national attention to host a variety of meets and events.

“We’re working on our bid with the WAC and hopefully we’ll receive the green light and bring a WAC championship to that natatorium and the city of Pharr.”

Another huge accomplishment was the announcement of the university’s $30 million investment into its facilities for the current 16 sports. The campus will look very different when everything is completed.

“This was an early priority of ours. (University President) Dr. (Guy) Bailey and I set that vision. In order to do football the right way, we had to take care of our current sports.”

Those accomplishments, however, are not just stand-alone. They are all part of a bigger picture.

“We knew that football was something to pursue but we had to wait for the right time,” Conque said. “The capital projects would be a big need but we had to make sure we had some really good growth in our revenue streams to be able to take on that kind of investment. To have those come together over the past three years I think is a pleasant surprise, to have that much community support.

“And that’s the other piece that’s made it all possible. We talk about rallying the Valley and to make that true and the community is embracing that and see what we’re trying to do for the entire Rio Grande Valley.”

The university has also made it a priority to expand its programs Valley wide. It hosts a basketball tournament at South Padre Island and soccer matches in Cameron County, as well as youth clinics and camps.

“We’re not just focusing on the upper Valley but bringing our programs to Cameron County,” Conque said. “Sometimes you know what ingredients it’s going to take, but may not know the exactly amount you may need. And sometimes you may not know how it’s going to turn up at the end, but we knew when we got here there were some core things we needed to do.”

Conque said there won’t be any slowing down over the next 1,000 days. The goals, however, are in place.

“What’s the goal for the next 1000 days?” Conque said. “I’d say be ready to be competitive across the board. All of those things for our programs that we’ve done will hopefully lead us to sustainable and competitive success for all 16 sports. Engaging with the community and the community engaging with us will continue to be a major factor. There are many communities that want us to have a presence in their own backyard.

“It’s wonderful to be wanted.”

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The McAllen Rowe wrestling team hasn’t competed since Dec. 11 and won’t compete again until Feb. 4.

The Warriors aren’t alone in their dismay as many teams find themselves in the same quickly crowding boat due to COVID-19’s most recent swarm, disrupting many high school sporting events. This weekend alone, the annual Gator Bowl wrestling tournament at Grulla and the King of the Ring tournament at Edinburg North, have been canceled.

That doesn’t mean wrestlers aren’t preparing. Rowe returns to the mats the first week of February, in Rio Grande City for the District 16-5A individual wrestling tournament. From now until then, it’s practicing and studying. Teams are canceling events at the last minute, something coaches and schools are better prepared to deal with and make the ensuing decisions and plans.

“We continue to practice and we work on not only what we do, but also what our opponents are going to do to counter what we do,” McAllen Rowe head coach Jeff Moubray said. “It’s the best thing we can do. It keeps us motivated to prepare for the individual district tournament.”

Moubray, in his fourth year at the Rowe helm, said multiple tournaments, tri-matches and duals have been canceled this season. That means wrestlers are out anywhere from 15-20 matches just to this point, not counting other upcoming meets.

In a sport where contact is king, and during a time when positive COVID cases are quickly rising within the schools, Moubray said the cancellations were an unfortunate necessity.

“We’re still working on individual situations and we have gone against some opponents we will face in district,” Moubray said. “We go to film and study, look for ways to defend our opponents.”

Rowe has four wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of the state in their respective weight classes, according to wrestlingtexas.com. Seniors Aaron Gallegos (120 pounds, 12-3 record) and David Franco (170, 14-4) are No. 19 and No. 3, respectively. Juniors Pablo Velasco (285, 13-1) and George Virrueta (182, 18-1) are each No. 13 in their weight class.

Franco is a team captain, and Moubray said he is a top-five student and he brings his knowledge with him on the mat for every practice and match.

“I think all the extra time we had to practice since last year when the season didn’t start until March helped him a lot,” Moubray said. He fits that mold of a student who uses the same smarts he has in the classroom to the mat. I can’t say enough about that. He does every single thing that’s asked of him. He’s a student of the game. He watches film on his own. Anything that is good for him, he soaks up like a sponge.”

Moubray is expecting good results from Franco and has other ranked wrestlers. There will be no time to waste since regionals and state come right after the district meet.

“I feel like he is a contender for a district championship,” Moubray said. “Possibly for the regional championship. We hope to get him on the platform at state. I remember a conversation with his parents and telling them he may never win a district championship but he’s a great kid.

Now look at him — his work ethic on the mats, in the weight room and in the classroom. He’s doing anything he can outside too that will help him get better. I can’t say enough about him.

SHARYLAND’S MANGUM: ‘IT’S OUR TIME TO SHINE’

McAllen Rowe isn’t the only school with four boys wrestlers ranked. Defending District 16-5A champion Sharyland High has four, as well, according to wrestlingtexas.com

Juniors Paolo Miranda (120, 20-1) and Alberto Mendoza (126, 19-5) are No. 3 and No. 12 in their respective weight classes. Seniors Noel Torres (138, 24-3) and Moses Rodriguez (160, 21-5) sit at No. 5 and No. 7, respectively, in their divisions.

The Rattlers last wrestled a weekend ago at the CenTex tournament in Austin. While it wasn’t the entire team, second-year head coach Sam Mangum said several of his seasoned wrestlers participated.

Mangum took some extra time Friday to talk to his wrestlers following the announcement that Sharyland ISD schools were shutting down until Wednesday to sanitize and give the school a through cleaning as COVID rages on.

“I told them after practice the hay is in the barn. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself and getting your workouts in,” Mangum said. “These couple of days won’t be detrimental. We’ve done what we had to do all year so consider it a little R and R for the district tournament in a couple of weeks.

“We aren’t done. This is our time to shine. When we get to district we are all 0-0. It’s about who shows up on that day. A good solid two weeks of no competition isn’t the worse thing.

“Now we just let it all come to fruition.”

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EDINBURG — After the first two sets of Tuesday night’s District 31-6A between city rivals and unbeatens Edinburg High and Edinburg Vela, a sweep was what everyone in the Vela gym probably was thinking.

The thought never crossed the minds of the homestanding SaberCats. If it did, it didn’t show.

Despite being dominated through the first two sets, Vela clawed and roared its way back for an intense 14-25, 13-25, 25-19, 25-22, 15-11 victory behind a host of hitters who finally found their swing, a defense that sprawled all over the court and a freshman setter who was seemingly unnerved by the pressure of the moment.

In other words, Edinburg Vela (4-0 in district) grew up on the volleyball court in a little more than two hours, going from a team that didn’t belong to one that now will play for sole possession of first place — and be the final unbeaten team when it faces PSJA High (3-0 in district) on Saturday.

“I told the girls we can either quit and go home or battle back,” Vela head coach Araceli Ortega said. “I told them it wasn’t going to be any easier no matter what the second time we play them at Edinburg High.”

Fey Vasquez led the SaberCats with 15 kills and five blocks — most of those stats after Edinburg High’s Jazmin Cuellar was a human wrecking ball through two sets, killing and blocking every ball she could get her hands on.

The senior Bobcats hitter dominated, connecting with setter Hailey Vega, starting in the first set when the game was tied at 8. Cuellar ended the night 27 kills and a stunning 15 blocks.

During the final three sets, however, Cuellar wasn’t as effective, partially because the Bobcats were on their heels more. During the first two sets they were the aggressors, after that, however, the momentum shifted — and the SaberCats tweaked their blocking scheme. The combination was too much for the Bobcats (3-1) to overcome.

“I think we were in the back seat the first two sets and finally climbed into the front seat,” Ortega said. “We have a lot of good hitters. If we can get things going and get the momentum going and load our guns and used them, we are a team to reckon with.
“And that’s a good thing.”

Vela showed an array of hitters during the monumental comeback. A team that started season looking more defensively oriented blossomed in the final three sets offensively. Dayanne Ramos and Samantha Villalobos added 10 kills apiece and Emily Gonzalez collected nine while Danika Verdooren had six kills. Defensively the trio of Vasquez, Villalobos and Verdooren also combined for 11 blocks, all coming in the final three sets.

“Our energy changed,” Vazquez said. “We knew where she (Cuellar) would go. Sometimes she still got to us. Offensively, we were tipping and got some points but in the end we just kept swinging.”
Freshman setter Abby Zamora was unflappable in the SaberCats 5-1 scheme, placing her as the only setter in the rotation. She had 19 service points and 47 assists.

“(Abby) has helped us tremendously. As a freshman, she has helped us pull through,” Ortega aid. “Abby is a very steady kid and we are starting to see it more and more how she keeps her composure. She has an error here or there but she’s always trying to make up for that and she gives us her best. We’re good with that. She’s sound defensively, she can hit when she’s in the front row — she’s very versatile.

Macedonian Christian Academy was mired with a 4-8 record and was just beaten badly twice by Harvest Christian Academy when they held a team meeting.

“The girls were demoralized. We had a three- or four-game losing streak and we talked about what we needed to do moving forward,” third-year head coach James Mendoza said. “We decided that to matter what happens, we said we would play for each other and they did that.”

Switching up their defense helped a bit, too.

Since then, the Lions have ripped off a five-game winning streak, including their first two playoff games, to set up their TAPPS 2A state quarterfinals matchup at 4:30 p.m. today against Hallettsville Sacred Heart at Annapolis Christian School in Corpus Christi.

“God has been good to us,” Mendoza said. “In spite of the COVID stuff we had to work through, stopping for three or four weeks because of COVID, but we fought through it all.”

Mendoza switched up his defensive schemes since then, going to a box-and-one or a triangle-and-two depending on who they need to stop from the opposition. During Tuesday’s win over Allen Academy, they clamped down on the leading scorer, giving up seven points while she usually averages close to 18 points per game.

Leading that defensive change and charge has been senior Julia Mendoza and her sister, sophomore Naomi Mendoza.

“The team just started playing hard-nosed defense and we started playing different schemes and that’s what we focused on,” Mendoza said. “Those schemes have been yielding results for us.”

Senior Delina Overfield, a point guard, averages 17 points, 1.9 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Julia Mendoza averages 6.8 points and 6.2 rebounds along with 2.9 blocks per contest. Kierston Curling, the team’s other senior, contributes 8.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals per tilt.

“The new defense kicked it all off but then the offense started kicking in. You know, sometimes the shots aren’t going to fall but you can always play tough defense,” Mendoza said. “Those seniors are the heart and soul of the team. They’ve been playing since eighth grade.

“They are peaking at the right moment.”

Mendoza said Sacred Heart will have a height advantage and rebounding advantage, as well. He’s hoping his squad can box out and use their quickness and defense to move them into the state semifinals against the winner of Shiner St. Paul and district foe Harvest Christian Academy, the last team they lost to before starting their winning streak.

“Harvest is a great team and having two teams from the Valley is great,” Mendoza said. “If they can win and if we can win, having two Valley teams in the final four would just be outstanding.”

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There was some extra pep in the steps of the Mission Veterans volleyball players, and many other athletes Monday morning.

It’s not surprising — it was the first official day of practice following no extracurricular activities due to COVID-19 since the beginning of the school year.

“We are ready to rock and roll,” said head coach Diana Lerma, whose teams have won 15 district titles in the past 18 years. “The girls were like little puppy dogs. This morning we did the mile run so we didn’t do hands on. Today after school we will get a true sense of where they all stand and what they’ve done to be ready.”

Several Rio Grande Valley schools began practice Monday, the first day Hidalgo County schools were allowed to reopen for on-campus, school-sponsored extracurricular activities per a county-level public health order.

Others, such as Donna High and Donna North, begin practice Oct. 5.

McAllen ISD voted Monday night to move ahead with fall sports beginning today.

“I am so pumped,” McAllen Memorial second-year head coach Ashley Doffing said.

“I had kids watching the board meeting who probably never knew what a board meeting was. They wanted to know as soon as Coach knew.”

Doffing said practice will begin today with evaluating girls for varsity. Most RGV schools are only fielding one team, eliminating JV and freshman squads this year.

“I told them this is a year that champions are made. We will see how many kids have been pushing themselves,” Doffing said. “We will be super cautious and I can’t wait to see them in the gym.

“This is the first step to getting things back to normal. I think the girls realize it — their passion for the game and their respect for the community is something I think everyone can look to. I tell them that student-athletes carry a lot — all eyes are on them. They have to answer to teachers and coaches, both. It’s not so much the pressure, but if anyone gets us back to normalcy it’s these student-athletes.”

Lerma said completing the season will be a key stepping stone for future sports.

“This is a new animal,” Lerma said regarding facing all the changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “As a coach for 31 years, I’ve never experienced anything like this. We’re all in the same boat and now the more hands on we can be, the better.

“This is not just about volleyball. Can we follow the protocol and not mess it up for other sports? If we can comply and start and finish, then other sports will get that opportunity. We will comply because we want to play and give others the chance to, as well.”

Lerma and the Patriots usually load their preseason schedule with tournaments in Houston and San Antonio, playing top-notch statewide competition to get ready for district play. That wasn’t possible this year, even though other regions across Texas have been playing for about a month.

“I’m a little jealous of Houston and Dallas and those area that got their tournaments in, but we are in a hotspot,” she said. “We are on our tippy toes and being cautious. I’m just happy we can get started.”

Mission Veterans has a preseason matchup at 6:30 p.m. at McAllen Memorial. The Patriots’ first district game is Oct. 13 against La Joya Palmview. La Joya ISD had announced during the summer that they would not have fall sports. District officials are expected to make an announcement this week, however, that they will reverse course and compete in fall sports.

“We’re starting off at a slow pace and just praying to God we can finish,” Lerma said.

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McALLEN — Geo Hernandez built her mental toughness running cross country.

McAllen Memorial girls soccer head coach Matthew Kaiser said that foundation the four-year starter mid-fielder developed came from before she reached high school.

“It has paid dividends for her to be the great soccer player she has become,” Kaiser said. “That commitment to being in the best shape and condition has helped her become a great athlete and give her the opportunity to play somewhere.”

Hernandez on Wednesday signed her national letter of intent to play soccer at UTRGV, completing a process that began early in her high school career.

“A big part of it was a conversation with my parents,” she said. “It started when they asked me if I was sure I wanted to play collegiate soccer and I said yes. Since then it has been constant showcases and camps and all those kind of things.”

Hernandez echoed Kaiser’s sentiments when it came to how a passion for long-distance running, helped he reach the point she’s at now. In fact, she said, she misses some of those days.

“Since a young age I was really into running at Milam Elementary. I would get dropped off and rather than playing with friends, I would be running around the track,” the two-time second-team All-District 30-6A soccer player said. “During recess I would be running around the track in my school clothes.

“I was good at it and would run 5Ks with my dad, loving running and competing. I found soccer about the tame time and staying in cross country helped me out. Back then I would wake up at 5 p.m., run seven miles and then go work out with coach Kaiser for two hours for soccer.”

Kaiser said it was clear to him, especially near the end of games, were Hernandez’s focus was still as sharp as when the game started.

“It allows her to focus on the different aspect, by the end of the game you can see the matchups and who is not as conditioned,” he said. “She could see that someone was getting tired and she wasn’t so it was, ‘I’m going to take you on and challenge you. She has always been able to take advantage of that talent. She’s just a remarkable athlete.”

Hernandez said now as a senior she reflects on her “younger years” and gets “jealous when I see how in shape some of these younger girls are in.”

So, she does what any top notch competitive athlete would do — she challenges them. Kaiser enjoys seeing that leadership role, something that has become natural for Hernandez.

“Soccer is long distance so a couple miles is no big deal for her,” he said. “As a runner she liked to be first and she would push for that. It’s always a great thing as a coach to have a player be an example. I’ll tell her teammate when they are running ‘just go stay with Geo, just try to keep up with her.” She will make others around her better and faster. Everyone gets pulled along with her.

“It’s always great to have that example to look up to.”

Cori Talamantez knew who she was facing. Her McAllen Memorial Mustangs were battling star hitter Lexi Gonzalez and their biggest rival, the state’s third-ranked Class 6A team in McAllen High.

The Mustangs served the ball to Gonzalez, and Talamantez focused on what was happening next.

“I watched as she (Gonzalez) came in for a one,” Talamantez said, referring to a low, quick set meant to catch blockers out of place and create a 1-on-1 instead of a double block.

A junior libero, Talamantez barely had time to get her arms in the right spot when — “boom!” — the volleyball smashed into her readied arms from a signature thunderous attack by Gonzalez.

“Somehow I was in the right position and I popped it right up,” Talamantez said. “I got her that time.”

It wasn’t too long after that, however, when Gonzalez got her revenge, finding Talamantez cheating a little too far right. “She put it where I should have been,” the junior McAllen Memorial libero said. “She got me that time.”

But that’s what liberos do: they take on the biggest and baddest hitters on opposing teams. No matter how big or how bad, the best liberos will stand ready for any attack. They are a human target, the matador on the court being attacked at every possibility. The only difference — there is no ole’ — is liberos chase down the ball anywhere in the gym and are often seen diving across the floor time and again to save a ball and keep a rally alive.

Liberos are a fairly new position to the sport, but they are easy to pick out of a team, with each libero wearing a different color jersey than the rest of their teammates. Like the yellow jersey worn by the leader at the Tour de France, considered highly prestigious, the libero jersey signifies that this is the team’s best passer. The libero generally — but is not restricted to — replaces the middle blocker when that player goes to the back row. Since each team will have two middle blockers throughout each rotation, the libero is usually on the court for the entire game.

Liberos control the floor defensively, they are an extension of the defensive specialist, or better yet the defensive specialist is an extension of the libero. Such is especially the cases in Edinburg North’s Evana Ramos, McAllen High’s Audrey Zamora, McAllen Memorial’s Cori Talamantez and Mission Veterans’ Bella Dominguez. They have almost as much to do with the team’s kills as a setter or the hitter herself.

“Without a good pass, it’s a lot tougher for the hitters to get the ball on anything but a high outside set,” Mission Veterans head coach Diana Lerma said. “They are the ones we expect to get the ball to the target to set something up and keep the ball moving fast.”

The position was introduced in 1998 internationally but was used for the first time in 2002 by the NCAA. It reached the high school ranks in 2005.

“We were able to watch it at the collegiate level for a few years before it got to the high school level,” McAllen High head coach Paula Dodge said. “First, you have a person who specializes in defense who can be in there the entire time — that gives every team a huge benefit; somebody who is trained and focuses on defense and doesn’t count toward the number of substitutes. It allowed us as coach more freedom.”

Liberos, Lerma said, have changed the entire facet of the sport. It has brought more action to the court — and more interest from the fans.

“When you have a good libero, you can’t ever assume she’s not going to get to the ball, like with Bella,” Lerma said of her team’s libero. “Sometimes I wonder if she’s ever going to let the ball drop. A great libero is like that fly that will never go away.

“(Bella) is good with her feet and can make perfect passes with them, as well. That position upped the game to make it more competitive and to create more rallies for each and every point. It has become an exciting position to watch, but not so exciting when the other libero is doing it to you.”

Ramos, of Edinburg North, is one of the most statistically decorated leaders in the nation, according to MaxPreps.com. Ramos, as of Saturday, had accumulated a nation-best 1,000 digs in the 96 sets she has played so far. Dominguez was second in total digs at 872 digs in 106 sets. Ramos also was tops in digs per set, at 10.4 just ahead of Ashley Spencer of St. Francis Catholic in Gainesville, Florida.

“I love taking control in the back row,” Ramos said. “I love talking to my team, directing them where to go and letting them know that I’m behind them and have their backs.”

With action moving quickly, especially among the top teams, liberos have to read and react, anticipating where the attacker will be going with her kill attempt. While some may get jittery waiting on this to unfold, the best will slow everything down.

“My movement is very still and I calm down to see the hitter’s position and their hands,” Ramos said. “It’s about a lot of reading in the back row. I look at their hips to see if they are going to go cross (court) and I’ll read where their hand position and then move to where you think it’s going to be — read and move.”

Dominguez, the lone senior in the group, started out as a setter but said “I wasn’t really into setting.”

“I really wanted to be a libero,” she said. “I loving digging and saving balls and it’s what I wanted to do. I saw it as an opportunity to get more playing time and I really wanted to play.

Most of the girls described a bit of anxiety when they first took the floor in that position, with all of its responsibilities and knowing that would be attacked over and over throughout each match. Liberos, however, have a different mindset. They are like predators — they don’t back down and they’ll chase after their prey into the stands and out of the gym to keep the ball in play.

“It was a big transition from being a defensive specialist to a libero,” said Zamora, a junior who is starting at libero for the second year for McHi. “I knew I had to be louder and communicate more with people and tell there where to be and how to fix themselves.

“It was nerve-wracking. I didn’t want to let the team down and I wanted to prove that I deserved that jersey as a sophomore.”

“I’ve just continued to see her improved and one thing I’ve seen is that this is a girl who loves to pursue the ball and is always smiling because she loves playing volleyball and doing what she does,” Dodge said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s during a game or warmups. She works really hard and loves playing.”

For years, all the glory in a volleyball match would focus on the hitters with their massive strikes, now earning that libero jersey is a prize in itself, something that players all over the country work to earn.

“At first, it was someone else’s spot so I just kept working and would push myself at every practice and go all over the place,” Talamantez said. “I was talking and encouraging the team and suddenly one game Coach just said, ‘You’re the libero’ and it was against Mission Veterans with all their really hard hitters. ‘Gee, thanks Coach.’

“I was nervous but I knew that I had earned that jersey and I deserved it. Once I got that first hit, the jitters left.”

Hitters may still get all the attention due to the powerful kills they provide during a game, but the liberos have added more excitement to the sport but not letting those hitters have it so easy.

“They have made it even more exciting,” Dodge said. “The big kill has always brought the fans to their feet but now the level of play by defensive players when they make those big kills, it can make the entire gym come alive. They really are special players.”