By ROY HESS | Staff Writer
The Harlingen South Lady Hawks finished the 2018 volleyball season with a strong flourish, and it’s given them some big expectations for the campaign ahead.
Under UIL rules, Thursday marked the first day volleyball teams around the state could begin workouts.
Just like many other teams, the Lady Hawks embraced the opportunity to get what they believe is a promising season underway.
Mya Pearl Aguirre, a senior setter/outside hitter, was one of 96 players on hand Thursday for South’s first official volleyball workouts. This is her fourth season on the varsity for the Lady Hawks.
“ I was really excited this morning (knowing this was our first day of practice),” Aguirre said. “I woke up with so much excitement.
I feel very confident about my team,” added Aguirre, a four-year member of the varsity. “We have a strong bond together, and that bond throughout the summer has really helped us get ready for this upcoming season.”
The South girls came alive near the end of the season in 2018 to win their final regular-season match and prevent favored Brownsville Hanna from sharing the District 32-6A title with Los Fresnos. South qualified for the playoffs as the fourth-place squad from 32-6A.
The momentum carried over as the Lady Hawks upset District 31-6A champion Edinburg High in the bi-district playoffs before falling to a strong McAllen High team in the area round.
This summer, South won the Highway 83 summer league championship by defeating Brownsville Rivera in the league’s title match.
“ It’s amazing,” Lady Hawks coach Anissa Lucio said. “I’ve been waiting for this day (to start practice) since we ended our (2018) season. We’ve had a great offseason and a great summer, so I’m excited.
“ We have great leadership and discipline on this team,” Lucio added. “We have very coachable girls, and they’ve bought into our system since they were sophomores. They’re seniors now. I think the fact that they’ve bought into the system has brought about our success.
“ (The end of last season and our Highway 83 tournament championship,) those things are uplifting for us. We’re definitely staying humble because we know how tough our district is. We’re trying to maintain the victories and what we’ve done (recently), but we know we can still get better.”
The Lady Hawks are returning five of their six players from their 2018 starting lineup. There are eight seniors overall with a lot of experience.
Among those in that group are Aguirre, Mikela Mireles, Zoe Garcia, Koryanne Reininger, Evelyn Yanez, Odemarys Vidana, Allyah Guevara and Andrea Grant.
“ We work well together and our chemistry is great because we’ve been playing together a long time,” said Mireles, a senior outside hitter/defensive specialist who has been a member of the varsity for four seasons. “Our bond when we play together really helps us.
“ Out biggest goal is to get the district championship, so that’s what we’re going to be fighting for,” Mireles added. “We don’t want to just make playoffs, but to surpass the second round, where we ended last year.
“ I would say the first day of practice is always the best day because you know what to expect and you’re overwhelmed with a bunch of excitement for the season. Looking forward, just watch us do what we do best, and watch us play volleyball.”
Added Lucio, “The sky’s the limit for us. We have high expectations for this group. I think we have the talent and mindset for it.”
The Lady Hawks scrimmage at Sharyland Pioneer on Saturday and scrimmage at home against McAllen Memorial, Mission Veterans and Weslaco East starting at 9 a.m. on Monday.