By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Brownsville St. Joseph volleyball coach Dolores Olguin-Trevino knows it’s no easy task for her team to play its first district game after just a week and a half of practice.
But with a good mix of seasoned returners, talented youngsters and tough love, she believes the Lady Bloodhounds are up for the challenge. SJA will jump right into the season and district play with a TAPPS 5A District 4 contest against Corpus Christi Incarnate Word Academy on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium after starting practice Sept. 16.
“I feel, and I think they mirror my feelings, which is, we’re getting to play, so we don’t care what we have to do,” Olguin-Trevino said. “The kids that are here, they know that they have to all work hard and pitch in. All summer long, I sent them workouts and I said, ‘I’m going to know when you step in here on Wednesday whether you did them or not.’ And you can tell they did work out. They wouldn’t be playing like they are now if they hadn’t.”
The Lady Bloodhounds have seven returning varsity players and five freshmen practicing with the top squad. Olguin-Trevino is placing an emphasis on communication and movement on the court, spending special time working on defensive shifts. She’s a demanding coach, but it’s because she believes in the potential of her team.
“I’m tough on them. But I told them, ‘If I raise my voice, it’s not a personal thing, it’s a Coach O thing,’” Olguin-Trevino said. “I’m setting the bar high — we’re going to playoffs this year. And in order for that to happen, I believe I have to be tough on them so they raise their level of play.”
Junior setter Elise Esparza said the demanding style, particularly with conditioning, will help SJA have home court advantage playing inside the “super hot” dome. She said it’ll be difficult jumping right into their district slate as they still try to get accustomed to the tweaks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but she believes the team will be prepared.
“It’s very different. It’s a challenge, but I think we’re adjusting well to it,” Esparza said. “It’s coming fast, but if we keep practicing like we are, we’ll be ready to play. We have some freshmen coming up with us, and I see a lot of potential in them. I think it’s going to be a great season.”
Mildred Verlage is a junior outside hitter who will be a big weapon for Esparza and the SJA offense. The third-year varsity lefty has a powerful swing and a dangerous jump serve, but she takes most pride in being someone on whom her teammates can depend. She said she’s nervous but excited for the season opener, and hopes to use the match to find the team’s strengths and pinpoint where they need to keep working.
“It’s a little hard on us, but I think it’s going to be a way for us to find out what we need to work out and find our strengths. I believe in our team, and I see our potential,” Verlage said. “I think what I bring to the team, more than anything, is being a team player. It’s not about who has the strongest hit. It’s about combining all of our strengths together to make a good team. I think I’m able to give a part of myself, and I hope I’m one of those players who is able to help others when they’re having a bad day.”
Senior Alexandra Vazquez is another weapon on which SJA will lean. As a four-year varsity letterwinner, Vazquez knows she’ll be looked at to be a leader, and she’s already showing her team-first mentality.
Olguin-Trevino moved Vazquez to the middle blocker position this year, and she’s adjusting well to the new role. Vazquez and sophomore Andrea Jasso will be important arms offensively and key components of a defense the Lady Bloodhounds are expecting to be a strength of the team.
Vazquez thinks SJA will have a strong season to end her career, but ultimately she just wants the Lady Bloodhounds to make the most of it every time they take the court.
“(The transition to the middle) is fine. It’s the same drill, just a little bit different, a little more jumping. But I’m getting there. Definitely (working on) a bunch of conditioning and on my hit,” Vazquez said. “I believe in the girls, and I believe in our coaches. (I want us) just to give it all we have, and due to the circumstances, if we only get to play one game or two or more, we have to give it all we got.”