BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
McALLEN — During her time as a physical education teacher at Horizon Montessori School in McAllen 10 years ago, Gina Reed had an idea.
“I played volleyball when I was younger and had coached for different clubs, so I decided to start an after-school program,” Reed said.
After a year of teaching and instilling the fundamentals of the sport, Reed felt comfortable enough for her girls to start competing at the Boys and Girls Club. One of them was Carter Helmcamp.
“She was very athletic,” Reed said. “Any kind of sport, she was good at.”
Helmcamp’s journey, 10 years in the making, culminated Friday afternoon at McAllen High School when she signed her letter of intent to play volleyball for UTRGV on a full scholarship.
“It feels great to finally get this done,” Helmcamp said. “I knew I was going here (UTRGV) since the middle of my sophomore year, so it hasn’t been a few months of waiting. It’s been two years of waiting. There’s been a lot of buildup preparing for it. When the day finally came, I was so ready and so at peace with my decision. There are no regrets here.”
UTRGV’s early interest in Helmcamp made her college decision an easy one.
“They talked to me at the beginning of my recruitment process and were one of my first offers,” Helmcamp said. “It was one of those things where I was so young then and I thought, ‘What if something else happens?’ and I sort of had a second-guess feeling in my stomach.
“I talked to Coach Todd (Lowery) from UTRGV about it. He helped me by saying, ‘Carter, I’m giving you this offer because I know other schools are going to want you.’ Ever since then, I’ve been so sure of my decision. I’m excited to be a part of this team, a part of this program and everything it will offer me.”
“It’s very fulfilling to see this,” Carter’s dad, Randy, said. “Because she had a goal and worked toward it. Sometimes you achieve those goals, and sometimes you don’t, but Carter achieved it. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”
Helmcamp wrapped up her four-year career as one of the top performers in Bulldogs volleyball history. She is the program’s all-time leader in sets played (2,008), points (814) and single-season assists (845).
During her senior year, Helmcamp led the team in assists once again (462) while finishing second in blocks (31), third in aces (44), third in kills (266) and fourth in digs (144).
McHi volleyball coach Paula Dodge figured a signing day would be in Helmcamp’s future.
“I knew that from the moment I met Carter,” Dodge said. “She’s a driven young lady. She would set goals and go out and do what it took to achieve it. Whatever drill it was, she was always busting it out there. Never complaining, just moving forward with what needs to get done to get better. She’s a student of the game.”
“It’s incredible,” Reed, who now works as an assistant for Dodge at McHi, said. “When her older sister (Taylor) was here, it was awesome to see how much they developed over the years with Coach Dodge. I’m very proud of her.”