A new district and the loss of three key contributors hasn’t fazed coach Becky Woods and the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons one bit.
They’re still state dreaming.
Los Fresnos lost The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro MVP (middle blocker Joseline Caraveo), Defensive MVP (middle blocker Sam Ibarra) and Setter of the Year (Miranda Gonzales) from a 39-9 team that won the District 32-6A championship with a 14-0 record.
The Lady Falcons remain undaunted, with a fourth year of either sharing or outright winning a district championship still the expectation and a trip to the UIL state volleyball tournament the bar for one of the Rio Grande Valley’s top volleyball programs.
“I have a really positive outlook, really good outlook (on the season),” Woods said. “Of course, every season I have high expectations. First thing is, you have to go out and prepare, win district. That’s No. 1. From there, you take it one game at a time … our goal is to get to state.
“That’s six or seven games into (the) postseason, and that’s what you work for. That’s what every team works for, but you have to build that. I don’t want to peak too early, and I don’t want to peak too late.”
Senior outside hitter/middle blocker Jackie Kingsbury, an All-Metro selection in 2015, is one of Los Fresnos’ returning impact players. She doesn’t expect much of a dropoff in play this season.
“I think we’re looking to surprise a lot of people,” Kingsbury said. “I think people are wondering how we’re going to do and maybe doubting us because we lost big hitters, but we do have very young girls who can fill those roles and we can take it one game at a time.”
Los Fresnos’ group of returning players with starting experience also includes sophomore libero Isis Delgado (The Herald’s All-Metro Newcomer of the Year in 2015), junior outside hitter/setter Giselle Ibarra, senior outside hitter/middle blocker Cassie Parra, middle hitter Jianna Calvillo and senior defensive specialist Giovanna De La Torre.
The Lady Falcons also have a bevy of sophomores ready to play, which Woods says gives her two teams worth of girls to use at any given moment.
The strength of the team is togetherness, a staple of Los Fresnos volleyball.
“We have such a good chemistry, so I don’t think we’ll lose that chemistry all season,” Ibarra said.
Hanna Lady Golden Eagles
The Hanna Lady Golden Eagles are coming off back-to-back third-place finishes in District 32-6A, but a young team will have to navigate through the revamped 32-6A to make a third straight playoff trip.
“We’re rebuilding a team,” seventh-year coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “They’re emerging to be a team, and they’re coming together very well.”
Hagemann said the team has a good mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors with the ability to contribute, and returns four players from last year’s playoff team, which finished with a 10-4 district record.
Senior middle blocker Lauren Webb, senior outside hitter Alexa Herrera, senior outside hitter Halle Penrod and junior outside hitter/defensive player Xitali Montes de Oca make up the core of Hanna’s returning players.
“Playoff games are always more intense,” Hagemann said. “It gets them ready for big games, the stress levels of high competition.”
Rivera Lady Raiders
Rivera was close to a playoff berth last year, and coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra — starting her 24th year leading the Lady Raiders — thinks the team can put itself back into playoff contention in the tough District 32-6A.
The Lady Raiders were tied for fourth place in District 32-6A last year, but a loss to Harlingen High took them out of a spot in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Avelar-Guerra said. “Los Fresnos is tough. Harlingen (High) is tough. Weslaco (High) is tough … I told them, ‘If you guys work hard and you fix the things we need to fix, we have a shot to get in the playoffs.’ It’s going to be hard, but we can do it.”
The team’s strength will be on the front line this season. Rivera returns senior setter Lilian Vera, junior left-side hitter Stephaine Garza, junior left-side hitter Litzy Medina, junior middle blocker Victoria Zuniga, junior middle blocker Mayra Martinez, junior right-side hitter Valey Uresti and sophomore setter/right-side hitter Kourtney Shears.
“The girls look pretty good,” Avelar-Guerra said. “They played well together (in scrimmages). We’re kind of young in the back (line) but experienced in the front.”
Lopez Lady Lobos
Lopez Lady Lobos coach Jacquelynn Touchet thinks she has the right group of players to make a run at the playoffs this season.
“I’m really excited about this season I feel like we have a good mix (of players),” said Touchet, who begins her fourth season coaching Lopez. “We’ve had huge improvement from last season, and the girls see that. They’re really focused and ready to accomplish big goals this season. I’m really excited to see what this season has in store for us.”
Four seniors return to the court for the Lobos: Anna Morales, middle blocker; Clarissa Renteria, outside hitter; Yazmin Martinez, outside hitter; and Stacy Villafranca, libero.
The Lady Lobos had a rough 2015 but they have grown during their offseason work, and the addition of assistant Daianarah Venegas has the team looking for a playoff return.
“I feel like they’re a pretty good group,” Touchet said. “I feel like our sophomores this year have been working hard in the offseason and have improved very much since last season. The attitudes are different. They’ve matured a lot in the time between last season and this season.”
Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers
The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers have made the playoffs every season since the team’s second season, and coach Lisa Mares, who has led the program since the school opened in 2010, doesn’t expect a young team playing in a new district to keep it from making another trip to the postseason.
“It’s exciting,” Mares said. “I saw some good things during scrimmages, but we still need a lot of work. It’s exciting, starting a new district with new girls. I do have a bit of new girls on the team. It’s definitely interesting to see who’s going to step up and do the job.”
The Lady Chargers finished second to Los Fresnos in 32-6A last season and look to contend for a title after dropping down to 5A in 2016. Brownsville Veterans returns six players from last year’s team, including four starters, but expects players from the freshman teams and junior varsity to contribute.
“(We have a) lot of depth,” Mares said. “I feel that anybody I put in will do the job … the whole program does well. (Junior varsity) won district (last season). That was good. Those girls are used to (my coaching style). I feel like it’s a (easy) transition.”
Junior middle blockers Bridget Himes and Rebecca Cardenas, junior setter Cassie Valdez and senior defensive specialist Paola Villarreal started for Brownsville Veterans last season. Senior outside hitters Victoria Huerta and Lizbeth Aguillon also played on varsity last season.
Pace Lady Vikings
The Pace Lady Vikings head into 2016 riding a wave of momentum after earning a playoff berth for the first time under coach Gavin Rudder.
Rudder, who enters his fourth year as Pace’s coach, thinks this year’s team might be even better.
“I think going into it with the group we’ve got, the experience we’ve got on the floor, we’re just going to get better and better,” Rudder said. “We’re already at a higher point at the beginning of the season than we were towards the end of the season last year.”
The Lady Vikings finished fourth in the District 32-5A standings and lost to Mission Veterans Memorial during the bi-district round of the playoffs.
Senior libero Ebony Casanova, a first-team All-Metro pick in 2015, leads the returning class from last year’s bi-district qualifiers.
Also coming back are senior setter Summer Bohn, senior outside hitter Katie Quezada, senior outside hitter Kaylynn Quezada and sophomore middle blocker Stephanie Saenz.
Porter Cowgirls
Perfection is the motto for the Porter Cowgirls this season, who look to make a playoff run in District 32-5A during coach Ariel Arredondo’s first year in charge.
“I’ve told them, ‘You guys set the bar high last year, and we always come up one game short from playoffs,’” Arredondo said. “I don’t want that to happen to my seniors. They know how important setting that bar and making (the) playoffs is.”
Defensive specialist Alexis Vega, senior middle blocker Melanie Gasca and senior outside hitter Andrea Villanueva are three of Porter’s returning players who Arredondo expects to make an impact this season.
One thing that will help the Cowgirls track down an elusive playoff spot is the cast of multi-talented athletes the team brings this year. Arredondo hopes there’s a trickle-down effect with the success Porter has had in other sports last school year.
“I think what helps is that these girls aren’t just (volleyball players),” Arredondo said. “I never really only played one sport. I played multiple sports. I think when the girls have a big enough break … it allows them to see different games in different aspects, but at the same time you’re always using eye-hand coordination.
“You’re always having to have quick feet and do footwork drills. Some of them you use your hands and some of them you only use your feet. The thing about it, though, is that with (the) group of girls we have had success in softball and soccer.”
Port Isabel Lady Tarpons
The expectation for the Port Isabel Lady Tarpons is to keep the playoff streak alive.
Port Isabel brings back plenty of experience from last year, when the team finished third in District 32-4A and advanced to the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
“I’ve been really excited about this season,” fourth-year coach Julie Breedlove said. “We’re bringing back four or five of our varsity kids from last year. We have a couple of underclassmen that are going to be able to come in and step right in on the court. I’ve been excited about practices so far.”
Senior outside hitter Simone Harry, junior middle blocker Olivia Soliz, junior setter Carolina Guevara, senior defensive specialist Sabrina Garza and sophomore outside hitter Celia Garza have varsity experience and are expected to lead the Lady Tarpons this season.
“I kind of expect the same thing from all of my kids,” Breedlove said. “They’ll come out and work hard. They’re going to work hard to win. Right now they’re doing well as a group. They’re really encouraging each other. That’s something exciting to see, because they’re excited about each other’s success and they’re trying to help each other out.”
Brownsville IDEA Frontier Lady Chargers
Coach Cassie Hinojosa is looking for offensive replacements during her second season coaching the Brownsville IDEA Frontier Lady Chargers.
“Right now, what I’m trying to focus on is offensively getting better, because last year we lost three of our seniors and they were our main offensive players,” Hinojosa said. “I’m trying to focus on offense so we can get where we need to be.”
Where IDEA Frontier wants to be is in the playoffs for the first time in school history, which seems doable after last season. IDEA Frontier won its first-ever district game last year and finished in a three-way tie for a playoff spot with a 3-5 record in District 32-3A.
“That’s a big jump, and it was awesome. We never won a district game, and that was a goal that we met.”
Hinojosa said it’s going to be a rebuilding year for the Lady Chargers after losing the core of their offense, but libero Lizbeth Longoria, defensive specialist Aly Botello, setter Aubrey Valdez and outside hitter Justine Torres return.
Joshua McKinney covers high school sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @joshuabvherald.