By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
Sabrina Garcia is in her final season as a member of the Porter Cowgirls volleyball team.
Her coach and teammates have watched the natural athlete grow since she started playing at the varsity level during her freshman year.
This is truly Garcia’s sixth season playing competitive volleyball, if you include the two years she played while attending Cummings Middle School.
For years, volleyball has been an auxiliary game for Garcia. She plays softball for Porter as well, and it’s a sport she sees herself playing at the next level when she attends Texas A&M Kingsville next year.
Porter coach Laura Fortner noticed Garcia has taken a different approach toward volleyball this season, though.
“I see more of that fire in her this year,” she said. “Last year, it felt like volleyball was just her ‘secondary sport’. This year, she’s got a completely different attitude. She wants to win, she wants to be successful.”
For three years, Garcia was a middle blocker, but Fortner anticipated a shift in positioning could facilitate her impact and attitude.
“(Fortner) switched me to outside hitter because she said I was more consistent and that it fit me well,” Garcia said.
Fortner acknowledged the reasons, and she’s witnessed the transition’s success.
“She enjoys playing outside hitter much more,” she said. “At first she questioned the move, but now she doesn’t want to go back. She’s so confident, and she knows she’s the go-to person, no matter where she is on the court.”
In fact, the move has been so successful, Fortner noticed a trend in the games the Cowgirls have lost.
“Of the games we lost, it was clear when we watched the film, teams were keeping the ball away from (Garcia) on serve-receive,” she said.
The change in positions gave Garcia a fresh look for the 2014 season, and Fortner thinks, based on what she’s seen, that Garcia could play as a defensive specialist at the university level even if she does have her sights set on softball at the moment.
“She’s a really good defender, a really good passer,” Fortner said. “She could be a libero in college. I’ve told her that several times.”
For now, Garcia is focused on leaving her mark on Porter volleyball. The Cowgirls haven’t been to the playoffs in years, and she wants, more than anything, to lead her team there during her final season.
“My goal this year is to get to the playoffs,” she said. “I don’t even remember the last time (Porter has made the playoffs). It’s been so long.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.