By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
By now, Rivera volleyball coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra knows the routine quite well.
On Monday, for the 23rd time in her coaching career, Avelar-Guerra directed the Lady Raiders through the opening day of practice.
It was a time of conditioning and agility drills for the approximately 50 girls who turned out for the first-day workouts that featured morning and afternoon sessions. Most, if not all, volleyball teams throughout the Rio Grande Valley are following the same type of practice schedule this week. Teams will have scrimmage matches Friday and Saturday before playing their regular-season openers early next week.
“It’s exciting to be starting again,” Avelar-Guerra said.
“The girls worked out very hard and pushed themselves,” the veteran coach added when asked about her team’s first practice. “They looked capable out there.”
Avelar-Guerra said over time she has added a thing or two to her workouts and her approach to starting the season, while saying it’s still mostly the same as earlier years.
Two of Avelar-Guerra’s former players are now coaches in Brownsville. They are Lisa (Salazar) Mares at Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Jackie Touchet at Lopez. Two seasons ago, Lopez, Rivera and Brownsville Veterans all qualified for the playoffs with those coaches.
After advancing to the regional tournament in 2013, the Lady Raiders slipped to seventh place in District 32-6A last season, mainly due to some injuries to their top players. There are five starters plus four other lettermen returning to help Rivera bounce back this season.
The 2015 Lady Raiders will get their first taste of outside competition at a scrimmage Friday in Donna and then will hold their annual alumni match at noon Saturday at the Rivera gym.
There will be quite a lineup of former standout Rivera players on hand to play in the alumni match, including Crystal Perez, Laura Ochoa, Anayeli Trevino and Keila Rodriguez. The alumni squad is scheduled to be coached by Cindy Sierra, a former multi-sport standout for the Lady Raiders.
“It would be nice to have them all at the same time (playing for Rivera),” Avelar-Guerra said of the alumni squad. “It’ll be fun and it’ll be competitive (Saturday). I’m looking forward to it. I get to see my girls and find out how they’re doing.”
All Metro-area volleyball teams began practicing Monday, and one of them, Pace, held a “Midnight Madness” workout that started at 12:01 a.m.
Forty Lady Vikings were on hand for “Midnight Madness” with signs greeting them to the start of a new season.
“I was impressed with how the girls came out to work hard,” third-year coach Gavin Rudder said. “The air conditioning wasn’t on, but they pushed through and made it happen.”
There was enthusiasm for the start of another volleyball season at other Metro-area campuses Monday as well, including at Hanna, where Ansgar Hagemann is beginning his sixth year as coach.
Sixty-five girls turned out for workouts at Hanna.
“Everybody was ready to go,” Hagemann said. “They all had their paperwork completed. It all went very smooth (for the first day of practice). We’re excited for a new season.”
Third-year coach Laura Fortner welcomed 40 girls to the first practice of the season at Porter.
“I’m proud of the girls,” Fortner said. “They definitely showed a lot of hustle, especially the younger players. Seeing their hunger for the game is great.”
There were 53 girls who came out for the first day of workouts at Port Isabel under third-year coach Julie Breedlove.
“Our kids came in real positive and with lots of enthusiasm,” Breedlove said. “They’re ready to learn and they’re ready to work hard.”
There was no shortage of players Monday at Los Fresnos as veteran Lady Falcons coach Becky Woods said 79 girls went through workouts while another 15 to 25 were held out because their paperwork was not complete. Woods expects her program to reach a triple-digit number of athletes participating by the end of the week.
“I was impressed with the girls’ attitude,” said Woods when asked to evaluate how the first day went. “They showed they’re really ready and willing to get started. The majority of them are in pretty good condition for the most part. We’re excited for the start of another season.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.