The beauty of winning 500 career volleyball matches for Rivera’s Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra is the fact that life as a coach goes on.
Her milestone victory came at home Friday night before an enthusiastic crowd as the Lady Raiders defeated Edinburg High 25-17, 25-12, 25-12 in non-district action.
Avelar-Guerra, now in her 25th season of guiding the Lady Raiders, says she still has a lot of coaching left in her, particularly with District 32-6A competition beginning next Saturday. She has no intention of slowing down any time soon.
With assistant coach and husband Richard Guerra at her side, along with a number of former players, the remainder of her coaching staff and a host of supportive parents, Friday night was something “Coach Ave” will always remember.
“The timing was perfect,” she said. “Of course, I was nervous. There was some pressure with so many people there. I was hoping it would all work out, and it did. I think the girls felt some pressure also and weren’t too talkative to start out, but they were playing fairly well. Then they really got into the match and we went ahead (by taking Game 1). I’m happy. The girls played very well.
“It’s meaningful to me that all 500 wins have come here at Rivera,” added Avelar-Guerra, who will go for career coaching victory No. 501 in a non-district match Tuesday at Mercedes. “I remember when (former Pace coach) Paula Gonzalez won her 500th some time ago and I was wondering if I would ever get there. It seemed so far away back then.”
Litzy Medina and Stephanie Garza, both senior team captains on Rivera’s current squad, said it’s an honor to be on the team that helped “Coach Ave” reach 500.
“I’m just very happy that we were able to work together as a team and give her that 500th win,” said Medina, an outside hitter. “We have been entering our matches with confidence and the assurance that we could do well. This (500th win) gives us more momentum for district. I’m just super proud of ‘Coach Ave.’ She’s obviously the best coach.”
Added Garza, an outside hitter/all-around player, “‘Coach Ave’ has done a lot for us, so we knew we had to get this done for her. It was our way of saying thank you.”
During Avelar-Guerra’s 25-year head coaching tenure at Rivera, the Lady Raiders have gone to the playoffs 17 times, including eight seasons as district champions. The Lady Raiders have won 11 area championships in the playoffs and have reached the regional tournament six times. The last time to make it that far was 2013.
“Coach Ave” estimates that 10-12 of her former players have gone into her profession, including head coaches Jacquelynn Touchet at Lopez and Lisa Saldivar Mares at Brownsville Veterans Memorial.
Last season, the Lady Raiders advanced to the postseason from 32-6A, while the Lady Lobos and Lady Chargers qualified from District 32-5A.
“I could write a book about how I feel about ‘Coach Ave,’” said Touchet, who played for the Lady Raiders from 2003-07 before playing at UT-Brownsville/TSC. “I’m so proud of her and the program at Rivera that I’ve come from. She’s an amazing coach and I’ve learned so much from her. I feel that most of my knowledge (as a coach) comes from what I learned in her program.
“As a coach myself now, I have even more respect for her and what she has done,” Touchet added. “She has put together a strong program that is built on pride, tradition, hard work and commitment. She demands the most from everyone in her program, including the (assistant) coaches. She’s definitely someone I look up to and aspire to be like.”
Mares is equally appreciative of the influence “Coach Ave” has had on her coaching career. Mares, playing under her maiden name of Saldivar, was a standout for the Lady Raiders from 1996-99 and also played in college.
“I’m so excited and happy for her,” Mares said. “She has been a great role model, coach, mentor, friend and colleague. ‘Coach Ave’ was the reason I got into coaching, and hopefully I can get to the 500 mark someday, too.
“She is a competitor who never stops learning and is always willing to give a helping hand to others,” Mares added. “It’s evident with her victories thus far.”
Avelar-Guerra said her success is due in great part to her coaching staff, which includes her husband, Shirley Zuniga, Cinthia Sierra and Thomas Brashear. She also credits all the players she has had both past and present.
“I strive to teach my girls that they can reach their goals even though those goals sometimes look like they’re unattainable,” the veteran coach said. “You just have to work hard, never give up and never think that an opponent is so much better than you are. All I ask is that my players do the best they can.
“It’s just like that in life,” she added. “You’ve got to do the best you can, go all out and give it everything you’ve got. Yes, you make mistakes, but you continue working hard. If you hold back, you’ll never know how good you can be.”