By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
One way to describe the Los Fresnos volleyball team this season would be to say it was a talented collection of MVP-caliber players.
That was the way Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods viewed her Lady Falcons. They went 39-9, won District 32-6A with a 14-0 record and advanced three rounds in the Class 6A playoffs.
“It was a team of MVPs, that’s the way I looked at it,” Woods said.
From that standpoint, it’s no surprise Los Fresnos has dominated selections on The Brownsville Herald’s 2015 All-Metro Volleyball Team.
In addition to Los Fresnos’ Joseline Caraveo, a senior middle blocker who was chosen All-Metro MVP, teammates Sam Ibarra, Miranda Gonzales and Isis Delgado also are among the top All-Metro award recipients. Ibarra is the defensive MVP, Gonzales is the setter of the year and Delgado is the newcomer of the year.
“In my heart, this was truly a special team,” said Woods, who topped the 600-win mark for her coaching career Oct. 17. “I want to thank everyone who considered and selected these girls for the awards they’re receiving.
“I’ve told them many times how proud I am of them,” Woods added. “I’m just glad they were on my team.”
Along with Caraveo, heading the list of top performers for the Lady Falcons was Ibarra, a 6-foot-1 senior middle blocker. As a senior she led the team with 379 kills and 337 blocks.
“It was a great experience just to play with everyone on this team and build the chemistry that we had,” said Ibarra, a three-year member of the varsity and a starter for two seasons. “Working together like we did just taught me the value of great teamwork, what it means to work hard and what it takes to be a great team. It was a fun and exciting season.
“We all had our part to do, and I knew mine was (hitting) at the net along with playing defense and blocking,” Ibarra added. “If I could stop the ball at the net (with a block), it meant that it didn’t have to go to the back row, where they would have to pick it up, so that’s what I tried to do.
“It’s meant so much to me to play at an amazing school and to play for such an amazing coach. She’s taught me well. We were pushed in every practice. It’s meant so much and it’s been a lot of fun.”
The most important stats for Gonzales and Delgado weren’t kills and blocks. Instead, they were found in the assists and digs categories. Gonzales, a 5-9 senior setter, finished with a team-best 572 assists along with 166 digs. Delgado, a 5-4 freshman libero, led the team with 588 digs.
Woods said her freshman libero was “rock solid” the entire season.
“I saw her at our (summer) boot camp, and the more I saw her play the more I liked her,” Woods said of the young freshman. “She started every match for us.”
It’s pretty unusual for a team to have a 13-year-old on the varsity roster let alone in the starting rotation.
“It was my first year being a libero (after playing setter), and since it was my first year (on the high school level), at first I really didn’t think I had a chance (to be on the varsity and start),” Delgado said. “For this being my first year and having people help me and train with me, I think I did an OK job. I just tried to be confident, help the team and keep everyone’s spirits up. (My goal was) to be a good team player.
“Getting an award like this is a dream come true,” Delgado added. “I never imagined I’d get something like this. I feel confident with my team, and an award like this one motivates me for the future.”
Gonzales, a first-time starter and third-year member of the varsity, was kept constantly busy putting up some well-placed sets, mainly for Caraveo, Ibarra and junior outside hitter Jackie Kingsbury (326 kills).
“This team is my family,” Gonzales said. “Even after the season we’re still close, and we still have a bond between us. We developed a love for each other through the sport. That’s really what volleyball does. It brings people together, and for us it brought us together. It’s just been an amazing experience.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.