The Monitor’s All-Area superlatives and teams are selected by Monitor staff writers with input from coaches and other volleyball officials.
The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area teams and superlative winners:
Kenisha Martinez, Sharyland High, Player of the Year
Gabby Estringel, McAllen High, Newcomer of the Year
Amare Hernandez, McAllen Memorial, Hitter of the Year
Mia Mata, McAllen Rowe, Utility Player of the Year
Kassandra De La Garza, Sharyland High, Setter of the Year
Jacky Niño, Mission Veterans, Libero of the Year
Raul Castillo, Sharyland High, Coach of the Year
Anilu Guerrero, Hidalgo, Sub 5A Player of the Year
All-Area First Team
Leah Garcia, McAllen Memorial; Kassandra Falcon, McAllen Memorial; America Hernandez, Sharyland High; Mia Dominguez, Edinburg High; Etsel Ramirez, Edinburg North; Mariana Treviño, Sharyland Pioneer, Sidni Alvarez, Edinburg Economedes, Fey Vasquez, Edinburg Vela, Katherine Williamson, McAllen High; Serenity Lopez, PSJA High
All-Area Second Team
Leah McClenny, McAllen High; Madison Amaya, McAllen Memorial; Nicole Cavazos, Sharyland High; Elaiza Martinez, Roma; Emily Carranco, Edinburg High; Josselyn Mendez, Hidalgo; Victoria Gonzalez, PSJA High; Alisa Ramirez, McAllen Rowe; Alicia Zieglar, McAllen Memorial; Samantha Villalobos, Edinburg Vela
Amare Hernandez
McAllen Memorial, Jr.
Hitter of the Year
There were times during the season when junior hitter Amare Hernandez jumped that it looked like for a quick second she had reached her peak.
But she kept going. When she finally made contact, the sound was almost patented. Thunder struck and everyone knew it.
The junior outside hitter helped lead McAllen Memorial to a 39-10 record and a Sweet 16 appearance. Her dominance – among a team of big hitters – and ability to strike fear into defenses has earned her The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Volleyball Hitter of the Year award.
Hernandez said training with RGV Venom coach Todd Lowery made a huge difference not just in her game, but, maybe more importantly, to her game approach.
“He changed my whole perspective and I become a smarter player and seeing things from a leader standpoint,” said Hernandez, who led the Mustangs with 3.9 kills per set. “How you are on the bench and on the court he would tell me. I said to myself, ‘OK, I’m not a little girl anymore. I have two more year and then, hopefully, off to college.’”
Hernandez said it was a “crazy season of ups and down,” but that early on they all looked at a poster that shows how previous teams had performed … dotted with Sweet 16 appearances.
“We thought this was a team where we could continue to get back there. The last time was 2019,” Hernandez said. “We would talk every week and that was important – not just be good on the court but to be connected and trust each other. There are six on the court and six more on the bench so it’s important to trust each other.”
Mia Mata
McAllen Rowe, Sr.
Utility Player of the Year
When high school coaches gave their 2022 preseason assessments, one comment came from nearly every coach: “As long as Mia Mata is there, Rowe will be a threat.”
Mata was a do-everything player with a fierce competitive nature for the Warriors. Twenty years ago, a utility player was someone who did multiple jobs at an OK level. Mata did every job on the volleyball court at an elite level. Because of that, she has been named The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Volleyball Utility Player of the Year.
“A lot of games depended on how I played so I felt a lot of pressure at times,” said Mata, who averaged 4.6 kills per set for the 27-15 Warriors, who captured fourth place in district for a playoff berth. “At the end of the year I was proud of the team that we became to make the playoffs, especially being less experienced that the rest of the district.”
Mata also led the team in digs and oftentimes could be seen sacrificing limbs to attempt a save. While she was the clear go-to on offense, she also followed head coach Magda Canales’ constant preaching the importance of defense.
“Without defense we don’t have an offense,” said Mata, who brings the same tenaciousness on the soccer field, being moved around like a pawn to wherever her team needs her, including in goal during PKs.
Mata added that maybe the biggest change this year for her was learning patience, not letting one bad point turn into multiple points.
“Messing up would take a toll on me; one point was important,” Mata said. “I had to learn to let go of my mistakes. It made it easier for me. Getting over the mentally helped me as a person in general.
Jacky Niño
Mission Veterans, Sr.
Libero of the Year
Jacky Niño was born to be a libero. But, she was much more than that for the Patriots during the 2022 season.
“It’s a position I’ve wanted to stick with since I first played,” Niño said. “I’ve been playing it a while, since on my 13U team.”
She led the 33-6 Patriots (16-0 in district) with nearly six digs and one ace per set. However, it wouldn’t be unusual to see her play as a setter or an outside hitter and blocker. But her greatest strength was her ability to seemingly always be in the right place for a dig to start the Patriots’ potent offense. For that, she has been named The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Volleyball Libero of the Year.
Just like she knew at a young age that she wanted to be a libero, she also knew since she was in eighth grade when she met a Prairie View A&M volleyball coach during a showcase that she wanted to be part of the Panthers volleyball team.
Last month she signed her letter of intent to continue her volleyball career, and pursue a kinesiology degree at Prairie View A&M.
That ability to know and plan for what she wants has only helped her in school and on the court, making split-second decision to kick start the offense.
“We all had the mindset of wanting to go far in the playoffs and we had so much potential,” Niño said. “It was a fun season and I grew a lot as a teammate and as a person in general.”
Gabby Estringel, Fr.
McAllen High
Newcomer of the Year
There’s a mutual respect between McHi’s Gabby Estringel and McAllen Memorial’s Amare Hernandez.
“She is just so good,” Estringel said. “I really look up to her and the way she plays.”
Likewise, Hernandez voiced her encouraging words about the McHi freshman.
“I can’t believe how good she is as a freshman,” Hernandez said early in the season. “We weren’t that good as freshmen.”
It’s only ironic that Estringel had maybe her best match of the season in a powerfully dominant performance and five-set upset of McAllen Memorial during the second time through district play.
“That was the best game ever,” the left-hander right side hitter said. “It really boosted my confidence.”
For her high performance on one of the most successful programs in the Rio Grande Valley, Estringel has been named The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Volleyball Newcomer of the Year.
“What she brings on the court is just a product of who she is and what she brings off the court,” McAllen High head coach Michael Smith said. “She will do whatever she has to do to help her team win.”
As testament to that, Estringel moved from middle hitter – where she played since she began her volleyball career – to right side.
“She never really played there but just moved over there and you could see her come alive as the season progressed,” Smith said. “She’s an awesome person and so very well grounded with a team-first attitude. I couldn’t be any more proud of her.”
“I’m very excited for next year,” said Estringel, who finished second on the team with 313 kills. “It’s only going to get better from here.”
Kassandra De La Garza, Soph.
Sharyland High
Setter of the Year
The more hectic things became on the volleyball court this past season, the more calm and collected was Sharyland High setter Kassandra De La Garza.
The team’s setter easily transitioned to whatever offense head coach Raul Castillo wanted, and that offense was tweaked often, especially during the early part of the season. Her soft touch, versatility and ability to make lightning-quick decisions helped lead the Rattlers to the District 31-5A championship, a 44-5 record and a trip to the Sweet 16.
For her performance this past season, De La Garza has been named The Monitor’s 2022 All-Are Volleyball Setter of the Year.
Learning that offense, however, didn’t just begin during the school year. De La Garza was tasked with being standout hitter Kenisha Martinez’s setter and required plenty of work between the two sophomores.
“I needed them to work with each other, figure each other out,” Castillo said. “We also wanted Kassandra to attack the ball, even when she’s not hitting.”
De La Garza performed admirably. She finished the season with 926 assists, 159 kills (third on the team from an offense that ran a 5-1 primarily) and 272 digs. She also tallied 37 total blocks, 78 aces and a 95.3% serving success rate.
“Her serves were amazing,” Martinez said of her teammate. “She would always get us points from there.”
De La Garza also had a 98.4% ball-handling success rate, meaning that whenever the ball reached her, they were in great hands.
Raul Castillo
Sharyland High
Coach of the Year
It’s been hard to wipe the smile off Raul Castillo’s face since the 2022 season ended.
Not only did he guide the Sharyland Rattlers to a whopping 44-5 record, but he also brought home an elusive district title, other tournament championships and a trip to the Sweet 16. Those accomplishments have earned him The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Coach of the Year.
To top it off, two of the key pieces to the Rattlers’ dominant season – setter of the year Kassandra De La Garza and player of the year Kenisha Martinez – return next year, as juniors.
“Big smile on my face,” the ninth-year head coach said. “It was a great year. We put in so much work after not making the playoffs last year. We revamped everything this year and the girls competed at a high level.
“But taking home the (District 31-5A) title was definitely not a walk in the park.”
Castillo said one of the biggest changes was a mindset.
“We had to see that yeah, we’re good but just because we’re good, that doesn’t mean everyone else is not good,” he said. “We were playing good teams. We were good – so were they. We worked hard, so did they.
“I told the girls that we’re an outsider. The McAllen schools always expect to win district. They don’t just let anyone in.”
The offense changed, the defense changed and, maybe most important, the coaching approach changed.
“Sometimes we over coach and it doesn’t always go our way,” Castillo said. “This year we made it simple – accomplish the easy, then go from there. Sometimes we went faster, sometimes we needed to slow it down.
“It came down to the girls trusting me. And they did, whatever we asked of them. That’s what made this year so special.”
The Monitor’s All-Area Awards are chosen by the sports staff of The Monitor, with input from coaches and other volleyball officials.