GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — When Ellie Kittleman was in the process of transferring from McAllen Memorial to Juan Diego Academy, her friends told her to expect a totally different volleyball environment.
A TAPPS 1A school with 132 students couldn’t possibly be as competitive as McAllen Memorial, a traditional playoff power with an enrollment of 2399. Practices wouldn’t be as difficult, and people wouldn’t be as passionate about the sport, right?
“I got here, and on the first day of tryouts, I threw up,” Kittleman said. “Just because we’re a small school, people think we don’t work as hard, or we don’t train as hard. But that’s not the case at all. We train just as hard, if not harder. And we work every day to prove that we are just as good.”
Juan Diego Academy may not be as strong as a McAllen Memorial, but the Lady Lions have steamrolled plenty of 5A and 6A schools during the non-district season. The team is 35-3 overall heading into its biggest hurdle yet: a matchup with Bellville Faith Academy in the TAPPS 1A state semifinals at 2 p.m. Thursday in San Antonio.
With a win, Juan Diego Academy would advance to Saturday’s state final and have a chance to claim the program’s first championship after falling two wins shy last season.
“At Memorial, we didn’t have that,” said senior Jasmine Long, who also came to JDA as a transfer two years ago. “We always lost in Round 1 or Round 2, because it was very competitive. I know we’re a 1A school, but it’s still a state title, period.”
The two Memorial transfers have been perhaps the program’s biggest difference makers.
Before entering the massive student body at Memorial, Kittleman had gone to smaller elementary and middle schools. She transferred to Juan Diego Academy before this year to get back to the more intimate setting.
She said the switch was at first a shock, but that the sense of community at JDA made her feel welcome quickly. Even with just 132 students, Lady Lions fans pack the stands. On Thursday, students will be permitted to leave early to drive up to San Antonio and support the team.
Their presence means a lot to Kittleman, who said her biggest growth as a player has been developing confidence.
“There’s a really big difference from my sophomore year to how I’m playing now,” Kittleman, a junior, said. “A lot of it has to do with my coach, and the school environment, and all the support we get.”
Coach Vic Garza said Kittleman has been by far the team’s best and most powerful hitter, and that Long has been JDA’s best all-around player — a “volleyball junkie” who understands the ins and outs of every position.
Like Kittleman, Long had grown up attending smaller schools. But after spending two years at McAllen Memorial, Long was unsure how well she’d adjust to the new environment, especially athletically.
“When I came here, I didn’t want to,” Long said. “It’s a 1A school. Who wants to play for a 1A school? But when I came, coach Garza helped me realize that just because it’s a 1A school, we’re not going to bring you down. You’re still going to be challenged athletically. That’s something that got me going.”
She found that the competition was still tough. JDA regularly faced 5A or 6A schools from Laredo and La Joya before cruising through the District 6-1A schedule undefeated.
Long also found that Garza and his three assistant coaches put a greater emphasis on teaching and developing individual skills.
“Here at JDA, there’s more of a learning atmosphere,” Long said. “You have a question, you ask. You don’t just scrimmage. We run drills to help everyone get better.”
Garza, primarily a basketball coach, has left much of that technical training to his three assistants, who have varying levels of club or high school volleyball coaching experience. As the program has found some success, Garza and his staff have made efforts to sustain it, and to keep moving forward.
“This year, when we knew we were coming back and we were going to be good, we really stressed development with the coaches,” Garza said. “We went to clinics, and we watched some videos, and we tried to pick it up from our perspective, to provide a better service for our kids.”
In last year’s state final four, Garza said the lights got a little too bright for JDA, resulting in a loss to San Antonio Gateway. The Lady Lions avenged that loss in this year’s area round, topping Gateway in four games.
Now, a school that started five years ago with a group of 17 freshmen is just two wins away from a state title.
“We’re building this community of volleyball, and we’re just growing so much,” senior Maddie Ayala said. “It feels really good. When us seniors leave, I feel like we’re leaving a good foundation, and we’re leaving a mark on the school.”