NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Inside Domingo P. Sepulveda gymnasium on the campus of Weslaco High School, the intensity is high and the Panthers volleyball team is hard at work with only a few games left in the regular season.
Mid-October is relatively late for Weslaco to be involved in meaningful matches. During the previous four years as the season reached its latter stages the Panthers tended to fade away, or had already been eliminated from playoff contention by then.
In the past, multi-sport athletes might have started to dust off their basketball shoes or cleats to prepare for their main sport.
In 2018 however, in the team’s second year under coach Axle Valle and in its first season in District 31-6A, things are looking up.
“Coming into this year we really had high expectations, we wanted to be district (champs), go to playoffs,” Illiyah Cantu said. “We wanted to do things like change it up. With that we worked hard, we were determined to go to playoffs, compared to last year we really didn’t have that mentality.”
Valle, who came from former district rival San Benito, knew about some of the athletic prowess at Weslaco. She made sure to let her team know that volleyball shouldn’t be the exception.
“I’m not too sure if it’s something they even though about,” Valle said. “Maybe they were just kind of settled. I think the thought process before was ‘Oh if we lose in volleyball, we’re going to make it up. We’re going to get them in basketball or softball.’ As soon as I got in here, I let them know right away. ‘There’s no reason why we can’t be as successful as basketball or softball.’ They work so hard; they have great hearts.”
Cantu is a senior on the team and wasn’t ready to be a part of a class that never saw the postseason. She’s been a part of basketball playoff teams, this would be her first trip past the volleyball regular season.
“The last playoff experience was 2014, it was our seniors eighth-grade year,” Cantu said. “We really wanted a change for volleyball. We wanted to make a name to it. All the other sports are so successful with playoffs, we’re well known. Volleyball is something where it wasn’t. It was like ‘Oh, it’s Weslaco, it’s okay.’ We wanted to change that. We wanted to make a name for the volleyball program.”
Audrey Escamilla, who stars on the softball diamond, knows a thing or two about a strong unit at Weslaco. She was a part of the 2016 softball team that reached the state semifinals. She’s also been a part of the volleyball team since her freshman year. She feels the difference.
“The chemistry, that’s what makes a good team, in any sport, not just volleyball,” Escamilla said. “I’ve been on this team since my freshman year and we’ve never had the chemistry we have this year, we’re super close. I think that carries on to the court and you can tell we just flow really nice with each other.”
A big factor in Weslaco’s rise that saw the team go from 1-13 a year ago in 32-6A to their current 7-2 record in 31-6A is on the bench. Valle was hired close to the season in 2017 but with a full offseason leading into this year, the improvement was tangible.
“Last year, we took a lot of time really just trying to get to know her and we were kind of iffy about the new things that were implemented,” Escamilla said. “Last year, we didn’t get to work in the summer because she wasn’t hired yet. This year we had all summer to implement what she
taught us the first year. Going into this year we already had chemistry with her, we already had trust in her so we didn’t need to take time building that up.”
Heading into action today the Panthers are tied with the Edinburg Vela Saber-Cats at 7-2, with Vela holding the 2-0 head-to-head advantage. They have a date with fourth place Edinburg High (6-3) tonight and meeting with third place Edinburg North (7-3) to end the regular season. Sandwiched between those contests is a match against cross-town rivals Weslaco East.
Escamilla is another senior but the team also gets contributions from other classes. Daniella Garza, who handles hitting duties and Kimmi Espinoza, who is the team’s libero, are sophomores.
Escamilla played outside hitter in the past but now she’s been slotted to the back row. That unselfishness is key to athletic players finding their best spot for the team’s short- and long-term success.
“We have a lot of utility players,” Cantu said. “Some that can play all around. Kyleen (Black) our setter plays all around. We have a really good defense and good offense. Most of the girls on offense can really progress into defense.”
Senior setter Adamari Ochoa, who plays volleyball exclusively, says her teammates who have seen playoffs in other sports will be important down the stretch.
“We have several players, like basketball players and softball players that have gone all the way to state,” Ochoa, a senior setter, said. “What they have that has helped us is the leadership. They know how intense it will become once we do go ahead and make playoffs.”