Trio led Lady Falcons in 2009

From top to bottom, coach to underclassmen, the Los Fresnos volleyball team was in a league all its own in 2009. Going 14-0 in district play sent a message to the rest of District 32-5A that the Lady Falcons will be a force to be reckoned with.

Now they have some awards that go along with the dominance.

Senior Samantha Garcia has been named The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Setter of the Year, sophomore Gloriana Villarreal is the All-Metro Newcomer of the Year and Becky Woods has been named All-Metro Coach of the Year.

Garcia, who registered 894 assists in 2009, was an integral part of the Lady Falcons’ success. Garcia played hard in every facet of the game.

"(Garcia) was a quarterback, a leader," said Woods. "She goes 100 percent in practice, in games and in every sport she plays."

Garcia averaged more than 27 assists per game this past season and had 29 in her final game in a Los Fresnos uniform, firmly placing herself in the conversation of being one of the best setters in the region. It’s something she worked toward the past four years.

"I’ve always strived to be setter of the year, and it was my senior year so I needed to step it up," Garcia said. "It was an awesome year, we hooked on together and it all just came naturally, but as soon as it was over it was hard for me to take in."

Villarreal, who had perhaps the best game of her life during the bi-district playoff game against McAllen Memorial, knows playing well as an underclassman leads to having to step up in a leadership role in the future.

"They’re saying I’m not the baby any more, and I need to step it up," Villarreal said.

Woods has no doubt about her ability to do just that.

"I expect her to be a team captain in the next year or two, and I expect her to lead by example," Woods said. "She loves the game, and I’m excited to get her for another two years."

Villarreal had 13 kills, eight digs and two aces in the playoff loss to McAllen Rowe, in addition to the 21 kills against Memorial in bi-district.

The voice behind the action on the court is that of Woods, who faced a bit of adversity when junior middle blocker Ashley Benavides went down with an injury early in the season.

"Losing (Benavides) early on was a setback for us, but we had enough players to rally around it," Woods said. "They all stepped up to the plate and played really well."

The undefeated district season, while impressive, isn’t something Woods counted on when the season started. However, as she saw her players work together, the goal was set within the squad.

"We ended up setting it as a goal, I knew it could happen after we went through the first round of district undefeated," Woods said. "We all knew we could do it."

While the success of the Lady Falcons was remarkable, Woods looks back at the 2-3 playoff loss against Rowe as a match they could have won.

"It was a heartbreaker," Woods said. "Any team, at any place, on any court can win. I feel like we were a really good road team, so playing away didn’t bother us."

Wins came in droves for the Los Fresnos coach, but she knows that’s not what coaching is all about. The qualities she tries to instill in each player is what being a coach is really all about.

"It’s about building character in these kids," Woods said. "You’ve got to teach them how to win and how to lose with grace."