It was during the holidays, at their grandfather’s home, and Bryshanna Brown and Jaci Mesa were at it again. They were in their “own world,” becoming somewhat of an annoyance at a family gathering with their laughter and arguments, and their exuberance was interfering with the adults’ ability to hold conversations.

The cousins were jettisoned to the backyard, a volleyball as a prized distraction, and essentially told to be as loud as they wanted to be for as long as they wanted.

“I just feel like our imaginations and energy was too much for them to want to deal with and they knew we could entertain ourselves, so they just told us to go outside and leave them alone,” Mesa said. “And so we did.”

A moment a decade ago that was meant to be a form of “punishment” instead laid a foundation that turned Brown, a senior at O’Connor, and Mesa, a junior at Smithson Valley, into standout liberos on teams that this season captured undefeated district championships and carry huge expectations into the upcoming UIL volleyball playoffs.

O’Connor (19-0) faces Laredo Nixon in a Class 6A bidistrict match at 7 p.m. Thursday at Alice. Smithson Valley (17-2) takes on Madison (13-4) at 7 p.m. Friday at New Braunfels Canyon.

“We’re expecting deep, deep playoff runs for our teams,” Brown said.
Mesa and Brown are instrumental in not only their squads’ success this season, but in their aspirations for a run to the state tournament in December at the Culwell Center in Garland.

A University of Houston signee, Brown has 473 digs — an average of 24.9 per match and 8.3 per set — and has had 20 digs in a contest on 15 occasions. She twice has had 30 digs and tallied a season-best 41 digs vs. Stevens on Oct. 6. Brown, a member of O’Connor’s 2017 and 2018 state semifinalist squads as an outside hitter, moved to libero this season and has bolstered a defense that has traditionally been the team’s strong suit. The Panthers won their first district title since 2017 (shared with Clark) and first unblemished league crown since 2014.

“She’s just been killing it,” Mesa said. “Watching her, how great she is, just fuels me to be like her because she’s one of my role models. That girl picks up, like, every ball. It’s something different to have that close of a family member that plays that position because it keeps you on your toes.”

Mesa has also been up to task, netting 340 digs — 5.1 per set, 17.9 per contest and almost as many as she registered all of last season — including nine times recording 20 digs in a match. Mesa has roughly a third of Smithson Valley’s total digs, lifting the Rangers to their first undefeated district championship since 1985 and their first overall title since 2003.

“I think it’s just crazy just how far we have come,” Brown said.

Yet, it’s not so farfetched of a notion when considering the duo’s work ethic. This summer, when the sports world had all but halted because of global coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty abound — the UIL canceled its baseball, softball, track, soccer, tennis and golf seasons, and ended the boys basketball state tournament after only four games — Brown and Mesa arrived at a gymnasium twice a week to work out.

“Going to the gym was something for us to do because we weren’t playing club,” Brown said. “I think it was meaningful because even though we didn’t know we were going to have a season or not, we still wanted to get better each day.”

The desire to improve was born from last year’s failures. In 2019, Smithson Valley missed the postseason for the first time since 2004, losing two of its final three district matches, and finishing out of the final spot by one game.
The Rangers started this season 1-2, sandwiching losses to Dripping Springs and Austin Westlake around a win vs. Boerne Champion, before earning back-to-back five-set decisions against Round Rock Westwood and New Braunfels Canyon to launch a 16-match winning streak.

“I think the win vs. Canyon was a huge, ‘Wow, we can actually do it,'” Mesa said. “We came back from eight-point deficits, and that proved that as long as we’re positive, it doesn’t matter what the score is. Coming into this year, we had a new team chemistry, and I feel like it was so much more than last year. I think it’s why we’re doing so well, and why we’re performing really well day-in and day-out.”

O’Connor’s shortcoming came during the second round of the playoffs. The Panthers lost to Austin Lake Travis in five sets, squandering a 2-0 lead, and had a bid for a third straight regional championship was snapped.

“I think the kids that were on the team last year, they remember that and how that felt, and I think that’s going to be something that’s going to help us if we’re in that situation again,” O’Connor coach Yami Garcia said. “It’s been an amazing experience this year with this team. I’m super, super excited about this postseason.”

The same could be said for Smithson Valley, making what the Rangers and O’Connor have accomplished a family affair of sorts. That’s something Garcia can relate to. Her mother, Ninfa, was volleyball coach at Harlandale. Her sister, Denise Cardenas, was volleyball coach at Edison and guided the Bears to the regional tournament in 2010. Her niece, Sarah Cardenas Morris, played on O’Connor’s 2009 regional finalist club and is now an assistant coach at Brandeis.

“I come from a line of coaches and educators — that’s why I chose to do what I do, because I saw the impact that mom had on some many people, and my dad as well,” Garcia said. “It gave me a lot of confidence and motivation in this career.”

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1