The Antonian volleyball team has seen iterations of itself during Coach Samantha McLure’s nearly two decades at the helm.

In some years, the Apaches have relied on their experience. In other seasons, they were young but talented. During other campaigns, they overcome a lack of height to find success.

But a lack of confidence or willingness to embrace state-or-bust expectations has never been an issue. Especially this season.

Despite graduating nine seniors, including four who are playing at the NCAA Division I level — Kalina Calvillo (Troy), Gabby Reeves (Northeastern), Bella Rodriguez (Bucknell) and Mia Silva (SMU) — the Apaches are headed back to the TAPPS 6A state tournament.

Antonian (34-15) faces former district opponent Tomball Concordia Lutheran in the state semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday at Waco University High School.

“They never knew that they weren’t supposed to be good,” McLure said. “It’s a brand-new team. We lost so many seniors last year that they were kind of the underdogs all year, to where everybody was thinking that we weren’t going to do anything. They just fight. You can see it in practice, they go after everything.”

A year ago, Antonian advanced to the state final before falling to Plano Prestonwood. With only four seniors, the 2024 season appeared as if it might be a rebuilding project. With non-district and tournament schedules that featured matches vs. the likes of Liberty Hill, Royse City, New Braunfels, Friendswood, Georgetown, Davenport, Clark, La Vernia, Reagan, O’Connor, Pflugerville Weiss and New Braunfels Canyon, the Apaches more than held their own. Liberty Hill, Royse City, New Braunfels, Friendswood and Georgetown all advanced to a regional final.

“Once tournament season was over, that’s when the switch hit,” Antonian junior outside hitter Olivia Hernandez said. “We started playing more as a team, we kept winning games, and we just kept going up from there. It helped me to just see the role I was going to have to take on this year. It was just wanting to keep that legacy that we have. We did a really good job this year not thinking so much about last year and focusing on our goals this year.”

The path to this moment began weeks after last season ended, spanning through the offseason over the winter and spring and five days a week during open gym over the summer.

“You saw the same faces coming in every day,” Antonian senior setter Danielle Seabern said. “I think knowing and understanding the kind of environment they had to be in and contribute in, was really good for them and they’ve done a great job.”

Freshman Abby Ibarra was one of the key benefactors of the summer workouts. She is third on the team in kills and has developed into a trusted offensive option.

“Never did my little self think I was going to be playing varsity as a freshman,” Ibarra said after the Apaches’ match vs. rival Incarnate Word on Oct. 15. “The nerves were definitely high, but I used that as fire and give to my team, and try to produce for my team, and do everything that I could.”

Antonian has thrived on an all-hands-on-deck approach. Faith Overby is the team’s leader in kills, Lucy Rote and Maci Cantu have contributed with their attacking and blocking, and Anna Arceneaux headlines the squad’s back-row defense along with Emily LaHood and Ivy Waclawczyk. Sydney Bryant, a transfer from Virginia, teams with Seabern to provide a 1-2 punch at setter.

“There was never a doubt in our minds that we couldn’t make it here,” Overby said. “There were probably a lot of non-believers in us, but we proved them all wrong. We’re going to state and we’re going to do our best, obviously, because we want to win.”

In the end, though, the team itself perhaps was the one needing the most convincing. Not so much that it could be successful, but that it could strive while playing in the shadow of last year’s team.

“It took these girls to understand I’m not looking for another Kalina, I’m looking for a Faith,” McLure said. “What can Faith do? What can Faith bring to the team? Once they figured out that it was more about them just being them, then they were able to (be successful). They had to kind of figure out their own style, and they took their bumps and bruises, especially at the beginning, but they learned what was best for the team.”

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1