The Palo Alto Women’s Volleyball Team started the season rough, but it was able to come through when it counted the most.

After a 5-10 start, the Women’s Volleyball Team pulled together and won the South Texas Club Sports League tournament for the third year in a row. The team played all the ACC colleges, plus Our Lady of the Lake University, Coastal Bend College and Victoria College. The tournament was a two- game elimination tournament. The women lost the first game, but they went on to win their next six games. The six games the lasted a total of nearly 12 hours.

The women’s team consisted of nine players. All of the members of the team had to go through tryouts, and they were expected to attend practice twice a week. The volleyball team was lead by head coach Ruben Calderon. Since this is an extramural activity, students are expected to maintain a G.P.A of at least 2.0.

Annette Naegelin, a freshman Nursing major, was very excited about the accomplishments her team achieved.

“I was really excited that we were able to win the tournament,” Naegelin said.

Naegelin tried out for the team just to stay in shape. However, the best part of this experience for her was getting to know her teammates and making new friends.

Maritza Perez, a freshman Accounting major, also tried out to keep in shape.

“In the beginning, we did not know each other. We had a lot of enthusiasm and believed in ourselves. We proved everyone wrong when we won the tournament,” Perez said.

Perez said the best part of everything was “meeting my teammates and coach. I met people I would never have met.”

Arlene Lopez, a freshman Physical Therapy major, also played for the volleyball team. Lopez said she was an all-around player, who enjoyed being with people, having competition and working as a team.

Kristi Smith, a freshman Education major, is another athlete who played for the Palo Alto women’s volleyball team.

“I enjoyed it and had lots of fun,” said Smith, who played in high school and missed it. She decided to give it a go at Palo Alto. “I learned to play with different people. When I was in high school, I played with the same people.”

All of the players would like to try out for the team next semester. Even though the season did not start off great, the team was able to make a strong push at the end. All of the women enjoyed playing and are happy with the outcome.

Because some of the players transfer to other schools or move on to four-year universities, tryouts are held at the beginning of every semester.

Palo Alto offers a number of intramural and extramural sports and activities for students and faculty. For more information, contact Leandro M. Esparza, Recreational Activities & Sports Coordinator, or (210) 921-5509.