Volleyball Welcomes 135 Kids to Youth Clinics in Brownsville

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team completed its final youth clinic of the spring by welcoming 60 participants to Brownsville Hanna High School Saturday.

The Vaqueros welcomed 135 kids total as they hosted two youth clinics in Cameron County, the first held in March at Brownsville Pace High School. UTRGV also hosted a spring match at Pace, showing its commitment to engaging with supporters across the Rio Grande Valley.

“It has been wonderful to be able to get out to the lower Valley and engage with such a welcoming group of girls and parents,” head volleyball coach Todd Lowery said. “We truly enjoyed all the events and special thanks to coach Daya Venegas at Pace and Coach Ansgar Hagemann at Hanna for giving us a place to host. We look forward to future events to help us #RallyTheValley.”

Saturday’s clinic saw the attendees rotate across three courts, where they focused on serving, hitting, setting and defense. The young girls received plenty of one-on-one attention as the Vaqueros volleyball players moved through the groups, adjusting hands and arms and demonstrating proper technique.

Before moving on to the next court, the Vaqueros would gather their groups and ask them questions about what they learned to hammer home some of the lessons. When the clinic reached its end, Lowery gathered all the young girls and asked them to share what they learned.

The attendees eagerly raised and waved their hands, excited to recount the tips about how to contact a ball, what to do with their feet and beyond. They also got to ask the team questions, some silly and some serious. The Vaqueros spent time taking pictures with each attendee and chatting with them and their parents, offering advice or feedback on what they saw from the young athlete.

The energy was high on all three courts and the girls of all ages and experiences took a lot from the clinic.