The Fort Stockton volleyball program broke through the proverbial district barrier a season ago under first-year head coach Gabrielle Harral, winning district contests for the first time in five years.

Now the bar moves a notch higher heading into year two of the Harral era.

“The girls kind of know who I am now and it’ll get them to buy into how I run the program,” Harral explained. “I’m so excited for this year because they know what I expect.”

The Prowlers have their sights set on qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2016 after narrowly missing out on a playoff appearance with a fifth-place finish in their district (2-8 district record, 20-15 overall) in 2021.

The finish was a step forward in the right direction as Fort Stockton concluded their 2020 season with a 0-10 district record and 11-13 overall.

Harral mentioned during the opening day of try outs on Aug. 1 that her team gained valuable experience in the summer during league play with fellow district opponents.

The second-year head coach expects the extra time put in during the summer to translate to her squad making the leap to a postseason qualifier.

“They played some district opponents during the summer and won some of those games. They had the confidence and know they can compete and beat those teams.”

Senior Eliana Mata, who was selected as the co-setter of District 2-4A as a sophomore in 2020 and all-district first-team as an outside hitter/setter in 2021, will lead a seasoned group that returns five of their six main rotation players from a season ago.

Harral expanded Mata’s role last season with her new 6-2 system that features two setters and six hitters, allowing the versatility of her senior leader to be utilized.

“She wasn’t able to play hitter before but last year she did really well and that’s what earned her a first-team all-district selection,” Harral said.

The Prowlers’ two additional setters from a season ago – Alyssa Rangel and Ivanna Ortiz – return for their junior season following a 2021 campaign that got their feet wet as sophomores.

Juniors Amaya Urias and Sophia Hernandez will provide starting experience as middle blocks. Hernandez tallied the third-highest kill total a season ago behind Mata and 2022 Pioneer Female Athlete of the Year Alyana Dominguez.

A spot that will potentially be filled, which was not in 2021, is the all-important libero position. Harral noted that there will be plenty of competition for the spot and it’ll be earned, not given.

“Last year we didn’t have one because I told them no one deserved it. I needed someone that was going to be everywhere, and I wanted them to fight for it. This year they are fighting for it.” Harral said.

Harral went on to say that senior Adree Bueno and junior Aryanna Gonzalez are potential candidates that could fill the role.

Despite having a feel for talent on her team and the experience her varsity players gained a season ago, every position will need to be earned once again.

“Just because you were on the team last year doesn’t mean you get a free pass,” Harral said.