Photos Courtesy of SC Jaguars
QUEEN OF THE MONARCHS—Yesenia Garcia (l, #20) is a master setter known for her deceptive “dump” shots that baffle opponents and dazzle audiences.
By Juan H. Estrada
Monarches start their early lives in humble fashion before a beautiful transformation.
Yesenia Garcia is a monarch right to her resilient core.
Once homeless and struggling to survive, Garcia has spread her wings as a volleyball star at Southwestern College whose magical passes and fluttering “dumps” cause opponents to mutter some of the words you can’t say on television.
“My dumps. I like them,” said Garcia with a laugh discussing her deceptive ploy.
She tricks opponents by cleverly setting up for a pass but at the last moment redirecting the ball to an undefended area of the opposing court.
Garcia had reason to be down in the dumps when she was a homeless teenager rescued by the Monarch School, a San Diego County Office of Education campus in Barrio Logan for at-risk students suffering housing insecurity and other trauma. Its volleyball team was started about 10 years ago by Southwestern College Professor of Architecture Dr. Diana Arredondo.
Things are better now for Garcia but remain challenging. A determined transfronteriza, Garcia travels three hours from her home in Tijuana to Southwestern College every day. She walks across the international border, takes the trolley, then the bus to campus. All worth it, said the energetic starting setter on the volleyball team. Her agile hands and spatial intelligence combine for consistently marvelous passes to teammates. Her leaping ability and arm strength generate powerful strikes. She is also a serving wizard, hitting knuckling aces and topspin torpedoes that can fuel uncanny scoring runs.
Garcia confessed that volley at first did not appeal to her.
“I hated the sport to be honest,” she said. “I thought it was for girly-girls. But seeing my friends enjoy it, smiling and having fun, made me want to play. I feel like I have the hands. I was always the setter. I want to make it pro, then coaching after I retire. I really love the sport.”
Every summer hopeful student-athletes fill the courts and fields of college campuses for tryouts. Not everyone makes the cut. Garcia received no special treatment, enduring the eight-week audition process and surviving roster cut downs.
“The tryouts were a summer class,” said Garcia. “Towards the last days of the class, the coach will pull everyone aside individually to tell you if you made the team or not.”
Garcia made it. She said it was a joyful moment. The Monarch had landed.
Her coach Tyler Reeves said he is a big fan.
“Yesenia always brings good energy to the team and has a good time,” he said. “She is a great teammate. She is very supportive to the whole team.”
Einstein once said “genius is concentration” and Monarch School volleyball coach Jesse Piña said Garcia has excellent on-court concentration.
“Zoning in on her strengths is what really made her a very special player,” he said. “Her strengths are definitely her serve and her hands.”
Garcia is also known for her awareness on the court and spatial talent. As the setter Garcia passes with precision and sets up her teammates for success. When opponents least expect it, she pulls a cheeky trick shot that sends the crowd into a frenzy.
“She has great situational awareness,” said Reeves.
Teammates call Garcia “John Cena” on the court. Piña said she has magical stretches.
“She goes on runs where she gets a bunch of points in a row,” he said. “We would say she is scoring because they could not see her.”
College competitions are typically scheduled late afternoons and early evenings. Practice, travel and games can stack up and pull student-athletes away from their studies.
“It’s hard because education is important,” Garcia said. “It takes a lot of time away from studying. Away games always get us home late, especially me, traveling all the way to Tijuana. I don’t always have enough time for my homework. But after practice I try to go to the library to study.”
Garcia is the youngest in her family but the first to attend college. She is a kinesiology major with aspirations to be a physical therapist. She said she hopes to play volleyball at the university level and then turn pro.
Reeves said he likes her chances. He is not alone.
“Every team we play, every ref and coach come up to me after games to say, ‘if that girl put everything in it, she could really go far!’ I think Yesenia can do whatever she decides if she puts (her mind to). She has great hands. If she does well (academically) I think she can play for any university.”
Monarchs are known for traveling far. Garcia is just spreading her wings.
