Celebrating Victory- Ivana Mendez embraces teammate Brianda Diaz after a hard fought victory.

Celebrating Victory- Ivana Mendez embraces teammate Brianda Diaz after a hard fought victory.


Brianda Diaz, Ivanna Mendez love volleyball.

Love volleyball. Like Tom Hanks loves volleyball.

Diaz crosses the border into the United States at 1 a.m. every Monday morning to attend Southwestern College and play on the resurrected volleyball team. That’s tough.

What Mendez does is tougher. She commutes back and forth over la frontera daily, a grueling schedule that makes even volley coach Jennifer Saleaumua Taeatafa’s notoriously tough workouts pale in comparison.

“Crossing the border every day is very hard for me,” Mendez said. “All of my family and friends are in Tijuana, so the radical change is challenging. Even though it is not that far, it is still difficult for me.”

Travel is not the only struggle, Mendez said. Adjusting to American schooling has also been difficult.

“It is challenging for me because the school program here is way different to the one in Mexico,” she said.

Diaz said her international commute does not allow much opportunity for down time.

“From Monday to Friday I live here, but I cross the border on the weekends, then I come back on Monday for school,” she said. “I cross the border on Sunday nights and it’s very stressful. I used to cross at three in the morning on Monday, but later noticed there is less line around 1 a.m., so I don’t get much sleep. Mondays are the worst for me.”

Saleaumua Taeatafa’s effort to turn around SWC’s underachieving volleyball program has a decidedly international flavor. Four Mexican players help form the core of the team. Besides Diaz and Mendez, Tijuaneros Aries Vergara and Alma Flores have found volleyball Valhalla in Chula Vista. Mendez said she is an English learner who is fluent in volleyball.

“I am learning a new language,” she said. “Volleyball is a sport that has a universal language. From wherever you may be, we all play the same game and we can all fully understand that language.”

Vergara said her biggest challenge is not language, but time.

“It’s difficult time management wise,” she said. “It’s school, it’s practice, it’s doing homework, so personally I’ve had a hard semester. If she says we have to run laps, we run them and run them well. If you don’t, you may not start the next game.”

Vergara said Saleaumua Taeatafa’s tougher regime is paying off.

“Last season we were not used to this,” she said. “This season has been more challenging for all of us. We have to give much more effort and maybe that is why we have won more games this season.”

Mendez, Diaz and Vergara first met on volleyball courts in Tijuana. Vergara said they have been friends for years.

“I’ve known Ivanna since I started playing volleyball around five years ago,” she said. “I’ve known Brianda since last season and we are all really good friends.”

Flores trained and played at the Tijuana High Performance Center for Athletes, which is a Mexican Olympic training center. She said she developed discipline from international play and international coaches.

“I have very little experience with Mexican volleyball coaches,” she said. “I’ve worked with Argentinian, Cubans, Dominicans and Chinese coaches.”

Flores said Saleaumua Taeatafa, a Bonita Vista High School legend who is considered San Diego county’s greatest ever high school volleyball player, has elevated the team.

“We’ve known her accomplishments as a player,” said Flores. “Some of us lack experience, but our coach is really putting a lot of effort to the team to show us what she knows about volleyball and that makes us all better players.”

Diaz said how improving as an athlete is what keeps any player inspired.

“In Mexico, volleyball terms may be different, the game may be approached in a different way, but at the end of the road it’s the same sport,” she said. “We all play it with the same passion and we all want to become better players.”

Mendez said sleeping enough is a problem.

“There is actually days where I don’t even get to sleep for trying to finish my homework,” she said.

Diaz said that her experience last year helped her become acquainted with the potential struggles.

“I’ve found a balance between school and volleyball, “ she said. “I love them both.”