SAN MARCOS PARKS AND RECREATION
San Marcos volleyball programs across the city are serving up more opportunities to get involved as the sport experiences a spike in popularity.
Since 2021, San Marcos Parks and Recreation has seen its adult programs grow from four teams to 16 and has seen its youth programs gradually increase in participation as well.
Texas Serve, a youth league focused on training athletes on the Interstate- 35 corridor for more competitive play, was also created in recent years. Across the city, athletes are helping to cement volleyball as a key component in San Marcos’s sports culture.
Parks and Recreation program specialist Fernando Labra, who oversees the adult volleyball program, has seen the sport rebound as a recreational activity firsthand.
“The program had been dormant for a couple of years, not really knowing why,” Labra said. “I was charged with, in 2020, a year after I had the position, to try and bring the program back. So, we did.”
The growth of the adult programs has led to a restructuring of how Parks and Recreation handles the sport. What was once a simple four-team organization is now split into two tiers of teams.
Wednesday nights are for the purely recreational teams, while Monday nights are for the more competitive teams. Labra stresses, however, that no matter the level of competition, a more laidback atmosphere is maintained at these games.
“Monday night’s more recreational too,” he said. “Everyone there has a good time, nobody’s unsportsmanlike or anything. They’re just really skilled at volleyball.”
The youth program at Parks and Recreation has experienced a similar, though not as extreme, growth in its participation. Like its adult counterpart, it is a recreational- first organization but also serves as a starting- point for some young athletes that eventually go on to compete at the middle and high-school levels.
Athletic program specialist Iris Garza has led the youth volleyball programs for two seasons, with her third starting in October.
“For some, this could be their first experience with sports alone,” Garza said. “They’re testing the waters and seeing if this is a sport they would like to continue in the future.”
Volleyball’s growth is being seen in more than just recreational sports, however. Texas Serve Volleyball — a more competitively focused organization for young athletes who want to train for high-level play — is entering its third year in operation and has already guided athletes to collegiate play.
Director Brandi Kiser, a volleyball coach for 15 years with collegiate playing experience, said Texas Serve is focusing on hiring quality coaches to harness both the sport’s growth and the potential of the surge in young athletes.
“That way, as we’re all growing, we’re not losing the quality of the coaching,” Kiser said. “We just really try to value the kids and their experience here; we don’t want them to leave with trauma, that they never want to play volleyball again because their coach hurt their soul.”
Whether its young athletes wanting to try something new, local students with aspirations for high-level play or simply San Marcos residents looking to pick up a new hobby, one thing is clear — San Marcos has not let volleyball’s rapid growth go unharnessed.
Or as Labra put it, “Volleyball is coming back.”
For more information on volleyball programs offered through San Marcos Parks and Recreation visit, sanmarcostx. gov/993/Volleyball.
