Guerra a force for national tournament-bound Scorpions

Ana Guerra is the latest in a number of standout Brazilian athletes to play for the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College volleyball team.

Guerra, a 6-foot-1 sophomore middle blocker, is one of the reasons the second-ranked Scorpions are advancing to the 32nd annual NAIA national championship tournament beginning Tuesday in Sioux City, Iowa. The 26-2 Scorpions, seeded second at the 24-team event, are advancing to the NAIA nationals for the third straight year under coach Todd Lowery.

Thanks to the recruiting efforts of Lowery and assistant coach Roberta Santos, a native of Brazil, Guerra found her way to Brownsville in the fall of 2010.

“Ana has really matured as a player since her freshman year,” Lowery said. “Athletically, we always knew that she could do what she’s done this year. She just continues to get better.

“She’s more comfortable with school now, and all those types of things, so she’s maturing as a person as well as a player,” he added. “We have a setter this year (Amber Brooks) who is getting her the ball a little more than last year. She’s just one of those players who comes along once in a blue moon, so we’re very happy to have her on this team.”

Guerra ranks first in NAIA Division I with a 0.417 hitting percentage and is second nationally with an average of 1.610 blocks per game. She ranks ninth nationally in total blocks with 153 and is second on the team with 283 kills behind Danica Markovic’s 316.

“Roberta found me (and convinced me to come to Brownsville),” said Guerra, an exercise science major.

Added Santos, “It was kind of the same way we’ve brought the other girls (from Brazil to UTB-TSC). This girl (in Brazil) may know that girl who is interested in coming to the United States to go to school and play volleyball. I found out that Ana was interested and I started contacting her and telling her about our school and our program. She was a little undecided at first, but I was telling her, ‘Come here, come here,’ and she decided to do it. We hope that she feels she made a good decision and that she’s happy here.”

Guerra said it has been a rewarding experience to play for the Scorpions, who recently won the Red River Athletic Conference championship a third straight year.

“This team is like a family, and I feel like this is home for me,” said Guerra, who started playing volleyball when she was 14 and hit a sudden growth spurt about the same time that took her well over 6 feet. “These girls are like a second family to me. We have a lot of fun together. Like any other family, we have our ups and downs, but in the end, we always come together.

“We may not be happy when we’re down in the score, but we make things happen by coming together and finding a way to win,” she added. “When we’re playing together and picking each other up, that’s definitely when we’re playing our best.

“Yes, we do have great hitters on this team, but I would say there’s not just one thing that we do best. Without having good passing and playing good defense, we wouldn’t be able to (set up our) attack. Overall, we have to do everything fundamentally great for us to play our best.”

Coming to the United States for the first time a little more than one year ago with a limited knowledge of English was quite a challenge, but Guerra is glad she said yes to playing for the Scorpions.

“The biggest issue for me has been learning the language,” she said. “Adapting to a new language in a different country with a different culture is not easy. I feel that I am adapting, and with time, things are getting better for me.”

Roy Hess writes for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him via e-mail at rhess@brownsvilleherald.com.