GILROY—The smallest player on Gavilan’s volleyball team—Raelynn Heredia—often times has the biggest impact.
Nowhere was that more apparent than in the Rams’ four-game win over Skyline College on Oct. 15. The 5-2 Heredia, a sophomore libero, was seemingly everywhere, producing everything from the routine dig to the spectacular one.
“I don’t know if we win that match if not for our libero,” Gavilan coach Kevin Kramer said. “She was everywhere. Everything we ask of our players, she did it to a T.”
Any team that expects to contend for a championship at any level needs a crop of defensive specialists who can prevent balls from hitting the floor. Against Skyline, Heredia was in perfect position to dig up hard-hit attacks from the Trojans’ top hitters.
Kramer said it takes skill, anticipation and instincts to play libero—and Heredia has all of those traits in abundance. Even more important, Kramer said, a libero needs to go into every match with a fighter’s mentality.
Beyond her physical ability, Heredia displays the intangibles: grit, desire and a willingness to compete.
“Your libero has got to be a fighter,” Kramer said. “They’re the ones getting dirty all the time, diving across the floor and mixing it up. Raelynn has stepped in and owned it.”
Heredia started the season as the back-up libero to Daisy Valladares, who got injured earlier in the season. The 2013 San Benito High graduate was inserted into the starting lineup and was impressive from the get-go.
Heredia had played setter her entire life until setting into the libero position her freshman year. She worked diligently on the position change, noting it was more difficult because of the step-up in competition.
“When I came in, I struggled a lot,” she said. “But I worked on my serve-receive and got better over time.”
The Rams don’t have quite the firepower on the outside as they did last year, but with Savanna Hartman, Samantha Nydam and former San Benito standout Ryan Asp, they still have players who can terminate the ball on a moment’s notice.
Coming out of high school, Heredia wasn’t even sure if she wanted to continue playing volleyball. But interest from Kramer and the Rams as well as Cabrillo College—the top-ranked team in the state—made her change her mind.
Heredia said she was “50-50” on deciding which college to play at, but ultimately settled on Gavilan.
“Everything worked out great,” she said. “I figured this was the best place for me, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. The atmosphere and vibe is really great here.”
After receiving plenty of playing time in a reserve role last season, Heredia’s game has taken off this year. Although volleyball players tend to be on the tall side, Heredia has proven size isn’t everything.
“If you’re shorter, you just have to work as hard if not harder than everyone else,” she said.
Heredia adopted that workmanlike attitude, especially in the last couple of years. She takes a similar approach off the court, working at a Gilroy Starbucks 28 hours a week to go along with taking the number of units required to be classified as a full-time student.
“We actually have a lot of players on the team who work at their paying jobs as much as me, some even more hours per week,” Heredia said. “It’s crazy, but it shows we have a dedicated team.”
On the court, Heredia knows the vital role of being mentally tough.
“If you’re not confident, you’re not going to play well,” she said. “I have my moments like everyone else when I’m not always confident, but you just have to channel it out and be strong.”
Heredia said her experience at Gavilan has been memorable, noting the team culture and environment around the program. It’s no accident. Since Kramer took over the program eight years ago, Gavilan has flourished on and off the court, winning multiple conference titles while transferring dozens of players to four-year schools.
It’s the latter where Kramer feels most proud of because ultimately it’s the relationships he builds with his players that last over time.
“The wins and losses, no one is going to remember that years from now,” said Kramer who coached Canada College in Redwood City for two years before taking the reins at Gavilan. “The best comment I ever received came from a former player who said, ‘Gavilan was the best experience.’ To this day, I still talk to some of my former players from Canada. Relationships last a lot longer than any type of record.”
