Giants digging play of 'hidden gem' ahead of showdown vs. Fresno City
By Nick Giannandrea
COS Athletics
Alexis Carmona had just tumbled to the court with a twisted ankle.
And her immediate reaction to an injury that would sideline Carmona for one match underscored why she's become such an important part of College of the Sequoias' women's volleyball team.
Injured or not, Carmona has a burning desire to compete and help her team.
"When she went down, she was upset and you could tell her first thought was 'We have a game tomorrow,'" Giants coach Kim Rix said. "She was more upset that she couldn't play than she was about being hurt."
Rix said the sophomore libero out of Madera High has been an unsung hero for COS, which will be looking to end Fresno City College's 118-match Central Valley Conference winning streak when it hosts the Rams at 6 p.m. Oct. 11 at Porter Field House.
"She's really been our hidden gem," Rix said. "All the attention goes to the big hitters, but we wouldn't get a hit without her digs and passing. She's been spectacular."
With a team-leading 229 digs - an average of 4.6 per match - Carmona has been a catalyst to a COS team that is 12-3 overall, 6-0 in the CVC and riding an eight-match winning streak into the showdown with state No. 3-ranked Fresno City (18-2, 6-0).
Fresno City has won 12 straight CVC titles and hasn't lost a conference match since 2011.
"I think we're ready," Carmona said. "They are always a challenge. But I think what we need to do is go in realizing they are volleyball players just like we are. We can't let the name Fresno City College intimidate us. We have to be more mentally tough."
The Giants enter the match listed as one of the "Best of the Rest" in the California Community College Women's Volleyball Coaches Association's state rankings following a 25-10, 25-10, 25-15 victory over West Hills-Lemoore on Oct. 9 that featured 13 digs and four aces from Carmona.
It was the 31st time in 44 career matches at COS that Carmona has resigstered double digit digs in a match, a level of consistency she demands of herself.
"I have high expectations," Carmona said. "My job is to give the team good passes. When I don't do that, it gets in my head a little. I want to see my teammates score. If I can give them a good ball to put away, that give me satisfaction."
A first-team all-Central Valley Conference selection as a freshman, Carmona has helped COS go 33-12 overall since arriving from Madera, where she was a three-sport athlete, also playing basketball and softball.
Carmona delivered a team-leading 434 digs for the Giants last year, when they went 21-9 and enjoyed their first 20-win season since 2004.
"She's very aggressive and has some of the best defensive instincts of anyone I've ever coached," Rix said. "She can read the hitter and be in the right spot before they even hit the ball."
Those defensive instincts came naturally when she started playing volleyball in the seventh grade, Carmona said. But she's also improved them over the years through hundreds of hours or practice and film study.
Carmona also has a willingness to do whatever it takes - often throwing her body all over the court - to keep a point alive.
"It's kind of a beast-mode type thing. It's all about instincts and reading the hitter, being in the right spot at the right time," Carmona said. "In that moment, you aren't caring (about harm to your body.) You sacrifice your body to get the ball up. And if we get a kill off it, that's the best thing."
In addition to being a standout athlete, Carmona has been outstanding in the classroom, too, at COS, where she sports a 3.8 grade-point average.
Carmona, who hopes to play for a four-year university next season, plans to major in kinesiology and pursue a career in the medical field with physical therapist, athletic trainer and physician's assistant among her considerations.
And she balances her academics and athletics while working two part-time jobs and living on her own.
"I've always been a pretty independent person. Moving out taught me I'm an adult now, and I have things to handle," Carmona said. "It's all about balance and knowing what needs to be done. I know if I want to play at the next level, my grades can't slip. And I know my volleyball can't slip. Sometimes I'm like 'why am I doing this?' But I have an ultimate goal, and this is what I have to do to accomplish it."
While Carmona hasn't committed to a four-year school yet, her recruitment is expected to pick up toward the end of the season and into the spring. Rix said whomever lands Carmona is getting a good one.
"I think she will be an asset to any volleyball program at the next level," Rix said. "She's a very mature young lady and will be successful in whatever she does because of her work ethic and drive."
