St. Pius X new coach speaking success into Panthers

After winning two games a year ago, something is cooking inside St. Pius X's volleyball program.

"At first, the girls didn't know if they could trust me or not," first-year head coach Clare Powers said. "I kept telling them how good they were. They would just keep giving up on themselves. When they started to win games, the thought it was a fluke. It they won, it was a shocker in their minds. Finally, they began to learn to not to give up."

So, who is this wise teacher that came out of nowhere?

Powers has had a journey. She was a high school star in California, played for national power Penn State, was a graduate assistant at Texas Tech and is now weaving her magic at St. Pius X.

"Girls are super relationship-based as it relates to sports," she said. "They are pretty hard to coach because they have to trust each other to be a good teammate. Some are friends, others are in other friend groups, but they have to have a relationship to be successful."

The 14-7 Panthers hit Galveston Beach on a retreat a few weeks back to strengthen their bonds.

"That was big," Powers said. "I had to get them out of their element so they could put their guards down and come together as a team."

It has worked. The Panthers shocked the H-Town landscape winning the FAST Tournament last weekend, knocking off SPC Champs St. John's, Awty and The Village School. Remember, this team won two games last season.

"The just have to trust in themselves," she said. "They were okay just being average. It's not okay and it's not what I want. They have to start expecting greatness out of themselves. They are starting to get it."