"It was frustrating taking loss after loss, coming from a place where I won," says Ortiz (pictured at right). "We managed to get through it because we had each other."

To this day, ask the volleyball team what appeals to them about Our Lady of the Lake University, and more often than not the answer will be the small campus with a family atmosphere.

Each August, the volleyball team arrives on campus before the rest of the general student population, bonding over two-a-day practices and empty dorm rooms—playing volleyball in the hallways and other bits of harmless mischief.

These first moments were a crucial hub for the first team to build around for a program starting from scratch. On the first day on the court, Ortiz recalls Lauren Eveler (now Lauren Glover) approaching her to warm up. The first few moments of connection were trivial: same cell phone, same bag, close hometowns. Over the course of their four years together, those small things grew to becoming best of friends.

"The relationships we built were strong," Ortiz said. "We were able to work hard and have fun even though the outcome wasn't always what we wanted or expected. Nobody really knew what to expect, but we always had each other."

"We all got along. We had our different personalities, but we got along," Hicks said. "We were always together, not just having fun, but holding each other accountable to each other."

Family is an important concept to athletes in team sports at every level of play. The only way to get players of different backgrounds, personalities, skill sets and levels of talent to work together toward a common goal is to build trust. For those paying attention, evidence of these traits were visible early on.

"They were distinctive," Sister Ann Petrus, Superior General of the Congregation of Divine Providence, said. Petrus (pictured at left) has been among the Saints' most avid supporters, attending many games throughout the years and teaching a few students as a professor at OLLU. "They had this thing they cared a whole lot about that involved the team, and it created a culture within the school."

On the road

"A lot of the traveling that took place helped us bond. You sit on the bus for hours and hours and get to know each other well. Time together off the court helped us to grow on the court."

- Sarah Ortiz

For a group of women drawn to the same place to be closer to home, the best of times happened when they were away from it. Their first season, the Saints spent at least 5,490 miles on the road together; cramped in a charter bus, watching movies, telling jokes and helping each other with homework.

The best times were the team dinners, talking over everything but volleyball, with an occasional Dance, Dance, Revolution game thrown into the mix or a night of karaoke.

"We were at a tournament in Brownsville one night when we went to a restaurant that had karaoke," Ortiz recalled with a laugh. "Mark Lee got up and sang Fergie's My Humps. That was a great time, for sure."

"The players got to embarrass us coaches," Lee said.

"It was so hilarious, watching him sing all monotone with no facial expressions," Kelsey Johnson, another member of that inaugural class, said. "He was singing a ridiculous song with a serious look on his face."

Leaving the table at dinner was an invite for a practical joke. A team favorite was pouring salt into a teammate's water, or mixing ketchup and mustard into their drink, when they went to the restroom—all eyes glued to the unsuspecting victim in anticipation when she returned to her seat. Johnson would often step up to drink those ghastly concoctions for laughs.

Those memories remain more cherished than the victories, few and far in between as they were that first season. On the court, Johnson (pictured at right) was an undersized middle blocker compensating with long arms and natural athletic ability, off the court her sense of humor was as vital a contribution.  Johnson would often climb into the carry-on luggage compartments, scaring teammates as they went for their bags.

"Coach always told me to have a real serious mean look across the net, but I was always the one smiling," Johnson said. "He never knew what to do to get that smile off my face. That's why I was a captain for four years; I took over the role of having the positive attitude to keep our spirits high when we were down."

In between crawling under the seats on the bus, grabbing people's legs, or building pillow and blanket forts on the back of the bus, the team got to know each other.

"Long road trips were the best, having time with your friends, doing homework, talking and playing jokes on each other like we were sisters," Hicks said. "It just made it easy for us to be away from home, doing what we loved."

Those times pulled the team together through hard moments. Hicks remembers a scrimmage against Coastal Bend College that first season, playing through an ankle and shoulder injury, diving into the stands to save an errant ball, putting her body on the line for her teammates. When she had to get shoulder surgery after the season from an old, neglected injury, her teammates rallied around her.

"They were there for me. I remember staying a few nights at Danielle Otero's (now Danielle Gonzalez) house," Hicks said. "Or with Madison [Madrid], whose mom became like my mom when my parents couldn't make it."

"What kept me around was I loved who I played with, I loved the school," Ortiz said, admitting there were times when she let losing affect her. "But knowing this was the first year, and losing sometimes happens, we just stayed with it. I'm the type of person who, when I start something, I don't quit."

The next year, with chemistry established and new recruits picked to complement the core, the team improved to 12-18. By Ortiz's senior season, the Saints went 13-5 overall and 11-3 in the Red River Athletic Conference.

"We were young, didn't have a ton of talent, but the group worked hard and came together," Lee said. "That really set the foundations of the program.

"There's been an evolution over the years, and it's still probably evolving, where there's been an improvement every year until now where OLLU is able to compete at a national level."

This weekend, volleyball will draw them together once more. It will be a time to catch up with old friends, or play one more game on the home court. For staff, current students and fans, it'll be another opportunity to cheer loudly.

"It's the only place I like where I get to go and yell," Petrus said. "I enjoy when my students are athletes, going to their events."

The trick to building a successful sports program is much of it has to do with things other than sports. Over the years, it's been life that's held them together: weddings, births, new jobs.

The team came together, drawn to a place close to home. When they went their separate ways, the miles and memories expanded the concepts of home and family further than anyone could've hoped.

Our Lady of the Lake University is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2016-2017 as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The University began competing in the NAIA in men's soccer and volleyball in 2007. A year later, they added women's soccer, golf and tennis. In 2009, the Saints began competing in cross-country, softball and basketball. In 2014, OLLU added two more sports — baseball and track and field. There are now 13 intercollegiate athletic teams at OLLU. All athletic alumni and up to two family members will receive free admission to basketball and volleyball games throughout the season. All other home games are free and open to the public.