BY ADRIAN F. TREVINO | SPECIAL TO RGVSPORTS.COM
In Spanish, the word mia implies ownership, or mine, as in es mia.
For three years, the Edinburg High Bobcats laid claim to the athletic exploits of Mia Dominguez. As the 2023 volleyball season opened, it was the PSJA High Bears’ turn to say, es mia. If observers pull on that thread and follow it long enough, they will find her mother and her former coach, Deanna Sanchez, indelibly at the end.
Dominguez is her own woman and a fierce competitor. She is unmistakably confident; her eyes reflect deep introspection, and her responses are articulate in a manner that exude maturity.
“I don’t just want to be the best player, I want to be the best version of myself … sometimes you get compliments about your kills, but then you get compliments about how well you handle things, like being told you’re a good teammate is just as good of a compliment,” Dominguez said.
When asked about her peculiar situation, she paused and was careful but also was considerate of both schools, friends, and teammates: former and present. She pondered — not as a sign of arrogance or political correctness — with palpable sincerity.
“I love the Bear girls, they’re great, but I get really sad when I see all those girls I’ve been with since I was a freshman. They supported me, my decision, and understood the situation. They were my best friends, and we saw each other every day. Those were the girls I ran hills with when I had to make weight,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez played for her mother at Edinburg for three years, but her relationship with Edinburg High started almost as soon as she was old enough to step over hurdles and run drills beside her mother’s team. Sanchez spent 22 years as the Bobcats’ head coach, but when an opportunity to further her career presented itself at PSJA, she was left with a difficult decision. Ultimately, her decision meant an unexpected change loomed for her daughter.
Dominguez is a coach’s daughter in every aspect. Both her parents graced the sidelines as head coaches. Her father, Mike Dominguez, was a basketball coach at PSJA Memorial. In her freshman year, Dominguez quickly realized that as the coach’s daughter, nothing was guaranteed. Every misstep, every freshman-type transgression or dropped ball meant she’d hear it twice, on the court and at home. She even suffered punishment for tardiness while riding in the same car as the head coach. Admittedly, Dominguez cringed as she recalled a tough freshmen year.
“There definitely are pros and cons to having your mom as your coach … she was always on me, if I misbehaved, and I’d get liners. It was hard to separate home and volleyball. I was always with her, and she was always talking about volleyball,” Dominguez said. “She was harder on me, but sometimes I needed that, I needed that structure.”
It was a relationship all coaches relish and fear: coaching your own kid.
“As the coach’s kid, you’re under a microscope, so as her mom, as the coach of the team I needed to do everything I could to prepare her to be as successful,” Sanchez said.
Dominguez traded a drawer full of Bobcats red and blue garments for Bears maroon and white. Managing a decade’s worth of clothes proved to be much easier than managing lifelong friendships. Although the decision to move was kept out of the public sphere, the word of Dominguez’s move got around. Before she even wandered the halls of her new high school, she was greeted by a former foe now turned teammate.
“I guess everyone knew I was transferring before I even knew, but the first person I talked to was Karina Lucio. She reached out to me and helped me get around. They’ve all been really nice. They found my schedule, and when they saw me in the hallways they walked me to class … I felt so welcomed,” Dominguez said.
When PSJA star Johanna Montelongo suffered a season-ending injury, Dominguez’s experience and leadership were in demand. To date, Dominguez has 1,032 digs and, on Saturday, she surpassed the 1,000-kill mark with 1,016. Dominguez is a force on the outside. She elevates so gracefully only to deliver a vicious kill. The Bears benefit from her experience in the absence of Montelongo, but her laser focus and desire to make those around her better elevates her value.
Dominguez is a leader. She is a second voice on the court offering advice, echoing directions, and offering praise. Leaders know what their coach wants and how to communicate it in a way that only players can understand and appreciate.
Any time people are forced into unfamiliar situations, they seek those familiar things that bring comfort. Dominguez likens her new sophomore teammate, Julianna Guajardo, to another sophomore, Makayla Olvera from Edinburg.
“Julianna is such a burst of energy. She just pumps me up and even pushes me around … she yells. She reminds me so much of Makayla,” Dominguez said.
Olvera, like Dominguez, is coached by her mother, Jaclyn Olvera. Their shared experience created a bond not many can understand. Dominguez assumed the role of big sister sharing her own experiences and explaining the nuances of being a coach’s kid.
“Makayla Olvera is another good friend. I’ve always protected her in a way, whatever she needs, I’m there for her. It’s just sad leaving because she was just a baby,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez modestly listed her other interests: powerlifting, basketball, tennis and track. Modestly, of course, as she later mentioned that she was a state-qualifying powerlifter at 148 pounds and a regional qualifier in mixed doubles tennis. Her competitiveness is not limited to volleyball, but it is credited as the impetus for her competitive spirit. Her eyes lit up as she recalled her first encounter with competition.
“When we were in elementary school, we used play this volleyball-like game on four courts, and it was always girls against boys. We’d always try to beat the boys, so my friends and I would get competitive,” Dominguez said.
Although Dominguez’s senior year will probably end on some tennis court or throwing ring in the spring, she’ll receive the proper cinematic sendoff on the volleyball court. Dominguez will play her last district game at the same gym she graced since she was baby. She recognized the significance and poetic sense of the moment but commented in true competitor fashion.
“I love that gym. That gym holds so many memories. That gym and that weight room is sacred. I can’t wait to play that game, but I want to win, I want to have a good game, I want to win on MY court,” Dominguez said.
