SAN ANTONIO – The Alamo City is filled with “greats,” and for Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve highlighted several of them.
On KSAT Sports Now, we brought you Monica Gonzales’ story.
She’s the head volleyball coach at Harlan High School and was born and raised in San Antonio. She’s held the position for about a decade, and Gonzales broke down where she gets her strength.
“I went to Jefferson High School, so I tell people I grew up inside 410,” Gonzales said. “I might live outside of 1604 now, but I grew up inside of 410. You know, we have a running joke. A lot of us that actually opened the school are from around that area. Went there, went to Incarnate Word. I’ve never lived anywhere else.”
She attributes much of her success to her parents, especially her late father and the strength of her mother during his final moments.
“I had an agreement between my dad, me and God that if I got him home from hospice, I was going to go coach, and I knew that’s where my dad wanted me to be. So I actually got my 300th win on that night,” she said.
Gonzales surpassed her 400th career win in September 2026.
She couldn’t have done it alone.
“I have a lot of faith. You know, I truly believe I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m surrounded by the people I need to be around,” Gonzales said. “And now we’re reaping the rewards of being surrounded by people we love.”
Gonzales has led the Harlan Hawks volleyball team to the playoffs and the state tournament many times. That’s the standard at Harlan volleyball.
The Hawks currently lead District 29-6A and remain undefeated in district play. They have seven more district games before the playoffs begin.
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