Da’Mya Mann, a 5-foot-9-inch setter committed to Oklahoma, is the heartbeat of the Harlan volleyball team.
“She’s so sweet, she’s funny,” said Hawks junior outside hitter Nailah Randle. “She’s one of my favorites. She’s the best. She just keeps high energy on the court and she’s always in a positive mood and she always just keeps our team together.”
Harlan volleyball head coach Monica Gonzales said Mann “carries a confidence of around with her.”
“People respect her,” Gonzales said.
As the orchestrator of the offense, a volleyball team often mirrors the spirit of its setter.
That’s why Harlan stands among the top programs in San Antonio and across Texas.
“I’m not going to lie about that — I’ve had urges to be negative,” said Mann, who is a senior at Harlan.
“Being negative doesn’t really get you anywhere,” Mann said. “You can just be mad all the time, but at the end of the day, it’s not going to help your teammates fight or win or want to win for you.”
Mann’s infectious joy on the court has become her trademark.
Yet quarterbacking a team demands more than positivity: It requires quick decisions, sharp defensive reads, and the ability to manage the offense — and that’s where Mann’s problem-solving instincts truly shine.
“I think of myself as a problem solver, very logical, wanting to solve a problem. If something is wrong, I’m like how can I fix it? How can I make this better?” Mann said.
“For me, it’s definitely setting my hitters up for success every single time,” Mann said. “What’s their strong suit? I’m going to do it for you, because we’re trying to get a point, we’re trying to win.”
Now, Gonzales just has to make sure her star setter isn’t outpacing her in the film room.
“We always joke,” said Gonzales. “She probably watches about as much film as I do a week, so when I pull it up, I think last week she had watched like six hours of film.”
The Hawks are 8-0 to start District 28-6A play and will look to continue that trend.
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