Bre’Ala Box hid her nerves well on the Port Neches-Groves volleyball sideline Tuesday night.
PN-G’s new head coach felt the first-game jitters as she led her team into Beaumont for a game against West Brook, but she didn’t show it.
Box was cool, calm and collected as PN-G (1-0) started its season with a 3-1 victory over the Bruins (0-1). PN-G took the first two sets, but after West Brook tightened the margin with a strong showing in set No. 3, Box’s presence helped the Rock-A-Noos push through and close out the season’s first win without any panic.
“I had butterfly’s in my stomach all night,” Box said, “but win No. 1 feels great.”
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Box played at Lamar University, graduating in 2020 after starting 16 of the Cardinals 17 games that season. She then coached multiple sports at Class 1A Burkeville before the open PN-G job caught her attention.
She knew all about the history at the school. Box’s former teammate at Lamar, Kaitlyn Gil, graduated from PN-G and encouraged Box to take the job this summer.
Gil was in the stands for Tuesday’s game at West Brook, and met Box courtside with a big hug after the win.
“That’s my girl right there,” Gil said. “What a win in the first game.”
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Box replaces former PN-G coach Brittany Fruge, who played at PN-G and took the head job in 2019. The Rock-A-Noos made the playoffs last season, but were swept by Manvel in the first round.
To start this season, PN-G scrimmaged Little Cypress-Mauriceville last Friday in Orange. Box said the exhibition helped give her a better feel for how to best use the lineup.
Box made key substitutions a few different times throughout Tuesday’s victory, most notably after West Brook’s best stretch of the night in the third set. The Bruins showed an ability to score at the net on well-executed spikes, but were mostly outplayed by Box’s PN-G team.
West Brook will be back home on Friday night for a game against Hardin-Jefferson at 6:30 p.m.
Box said she embraces the high expectations that come with the volleyball job at PN-G. She wants to learn everything she can from state championship coach Barbara Comeaux, who retired in 2019 as Texas’ all-time wins leader at the high school level.
Box was happy with just one win Tuesday night. She’ll have a chance for another on Thursday when PN-G starts a tournament in Pasadena.
“I knew all about the tradition and the expectations coming here, so now I hope to continue that success as head coach,” Box said.
Matt Faye is a Sports Reporter and Columnist for the Beaumont Enterprise. Contact him at MFaye@BeaumontEnterprise.com or on Twitter by clicking here.
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