SAN FRANCISCO — University of San Francisco volleyball returning senior Kathya Garcia will once again play for her home country's national team this summer, suiting up for the Mexico senior national team starting this month and playing in multiple international tournaments.
 
Garcia began her tour with the Mexican national team last week at the Pan-American Cup in Trujillo and Chiclayo, Peru. Mexico is part of the 11-team field competing against other top-30 world powers such as the United States, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Canada.
 
Garcia played in both of Mexico's first two matches of the tournament over the July 4th holiday weekend, recording five kills in her team's 3-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago, and another five kills and two digs in Mexico's 3-0 setback versus the United States.
 
Garcia has been playing for the Mexico senior national team since 2015. She was informed in December that she was again selected to play at her country's highest level of volleyball and represent her nation's flag this summer.
 
"It's really, really important just because the first time I represented Mexico, they told us, 'Of all the women that are in the country, you're the people who represent the colors,'" said Garcia. "For me, it's an honor to play for my country and do what I love."
 
Should Garcia perform well enough this month at the 18th Pan-American Cup, she could be selected to join Mexico at the Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament on Aug. 2-4 in Kaliningrad, Russia. There, Mexico will face host Russia, South Korea and Canada in an attempt to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
 
"It's special, but it's a big challenge," said Garcia, "because you constantly need to keep growing. You can't get lazy or stop. You always need to go for more. It's something that my dad told me. I have to keep pushing myself to be better."
 
Garcia completed her first season with the Dons last fall. Though she missed six matches due to injury, she was still USF's leading attacker with a team-high 249 kills (2.77 per set). She was also second on the team with 257 digs while recording 29 blocks and 25 service aces. Her years of experience playing international volleyball with her country's senior team has helped her game on The Hilltop, and also made those around her better.
 
"The (USF) coaches have a lot of knowledge to help me keep getting better, and of course my teammates play a big part in helping me get better and teaching me what they know," said Garcia. "The (West Coast Conference) is also at an elite level, so that's challenging me to get better and continue growing."