AURORA - If Alex Garcia were say, five or six inches taller, he’d most likely be one of the nation’s top recruits for men’s volleyball in the Class of 2027.

The Grandview High School junior star outside hitter knows height is the one thing that’s out of his control, but everything else when it comes to the game of volleyball can be his domain.

The 6-foot-2 Garcia led the state in kills last season as the Wolves came up just short of playing for the Class 5A state championship, and he’s only gotten better when it comes to all aspects of the game, which is one of the main reasons why Grandview came into the 2026 season ranked No. 3 in 5A in the Colorado High School Activities Association preseason coaches poll.

“I’m considered shorter in the college volleyball world, so I really need to excel in the game-sense aspect,” Garcia said. “I feel like I’ve been working on that the last two years, making sure I can set myself apart from others.

“I know I’m not going to be the biggest hitter, but I’m trying to be the smartest.”

In a game where 6-foot-6 mashers can often stand out the most at first glance, first-year Grandview boys coach Jaren Graham encourages a deeper watch of Garcia.

The attack numbers are right up there with the best — after all he led Colorado in kills last season regardless of classification — but it is more the things Garcia does on a point-to-point basis that deserve to be recognized.

“I can say with confidence that Alex is the smartest player in the state,” Graham said. “There is not a guy that understands the game better than him. It comes from him loving the game so much. He’s just a guy that eats, sleeps and breathes volleyball and when you have somebody like that on the court, it’s so valuable.”

The high praise is remarkable, considering that Garcia is still a relative newcomer to the game.

In his younger years, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and even karate failed to fully hook Garcia, who said he “didn’t know what clicked with me, so I tried a lot.”

In the summer of his seventh grade year, some friends encouraged him to try volleyball because he was tall for his age at the time, and he got a taste at a variety of open gyms.

The spark was lit and it led to joining some recreational leagues, then trying out for club volleyball and eventually brought him to play when he arrived at Grandview, where he has been one of the best players in Colorado from the first serve of his freshman year.

The Wolves won the Centennial League championship and made the state tournament with Garcia and fellow outside hitter Connor Deickman making major impacts as freshmen. Garcia finished third in the state in kills with 348 and made the all-league first team for a team that finished 23-7.

The duo — who benefit from playing club volleyball with Devan Hall, now a senior who is in his third season as a starting setter — got even better in 2025 as they were the only teammates in Colorado to amass 300-plus kills.

That included 397 for Garcia to lead the state, while he ranked third in 5A with 58 services aces and added 165 digs and 35 blocks en route to first team all-state honors. Not coincidentally, Grandview went  22-8 with a fifth-set semifinal loss to local rival Eaglecrest keeping it from playing for a state championship.

Statistics are remarkable, but Graham has seen the biggest growth in Garcia’s game in less numerically quantifiable ways.

“Even when he first started playing, Alex could crush a ball — that was obvious — and he always had a wicked topspin serve,” Graham said. “I think people notice him now because of the plays he makes in the back row and the touches he gets back there. That goes again to his IQ. He’s reading things so well and understands how the play works and makes the right play after that.”

Garcia understands that because of his size limitations, improving all-around game is more important than ever before, even while a growth spurt would be welcome. He does regular film study of international and college volleyball and frequently works with Graham and assistant Rob Graham — his father and Grandview’s girls head coach — to hone his understanding of the game.

The results have shown so far, as he’s averaging 4.5 kills per set for the Wolves, who had a light schedule before spring break, but are off to a 3-0 start that includes wins over preseason No. 6 Valor Christian and preseason No. 9 Castle View (in which Garcia had a career-high 28 kills).

“Junior season is always very important recruiting-wise, so I know I have to excel and play the best game I can possibly play,” Garcia said. “This team has a ton of seniors who I’ve really grown close to, so I really want to win it (the state championship) for them as well.”

Graham considers Garcia one of the “quarterbacks” on the floor and is surprised that college programs have been slow to take notice, though he notes that men’s volleyball recruiting is more heavy for players when they reach their senior seasons.

“I’m slightly disappointed schools haven’t done their homework and found this guy yet because it’s so obvious he can make any teams he wants to be on,” he said. “As long as he keeps proving it, that will take care of itself. I have no doubt he will end up going wherever he wants.

“I think it’s easy for people to look at height, but once they look past that, it’s like ‘OK, this guy’s a baller!’”