Hidalgo edges Roma in five

HIDALGO - After Roma battled back to send its match with Hidalgo to a fifth and decisive game, the Lady Pirates turned the final frame into a yawn.

The Lady Pirates showed no signs of a letdown during the final game after blowing a seven-point lead in the fourth, defeating Roma 15-25, 25-8, 25-18, 22-25, 15-7 on Tuesday at Hidalgo.

"We kind of had a mental lapse in that fourth game, but right before we went out there for the fifth game we talked about how we needed to push hard," Lady Pirates coach Cindy Viesca said.

Behind the serve of Jessica Castillo, the Lady Pirates jumped on the Lady Gladiators with nine unanswered points.

Roma did not score one point in the fifth game until Lady Pirates libero Nashae Owens' dig sailed long to bring Roma within 9-1.

"We had a good server up there in Jessica Castillo," Viesca said. "She gave us a lot of points.

"We are working on finishing strong. We need to get better at that. It is still early in the season, but we need to finish strong."

The Lady Gladiators claimed the next four points before Lady Rattlers junior setter Jackie Garza assisted on a kill by junior Christina Gonzalez that gave the Lady Pirates a 10-4 lead.

Two Lady Gladiators unforced errors pushed the Lady Pirates' lead to 12-4. But the next three points went to Roma as three consecutive Lady Pirates' kill attempts landed out of bounds.

Lady Pirates middle blocker Victoria Gonzalez stopped the bleeding with a block that gave Hidalgo a 13-7 edge.

Christina Gonzalez followed with a kill and the match ended on an ace by Victoria Gonzalez, who led the Lady Pirates with 24 kills, six blocks and five aces.

It was a dominating fifth game by the Lady Pirates, considering their collapse in the fourth game.

"I think some tiredness comes over the girls," Victoria Gonzalez said. "I think after one mistake happens, it is kind of like a train until we get our confidence back. After that fourth game, we knew we had to pull it together."

Hidalgo built a 15-7 lead in the fourth, but Roma scored 11 unanswered to take an 18-15 lead. Roma scored three consecutive points to win the fourth game.

"We have the chemistry," Gladiators coach Angie Garcia said. "The chemistry is there, but sometimes we just feed off the negative."

Peter Rasmussen covers high school volleyball for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com.