By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The second-place Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers defeated the Harlingen South Lady Hawks 25-22, 25-18, 25-23 in District 32-6A action Tuesday night at Brownsville Veterans.
A strong attack led by Mariza Cardenas set the pace for the Lady Chargers (26-10, 7-2). Cardenas tallied 16 kills, flanked by teammates Sarah Sandoval and Megan Sanchez, who added eight kills apiece.
Each game was close, but the Brownsville Veterans offense came through when it mattered most.
The Lady Chargers took an early lead in Game 1 and never gave it up. A 4-0 start gave them the edge they needed, and they rode the moderate lead to a win. The Lady Hawks (19-18, 2-6) narrowed the deficit to two points, but Brownsville Veterans won four of the next six points to close it out.
Game 2 wasn’t as close, and despite South jumping out to a 5-2 start, the Lady Chargers took 12 of the next 15 points to widen their lead to a margin too great for the Lady Hawks to catch.
The Lady Chargers faced a more stubborn South team during the third game, but Brownsville Veterans’ commanding attack overwhelmed the Lady Hawks again late in the game.
“Everybody’s going to be playing better in the second half (of the season),” Brownsville Veterans coach Lisa Mares said. “I felt like Harlingen South really played better defensively and passing-wise. I know they struggled the first time they played us, and I felt like they really picked it up.”
The Lady Chargers were ahead 18-13 when it seemed the match was out of reach, but South chipped away to tie the game at 20.
Each side called a timeout and traded points, but when the score was again knotted, this time at 22, Brownsville Veterans won three of the next four points to cap the win.
Even though it was a sweep, South coach Brian Molina was encouraged by his team’s play and its ability to rebound from Saturday’s loss to Harlingen High.
“Brownsville Veterans did a better job winning the crucial points,” he said. “Our girls have come a long way. We played a pretty tough match against a very, very tough team.
“After the last match they played against (Harlingen High), I knew that they’d step up. They fought and they gave me everything that they had. I’m really proud of the effort today. I thought we made a pretty good match out of it.”
Miranda Valdez played solid defense with 18 digs for the Lady Hawks. Adriana Espinoza led her team in kills with nine, closely followed by teammate Tina Montez, who had eight. Emily Susen set the pace for South in assists with 13.
Brownsville Veterans will travel to Rivera to take on the Lady Raiders at noon Saturday. The Lady Hawks will play host to the Lopez Lady Lobos at noon Saturday.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.