BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
PHARR – Judy Gutierrez’s message was simple.
Don’t panic.
The Mercedes coach reassured her Lady Tigers for the entirety of Saturday’s must-win victory on the road at PSJA Southwest, preaching a message of tranquility, execution and self-confidence.
Mercedes needed such elements in order to stave off a resilient Lady Javelinas squad in five sets, winning 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 20-25, 15-11. The Lady Tigers now control their own postseason destiny for the fourth and final playoff spot in District 32-5A.
“We needed to come out and just play tough,” Gutierrez said. “(The girls) worked strong together and believed in each other.”
It took an added dose of belief, as Mercedes (20-17, 6-7) failed to sweep after winning the opening two sets.
“It became touch-and-go, point-for-point,” Gutierrez said. “We missed a couple of serves, but we told the girls going into the fifth (set), ‘The first to 15 wins.”
Summer Vento, a senior, scored two points in the final set and was Gutierrez’s go-to girl throughout the match.
“We worked on going to our big hitter,” Gutierrez said. “Whatever it takes, get her the ball. She’s our most consistent player.”
Vento led Mercedes with 19 kills.
“We make it so hard on ourselves,” Vento said. “We came into the third set overconfident. We had the lead, and then we let it go.”
Merecedes’ bigs were productive around the net for much of the afternoon. Vento and teammates Mere Guevara and Gavy Guerreo combined for 42 kills. The trio consistently found holes in Southwest’s defense, and scored on forceful spikes and gentle misdirections alike.
“We watched film, and we were able to see their defense and find their open spots,” Vento said.
The Lady Tigers will play Brownsville Porter (11-14, 6-7) at Mercedes on Tuesday. The winner of that matchup advances to the playoffs. Porter, which beat PSJA High 25-17, 25-15, 22-25, 26-24 on Saturday, knocked off Mercedes in five sets in the first head-to-head meeting.
“You don’t lose your composure,” Gutierrez said. “We need to play for (a sweep). We need to fight for every point. If the game is that close, we need to put it away.”
The Lady Javelinas, who are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs following the loss, looked sluggish in the early going. At times the team failed to communicate during plays and committed several errors. Defenders also missed their rotations, creating sizable pockets for Mercedes to attack.
“I told them ‘It’s not over until it’s over,” Southwest coach Jaclyn Olvera said. “Nothing is impossible. Other teams have come back from being down 2-0, why not us?”
And the Lady Javelinas (15-18, 4-9) almost did. The third and fourth sets saw a reinvigorated Southwest team. Players barked out calls to one another, the defense became sure-footed.
“I made a lineup change,” Olvera said. “I just got my big girl back.”
That big girl is Ana Prado, an athletic senior who has missed several weeks with a right shoulder injury. Prado scored 10 points and tallied four blocks in the matches’ final three sets, and iced her tender joint between stints on the court.
“She told me, ‘Coach, I’m ready to go. Put me in,” Olvera said. “And I thought she played very well for us.”
Prado’s injury is just one of many to derail the Lady Javelinas’ season. Saturday marked the first time all season Olvera coached a healthy team.
“Literally, my whole team is with the trainers.” Olvera said.
For Southwest, the goal now becomes more sentimental: defeat Brownsville Pace in the season finale.
“We want to go out on a high note,” Olvera said.