By Adam Kujawski, Staff Reporter
Several members of the Brownsville Veterans Memorial volleyball team have taken additional measures to ensure more competition during the offseason leads to a tight-knit group during high school play.
A parent of a Lady Chargers player took the initiative to create a club volleyball team that competes during the second semester, typically from January through May.
This allows several players the opportunity to compete against a variety of opponents, keeping them fresh for the next season.
Coach Lisa Mares realizes the positive effect playing outside of high school has had on her team and how important it is to have parental support and participation.
“I have really, really good parents,” she said. “(The parent) wanted to keep it a (Brownsville Veterans) team, but normally it’s a mix of girls from different schools.
“I think it helps them a lot with the experience playing out of the Valley and going to big tournaments.”
The extra playing time seems to be helping, as the Lady Chargers seem poised to make a statement in the playoffs this season.
SEEKING A PLAYOFF SPOT
The Lady Eagles won the Port Isabel tournament during the preseason and have used that to vault them toward what has been a successful season thus far.
Hanna sits at 23-12 on the year, including a 3-1 record in district play. In a district that features powerhouses Los Fresnos and Brownsville Veterans, coach Ansgar Hagemann is hopeful that his team can make a run at a playoff spot.
“This district is very balanced,” Hagemann said. “But even with (Los Fresnos and Brownsville Veterans) in the district, we’re hoping to squeeze into the playoffs.”
If Hanna is going to do so, it will take matches like the one the Lady Eagles played against Lopez on Tuesday night.
The match, which ended in the fifth game, was something Hagemann hadn’t seen in all of his years as a coach.
The final game, which is typically played to 15, finished with Hanna ahead of Lopez 22-20 after the teams exchanged several match points.
GOAL REMAINS
San Benito has gone through the gauntlet that is District 32-6A and so far has a 1-3 record.
“We’re coming around. It was tough in the beginning, we played some tough teams, Los Fresnos, Harlingen, Brownsville Veterans, but we’re getting better every game,” San Benito coach Ruby Medina said.
While the record may seem underwhelming, Medina has seen promising signs from her libero as well as her middle and outside hitters and still has her sights set on the playoffs.
“Ariana Deleon (has stood out). Monica Garcia and Christen Alegria are also coming around,” she said. “I’m running with one setter right now. I have Dina (Trevino) who is normally my setter, she’s kind of short but she’s been playing outside hitter, they’ve all been good overall.”
Adam Kujawski covers high school sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him by telephone at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @adamkujo1.