By Adam Kujawski, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial claimed another victim Friday night, defeating visiting San Benito 25-15, 25-12, 23-25, 26-24.
The Lady Chargers nearly made it a sweep, but a grueling third game prolonged the match. The Lady Greyhounds did not give in, but Brownsville Veterans prevailed behind another strong performance by Mariza Cardenas along with teammates Daniella Collaso and Krista Lopez.
San Benito looked tough early, when it notched the first five points in Game 1. However, the Lady Chargers soon found their groove and won 14 out of the next 16 points, and they finished the game by winning six of eight.
Brownsville Veterans didn’t leave any doubt in Game 2. The Lady Chargers jumped out to a 9-1 lead and held on to a wide margin throughout the game.
After the second game, San Benito coach Ruby Medina told her team to hang tough.
“I had a talk with them. They were already putting themselves down,” she said. “The first two games, that was not my team out there.”
Just when it looked as though the match had been decided, San Benito put up a fight in Game 3. It turned an 8-3 deficit into a five-point lead, and down the stretch, the Lady ’Hounds were tougher, winning critical points late to stay alive.
Lady Chargers coach Lisa Mares wasn’t sure why her team looked as though it had suddenly lost focus.
“I think they just got a little complacent the third game,” she said. “I put some of my subs in the third game, but my subs weren’t the ones making the errors. Maybe my starters weren’t as comfortable, but it’s not an excuse.”
The Lady Greyhounds’ momentum carried into Game 4. Despite dropping the first four points, San Benito worked a 13-2 rally to lead 13-6. After a fierce battle, Brownsville Veterans barely hung on to win the match.
“I’m very proud of my team that they didn’t give up, they showed their true colors, we just kind of lost it there at the end,” Medina said.
Mares, on the other hand, will use this close match as a teaching tool. After the match, she asked the players on her team if they liked the feeling of playing on their heels.
“(After the game) I told them, ‘You can’t let somebody get the momentum like that,’” she said. “I felt like if we would have lost the fourth game, we would’ve lost the fifth game.”
Cardenas led all players with 17 kills followed by Collaso, who added 11. Lopez chipped in 37 digs but was second-highest behind San Benito’s Ariana Deleon, who had 47. Kailha Reyes led the Lady Greyhounds in kills with nine.
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.