Marina Martinez posted eight kills and 18 digs and Kara Yanez added 26 digs, but it wasn’t enough for Donna High, which lost to Harlingen High 25-9, 25-23 in the Donna ISD Tournament.
“They have a really good team,” Donna High coach Cindy Viesca said of Harlingen. “Defensively, they were able to counter our attack and we didn’t have a chance to regroup. We weren’t really expecting that. It’s kind of like an eye-opener for us. We’re going to learn from this experience and it’s going to help us in the long run.”
The Bravettes (10-1), who picked up their first loss of the season, struggled in both games but found more success in the second. Against Roma, Donna High was able to rally from behind to win. That’s something that Viesca said her team will need to be able to do once district gets under way.
Martinez, a team captain, was named to the all-tournament first team, along with teammate Yvette Tamez, a middle blocker.
Harlingen High’s Anabel Galindo was named the tournament’s MVP.
Donna ISD Volleyball Tournament
Saturday, Aug. 16
Gold Bracket
Donna High def. Roma, 21-25, 25-16, 15-13
Harlingen High def. Edinburg High, 25-12, 25-17
Donna High def. Hidalgo, 25-7, 25-11
Roma def. Harlingen South, 25-23, 25-20
Harlingen High def. Laredo Nixon, 25-12, 25-17
Edinburg High def. Edcouch-Elsa, 25-20, 25-18
Championship
Harlingen High def. Donna High, 23-25, 25-22, 15-3
Silver Bracket
La Joya High def. Mercedes, 25-4, 25-19
Mercedes def. Raymondville, 25-22, 25-15
La Joya High def. Santa Rosa, 25-13, 25-20
Lyford def. Monte Alto, 25-20, 25-11
Monte Alto def. Donna North, 25-20, 25-9
Lyford def. Valley View, 25-17, 25-20
Championship
La Joya High def. Lyford, 25-10, 26-28, 15-8
Bronze Bracket
Rio Hondo def. La Joya Palmview, 25-17, 25-18
Rio Grande City def. Progreso, 25-19, 25-15
Championship
Rio Hondo def. Rio Grande City, 11-25, 25-17, 15-12
Tournament MVP: Anabel Ricardo, Harlingen High
All-Tournament Team: Jennifer Nieto, Harlingen High; Grizelda Ortiz, Harlingen High; Marina Martinez, Donna High; Yvette Tamez, Donna High; Dezi Marmolejo, Edinburg High; Alejandra Galindo, Roma