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After falling behind against Corpus Christi Calallen, Mission Veterans Memorial battled back to pick up a 23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 15-7 win in a Class 5A area playoff match Saturday in Alice.
“We just fought really hard,” Mission Veterans interim coach Vivian Ray said. “It was just a tough battle. It was back and forth, and the fifth game, we just finally got the momentum and we finished the game off.”
Daisy Reyna led the Lady Patriots with 20 kills, while Gabby Lerma had 18.
D.D. Ibarra picked up 30 assists, and Karina Garcia notched 15.
Ray was most impressed with the team’s effort on defense. Mariah Gonzalez led Mission Vets with 32 digs, while Lerma had 22. Jackie Howell had seven blocks, with Reyna, Alex Jimenez and Makenzie Gerlach each adding four.
“Defensively, as far as us digging the heck out of the ball, I think we did a very good job,” Ray said. “Later in the match, we were getting our hands on the ball better, blocking. We just did what we had to do to get the job done.”
Mission Veterans will play in a regional semifinal match against Victoria West on Tuesday at Corpus Christi Ray.
TAPPS 1A REGIONAL QUARTERFINAL
JUAN DIEGO ACADEMY 3, SAN MARCOS HILL COUNTRY CHRISTIAN 0: At Annapolis Christian Academy in Corpus Christi, Juan Diego Academy rolled to a 25-10, 25-11, 25-16 win.
Juan Diego Academy advances to the state tournament this week in San Antonio.