DAVE FAVILA | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The Harlingen South Lady Hawks have found themselves in 0-2 holes a few times this season, and somehow they found a way to battle back and force a fifth game.
On Saturday afternoon against San Benito, the Lady Hawks, once again, found themselves with their backs to the wall in an 0-2 situation.
However, the Lady Greyhounds had no intention of letting South come back on them as they slammed the door and cruised to a 25-23, 25-23, 25-18 win on South’s home court.
With the victory – along with a Brownsville Rivera loss to Hanna – the Lady Hounds clinched a playoff spot. They will now represent District 32-6A as the No. 4 seed in the postseason.
“I stressed to the girls all week that this was the game we needed to win if we wanted to make the playoffs,” said Lady Hounds head coach Ruby Medina. “We had been preparing for the pressure and they handled it well today.”
With Saturday’s win, the Lady Hounds improved to 7-6 in district play with one game left in the regular season, which is, coincidentally, against Rivera on Tuesday.
Rivera had entered the day sitting one game behind San Benito at 5-7. Had the Lady Raiders won on Saturday, they would have remained one game back with a chance to tie the Lady Hounds with a win on Tuesday. Hanna’s win took all the pressure off San Benito.
“It’s good to get back to the playoffs after missing out last season,” said Medina. “Not making the playoffs last year really hurt the girls because they were used to always making them. It’s nice to be back and that’s a credit to how united this team is. They’ve come together all season and their unity is what sets them apart.”
The Lady Hounds had to use that unity to overcome South on Saturday.
After a back-and-forth start to Game 1, the Lady Hawks took a 22-16 lead and were just three points away from winning the opening set.
However, the Lady Hounds dug in and eventually took the first game 25-23.
Game 2 was similar to the first as both teams traded punches throughout before South took a slim 23-22 lead and looked to tie the match at 1-1.
However, the Lady Hawks simply couldn’t close things out, allowing the Lady Hounds to come back and with the second set 25-23.
With momentum fully on their side, the Lady Hounds came out in Game 3 and stole the show to seal the match.
The Lady Hounds were led by Sara Garcia, who had 19 digs; Monica Garcia, who had eight kills and six blocks; Miranda Vallejo, who finished with 10 kills and two blocks; and Clarissa Gomez, who had 26 assists.
“I am so proud of the girls,” said Medina. “My seniors have shown great leadership and the team has really rallied around them.
“We also wouldn’t be here without the solid play from our defense. It has been a team effort for us this year.”
As the No. 4 seed out of District 32-6A, the Lady Hounds will now face Edinburg North in the bi-district round of the playoffs, which begin the first week of November.