BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
ALAMO — At Edinburg North volleyball’s team night prior to Tuesday’s match against PSJA Memorial, each player was assigned a different word to tape to the back of their sneakers. For sophomore Victoria Rogers, the word was “Fight.”
“I think it fit pretty nicely into this scenario,” Rogers said after the match.
Indeed, Edinburg North and PSJA Memorial battled point for point much of the night, with Rogers trading blow for blow with the Wolverines’ Kristi Gomez the whole way. In the end, it was Rogers who landed the final shot, smacking a cross-court kill to seal Edinburg North’s 25-23, 17-25, 25-23, 25-15 win.
The game-ending shot gave Rogers 21 kills to Gomez’s 20 and essentially leveled the race for the District 31-6A title as teams near the second round of play.
“It was just who had more heart this time,” Rogers said. “Everyone really wanted it. Everyone had really good talent and really good teams. It was just that we worked really hard for this.”
Rogers consistently established herself as an attacking threat early, scoring the Cougars’ first two kills in every game.
In addition to notching the match’s last point, Rogers smacked home the final kill of Game 3, tucking it just inside the back line.
She found success hitting to all parts of the court Tuesday and said she made an effort to mix it up against the Wolverines’ defense.
“We were picking everything up, so our setters had a great chance to set me up,” Rogers said. “They helped me get the kills.”
Ayissa Maldonado, Edinburg North’s primary setter, finished with 48 assists. Julie Villarreal also had a strong game for the Cougars with 16 kills and 21 digs. Rogers added 35 digs.
Maldonado said moving the ball around was key to the offensive output, and coach Adrian Cavazos often slid his middles to the outside to set up one-on-one hitting opportunities.
“I just think our offense outworked their defense today,” Cavazos said. “After a while, they didn’t know where the ball was going.”
On the other end, the Cougars could be confident the Wolverines would try to get the ball to Gomez. A sophomore and last season’s District 31-6A newcomer of the year, Gomez unleashed attacks from all over the court, showing why she’s led the team in kills in five of six district games.
“If the opportunity is there, we’re going to use her. And the opportunity was there quite a bit,” PSJA Memorial coach Angie Gonzales said. “She did well for us. She doesn’t stop fighting. She hustles after every ball. She pumps up our team.”
In scouting PSJA Memorial’s previous match against Weslaco High, Cavazos saw that Gomez was single-blocked for most of the game. So on Tuesday, he tried to throw a number of different looks at her — single blocks, double blocks, and even the occasional triple.
“I figured, try to make her uncomfortable,” Cavazos said. “Make her think about how many hands I’m going to see. … I think cumulatively, the effect got to her.”
The unusual heat of PSJA Memorial’s gym also seemed to get to the Wolverines, Cavazos and Gonzales agreed.
Cavazos felt North “outlasted” Memorial on Tuesday.
“We can’t say that the condition of the gym not having AC was the only factor,” Gonzales said, “but I definitely feel that it could have played a role in our performance.”
As a result, Edinburg North knocked off the last remaining unbeaten in District 31-6A. PSJA Memorial still sits atop the standings at 5-1, but Edinburg North and Edinburg High are both just behind at 4-1.
Edinburg North and Edinburg High finished tied atop last year’s standings, with PSJA Memorial in fifth.
“This definitely keeps us in, which is how we want it this year,” Maldonado said. “After having to share it last year, this year, since we’re mostly seniors, we want it. And we’re going to work for it.”