By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS — It was by no means an ordinary non-district volleyball match Tuesday when Los Fresnos played host to McAllen Rowe at the Lady Falcons’ gym.
The memories of the two teams’ most recent meeting in a Class 6A regional quarterfinal one season ago were still all too present in the minds of the participants to let the match simply be a non-significant tuneup for district.
The Lady Falcons and Lady Warriors met as two of the top squads in the Rio Grande Valley last Nov. 11 at the Harlingen South gym, and Los Fresnos prevailed in a five-game nail-biter to advance to the regional tournament for the second time in four seasons. Rowe had beaten the Lady Falcons at the same level of the playoffs in 2013.
Los Fresnos and Rowe, each with their strong hitting, pinpoint setting and solid defensive play, continue to rank among the Valley’s elite teams, and on Tuesday, each of them was intent upon impressing the other of its superiority. Needless to say, there was a little emotion involved.
This time, Los Fresnos was the team displaying a bit more consistency at the most opportune moments as the Lady Falcons came away with a 25-17, 25-20, 26-24 victory.
It was Los Fresnos’ first home match of the season, and a good crowd turned out to see the Lady Falcons improve to 10-1, coming off their consolation championship at last weekend’s Poundfest Tournament in McAllen.
Rowe (10-2) also brought its share of fans as the Lady Warriors were fresh from a runner-up finish at the same tournament, which was won by McAllen High.
Among the Los Fresnos players, there was a feeling Tuesday something akin to winning in the playoffs, although it was of course a non-district triumph that came as the season is just beginning. If anything, it was an indication of the promise that lies ahead, not just for the winners, but for both teams, actually, considering their level of play.
““It’s so exciting to play with a team that’s this good,” senior middle blocker Sam Ibarra said of her Lady Falcons squad. “We were all working together — the setter, the hitters, the defense. It was everybody, so it was a good team effort.”
Rowe coach Magda Canales appreciates the rivalry that has developed between the two squads.
“We want to play teams like Los Fresnos,” Canales said. “It’s fun and it’s good (for us). It gives us a better idea of what we need to do (to improve). I’m pleased with the things we gained out of this match.”
After three early ties, Los Fresnos surged ahead to lead by as many as 10 points three times during the opening game. The Lady Falcons were up 19-9, 22-12 and 23-13 before taking the first set 25-17.
Rowe held its biggest lead of four points twice, 11-7 and 13-9, during the second game, but again, Los Fresnos would not be denied. After a 16-16 tie, the Lady Falcons tallied nine of the next 13 points and led 22-17 en route to winning 25-20.
Although it never led in the third game and even trailed 10-3 at one point, Rowe gave its strongest showing in the final set, particularly near the end when the Lady Warriors rallied to tie the score at 24 on a kill by Ryela Rodriguez. A well-placed tip by Sam Ibarra then gave Los Fresnos a 25-24 edge, and the Lady Falcons swept the match a few moments later when Rowe attempted to return a volley but hit into the net instead, giving the home team a 26-24 victory.
Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods said her squad was motivated by last year’s highly contested playoff match against Rowe, plus getting to play at home for the first time this season. Another motivating factor, she said, was the Lady Falcons’ loss to McAllen Memorial on Saturday that dropped them into the Poundfest consolation bracket.
“We really thought we should have been playing in the championship match (of the Poundfest Tournament),” Woods said. “We weren’t ready to play that morning (against Memorial) for some reason. I don’t know what happened to us.
“Memorial has a good team, just like Rowe and McAllen High,” Woods added. “They’re all good teams up there on that end of the Valley, and so is Mission Veterans. I’m just glad they’re all over there and not down here. It’s always a big rivalry when we play Rowe.”
Jackie Kingsbury had 12 kills and 13 digs for Los Fresnos. Sam Ibarra had 12 kills and one ace, and teammates Joceline Caraveo, Cassie Parra and Giselle Ibarra added nine, eight and six kills, respectively. Parra also contributed seven digs and three aces, Miranda Gonzales finished with 42 assists and Elizabeth Ramirez had 17 digs.
Rowe senior hitter Mayda Garcia, the reigning All-Valley player of the year, finished with 12 kills, 29 digs, two blocks and three aces. Also for Rowe, Sophia Luna had seven kills and three blocks, while Rodriguez added five kills and three blocks.
Los Fresnos and Rowe next play at the Northeast ISD Tournament that begins Thursday in San Antonio.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.