By JOSHUA McKINNEY, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial had the momentum going into the fifth and final set.
But the Lady Chargers’ streaky play didn’t allow them to capitalize.
Brownsville Veterans (7-4) lost to the Mission Veterans Memorial Lady Patriots in five sets, 22-25, 25-17, 25-17, 8-25, 15-8.
Brownsville Veterans showed signs of growing pains that come with having a young team.
“I’ve been telling the girls they just can’t come and play one game, relax the next two, then beat someone 25-8 and go into a fifth game because now, wait, we have to win because if we lose that fifth set,” Mares said. “It made you give yourselves that pressure in the fifth game. Basically, it’s no consistency with the team yet. That’s what tournaments, non-district’s for, to try and get that consistency, especially with a young and new team.
“I feel like that’s what we are, even though I do have some seniors but they didn’t quite get a lot of playing time last year. I basically told them, they can’t be like a roller coaster … it has to be all of the people on the court at the same time to be successful.”
The Lady Chargers forced a fifth set after dominating the Lady Patriots in the fourth, ending the set on a 12-3 streak.
Their hot streak continued at the start, with Brownsville Veterans jumping to a 4-0 lead after a Cassie Valdez kill.
Mission Veterans roared back and tied the set on a kill by Alex Jimenez.
Both sides battled back and fourth, but a pair of unforced errors started an eight-point surge the Lady Patriots carried to the win.
“I think they relaxed a little bit and took control of the game,” Mission Veterans coach Marina Carillo said. “We were having trouble just setting the ball up and our defense wasn’t where it was supposed to be. I think they pulled it through at the end.”
Defense was the bright spot for Brownsville Veterans in the match, which will help carry the team while the attack comes together in the early season.
“I think that’s one of our advantages, the defense,” Mares said. “Defense wins championships but if the hitters can’t put it away, the defense has to do all of the work. I did think we struggled there toward the end with the passes. Taking away the defense, there are some rotations I really, really like and some I want to work on.”
Valdez led Brownsville Veterans 14 kills and 34 assists. Marian Villarreal had 27 digs and Paola Villarreal had 25.
Carillo said Jimenez stepped it up on the front line for Mission Veterans, and it showed in the final stats as she led the team with 12 kills. Jimenez also had two blocks, Andrea De la Garza had 19 digs and Valerie De la Fuente had 13 assists.
Joshua McKinney covers high school sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @joshuabvherald.