BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Tuesday night was more than the typical season opener for the Mission Veterans Patriots. Their season-opening match against the McAllen Memorial Mustangs marked the return of Diana Lerma, the longtime Patriots coach who led the program to 11 district titles and 10 area championships in her first 14 years on the sidelines.
Lerma’s players backed her up in the opener, capturing three of four sets to down McAllen Memorial 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 26-24 in Mission.
“Coming back to do what I do best felt great,” Lerma said. “This is my passion. I’m proud to be back.”
The teams traded runs throughout the match. In the first set, McAllen Memorial took a 7-5 lead before Mission Vets (1-0) went on a 6-0 run to go up four. Later leading 22-15, the Patriots seemed primed to take the first set running away, but the Mustangs roared back to tie it at 23. Vets would rally to go up 1-0.
The Mustangs knotted things at a set apiece and kept close with the Patriots throughout the match. Down two sets to one, McAllen Memorial (0-1) led 23-20 in the fourth only to crumble as Mission Vets tallied six of the final seven points to win the match.
“They’re hard workers,” Lerma said of her players. “They’ve been going at it since the first day of practice, but really there’s no such thing as an offseason for them. They’ve been busting their butts all summer long, getting into any tournament they can get into. They are very goal-oriented, and that’s what I love about them.”
Junior Jackie Howell was a standout for Mission Veterans, collecting 30 digs and 20 kills in Tuesday’s win. She said she understood the importance of the match for Lerma, who was reassigned in October 2015 before returning to the job this season.
“It was exciting. It was a close game, but I don’t know if she wanted it this close,” Howell said. “But it feels great. She really wanted to win on her first time back at home. I’m glad we got to give that to her.”
Serving specialist and fellow junior Makenzie Gerlach chipped in with 22 digs and 13 kills. Late in the match, Gerlach was reminded of the situational practices Lerma simulated for her and her teammates.
“Coach Lerma has put us in situations in practice where the score would be 24-19 and find a way to come back from that,” Gerlach said. “We knew it’d be a mental challenge to overcome that.”
The match went about the way McAllen Memorial coach Lorena Lopez had hoped. In a nip-and-tuck battle, however, her team came up short.
“We have all the tools to win big matches like that one,” Lopez said. “It’s just a matter of us coming through in the clutch. For a team that is sophomore-heavy, it’s something we’ll have to work on.”
The Mustangs played their opener without junior middle hitter Lanie Nitsch, who was a member of The Monitor’s 2016 All-Area Volleyball First Team. Nitsch was present in support of her Memorial teammates on Tuesday night. Her father, Pat, spoke with The Monitor before the match via email.
“She wants to play, and I think it may still be a possibility,” Pat Nitsch said. “She loves her team. She loves the sport. More than anything, she simply loves to compete. Unfortunately, she has had to struggle with a knee injury during the last couple of years. The doctors have said that repeated trauma from jumping in a certain manner will irritate the knee and induce swelling. The only way to avoid the swelling is to avoid the trauma. If she plays, she will need to continue therapy to strengthen her knee.”
Next up for the Mustangs is the McAllen Tournament beginning Thursday, while the Patriots are preparing for the Texas Volleyball Invitational in Pearland starting Thursday, as well.
“We’ll get on the bus Wednesday at 10 a.m. and drive up there for the opening ceremonies on Thursday,” Lerma said. “We’re in a tough bracket. Out of the 72 teams up there, we’re ranked 67th. So we’re the underdogs, but we love going there, because it’s very competitive. Our goal is to try and make the gold division. If not, hey, those teams are pretty good, after all.”