PORT ISABEL — Winning the seventh annual Volley at the Beach Tournament on Saturday provided the Hanna volleyball team with a healthy dose of confidence.
Hanna went 6-0 in the tournament, including 3-0 in pool play on Thursday, and defeated PSJA Southwest 21-25, 25-16, 15-10 in Saturday’s championship match.
Port Isabel was the host of the three-day, 12-team event that featured pool play on Thursday and Friday before the squads were seeded for Saturday’s bracket competition.
It was the second time in three years for the Lady Golden Eagles, 14-3, to capture the Volley at the Beach title. Harlingen South won it last year, but did not return this season.
“This feels great because we put so much effort into it,” said Hanna’s Xitlali Montes de Oca, a senior outside hitter/all-around player. “A parent talked to us a day before this tournament began about coming together and playing with teamwork, and I think it really helped us.
“I feel like this (tournament championship) lifts up our team and gives us more confidence,” she added. “We didn’t know we could get this far. We beat good teams that really put up a battle against us, and it makes us feel like a really strong team now for what’s ahead (including District 32-6A competition).”
The Lady Eagles opened the day with a 25-11, 25-21 quarterfinal victory against La Feria before downing Corpus Christi Carroll 26-24, 25-17 in the semifinals.
Then, in the final, the second game between Hanna and PSJA Southwest was tied eight times, the last time at 13-13, before the Lady Eagles surged ahead for a 21-14 advantage en route to taking the set 25-16 to send the match to a third and deciding game after dropping the first set 25-21.
Hanna led 6-0 and 10-2 in the third game against the Lady Javelinas before taking the set 15-10 on an ace by Angelina Castillo.
“It’s always pleasant to win a trophy, and it gives us momentum and confidence,” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “I think the girls had a lot of confidence and showed what they can do against Carroll and then maybe got a little nervous to start out against Southwest because it was the final.
“It’s not an everyday thing that you get to play a final, so they were a little bit frozen in the beginning, but then they loosened up and got more in control,” he added. “Losing the first game and then coming back to win is not really our game plan. We’d rather start strong and carry over the momentum to the following games and win the match.”
To reach the final, PSJA Southwest, 13-2, defeated Monte Alto 25-8, 25-17 in the quarterfinals and downed Santa Rosa 25-18, 25-9 in the semifinals.
“We have a young team and this was the first time in our school history to reach the final of this tournament, so we were a little nervous,” Lady Javelinas coach Jaclyn Olvera said. “I’m excited to see how our season goes. As the season progresses, I see how we’re maturing.”
Carroll defeated Santa Rosa 25-22, 25-16 in the third-place match, while Lopez topped Monte Alto 25-14, 19-25, 15-2 for the consolation championship. The Lady Lobos played three matches on Saturday and all of them went three games.