NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
McAllen — McHi junior outside hitter Lexi Gonzalez is not surprising anyone anymore.
When Gonzalez is on the court, and she doesn’t often sit, defenses will plan to slow her attack – usually falling short of their goal. The 6-foot figure wearing No. 1 leads the RGVSports.com fourth-ranked Bulldogs.
As the season starts its second trip through district play, the Bulldogs will be relying on the play of their star, and the rest of the hard-hitting squad, to gain better position for the playoffs and, possibly, make a district title run.
McHi travels to McAllen Rowe for a 7:30 p.m. Matchup. The Bulldogs are 5-2 in District 30-6A, Rowe is 6-1 and McAllen Memorial leads the district with a perfect 7-0 record.
“I enjoy scoring a lot,” Gonzalez said with a smile during a recent practice. “Everyone just celebrates and that makes everyone motivated, pumped and that helps us a lot.”
Last year, Gonzalez was a part of a trio of hitters who eclipsed 250 kills. With Victoria Rodgers and Carter Helmcamp graduated, Gonzalez doesn’t just wear No. 1, she’s the go-to option. She already has 455 kills this season. Senior Damaris Llanas is next with 200 kills
“Last year, we lost two really good players and we also lost eight people,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve had to work hard, but every girl that’s on varsity right now has worked for her spot.”
That includes returning senior outside hitter Llanas and a group of five sophomores head coach Paula Dodge has entrusted to contribute for McHi.
Libero Audrey Zamora is a 10th-grader, sophomore Haide Moore is a middle hitter and Madison Helmcamp, also a sophomore, is a setter.
Helmcamp has played with her 2021 classmates before, but now they are in bigger roles to mold the varsity unit.
“Both years have definitely been very different,” said Madison Helmcamp, who leads the team in aces with 61 and assists with 500. “Last year, I was a freshman so I was new to the whole high school team. This year is different because we lost a few seniors who were very strong. We still have Lexi and a bunch of other amazing players. We have a good connection and chemistry, so this year’s been going good.”
Gonzalez, the high-energy junior, is not a stranger to the varsity level, she’s been on varsity every year but this year is different. She’s on everyone’s radar this year because she’s the leader.
Plus it’s been a whirlwind year in which she showcased her talent.
She’s Division I bound after verbally committing to play volleyball at PAC-12 member Oregon State University in August. In the spring she displayed college-level skill on the soccer field in goal as well, being a part of history as she guided McHi’s girls soccer team to the state tournament, becoming the first girls team in the Rio Grande Valley to mark that accomplishment.
“I played soccer first when I was like 4,” Gonzalez said. “I played basketball when I was 10. I started playing volleyball when I was 11. I love volleyball so much, I never got a bad feeling and I always liked being on the court. That really helped with my decision.”
McHi dropped a four-set match to McAllen Rowe at home and a five-set defeat at the hands of McAllen Memorial during the first trip through district play. With a 32-5 overall record, the Bulldogs are using those few losses as learning tools rather than roadblocks.
“Those are our favorite games,” Dodge said. “Plus, they have their tape to watch from those games. We look at the things that we did right and we definitely took apart the mistakes that we made and what we need to do to improve. Those are learning situations.”
The mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores all have their sights set on a strong finish to their year.
“Those losses to Rowe and Memorial was very much an eye-opener – both games,” Helmcamp said. “We knew that it was going to be a good game, but we really thought we were going to pull through and win, and we can. So this round we just have to go in stronger.”