ZAPATA — With McAllen High leading 23-20 over Laredo United in the critical third set of a Class 6A regional quarterfinal, Lexi Gonzalez killed the ball so hard cross court that no one from Laredo had a chance to move.
They just looked at one another in disbelief.
Meanwhile, after a rough start, it was the Bulldogs who had regained their belief.
In a match that featured crushing blows, strategic tips and pushes and defense sprawling all over the court, McHi claimed an 18-25, 28-26, 25-20, 25-20 victory to advance to the regional tournament Friday and Saturday in San Antonio. Earlier in the evening, McAllen Memorial punched its way into the Sweet 16, as well, with a five-set win over Laredo Alexander in Alice.
McHi will play Clemens at 7 p.m. Friday at the Alamo Convocation Center in San Antonio in the Region IV semifinal.
Trailing by a set after falling quickly in the first set to the Longhorns, the Bulldogs looked like they were going to have a short night, down 13-7. That’s when sophomore hitter Celina Saenz took control with four massive kills and the Bulldogs went on an 8-2 run, culminating in an ace from Ada Sadlier. McHi suddenly led 16-15.
Both teams battled back and forth with long rallies and each taking on crushing blows from the other. The tipping point may have been an iron curtain created by Sadlier as she blocked four attacks by United, and Haidee Moore and Gonzalez blocked another attempt for a 27-26 advantage. On the ensuing point, Gonzalez collected another one of her team-high 24 kills for a 28-26 win. The inability to put away the resilient Bulldogs, led defensively by libero Audrey Zamora, came back to bite the Longhorns.
“We made some adjustments after that first set,” McHi head coach Paula Dodge said. “We buckled down, focused and executed.”
McHi trailed for most of the third set, as well, until Moore and Saenz paired for a block to tie the game at 17. Then, setter Madison Helmcamp found an open space on the floor with a perfectly placed tip. Alexa Ramirez added a kill and Sadlier put one away off a quick middle set and McHi led 22-19. At 22-20, Gonzalez spiked a diving save from Zamora deep to the line in back row and it was 23-20.
“We wanted to focus on moving out feet and position ourselves by watching the hitters and react fast,” Zamora said. “They tried to change it up on us to throw us off and score points on us, but we just came back stronger.”
Dodge said the match may have been the best all-around performance by her squad, which improved to 46-2 on the year.
“They all stepped up to the plate, and got the job done,” Dodge said. “Ada played awesome. What more can I say? She was strong at the net, she blocked, turned her hands in and kept her wrists tight. It’s what we’ve been working on all season.”
“This was the best,” Dodge said about the performance. “It was the best of the season and that’s the way it should be.”
Gonzalez also had 24 digs and four blocks, while Saenz ended her strong night with 20 kills and Ramirez had seven kills. Sadlier finished with five of her team’s 12 blocks. Helmcamp had 50 assists. Zamora notched 27 digs.