It is definitely cliché, but Edcouch-Elsa volleyball head coach Gloria Treviño believes in the adage that “offense brings fans, defense brings championships.”
If she wasn’t loyal to that phrase, she may be a little worried about where her team stands in preparation for the upcoming district season just less than two weeks away.
“We are defensively sound, but last year at this point we were a little quicker with our offense,” said Treviño, in her second year leading the Yellow Jackets. “But the girls know what they need to get there and we are slowly prevailing.
The defending District 32-5A champions return six seniors from last year’s squad that ended Brownsville Veterans’ dominance in the district. While the two teams split their two matches, E-E had already clinched the title when the Chargers came to town. Even though Veterans won and ended E-E’s hopes for a perfect district record, the Jackets still claimed the top seed going to the postseason.
Leading that defense is libero Arissa Cavazos, who has held that position for the past two seasons. Her job is to not only keep rallies alive, but start the offense in motion with quick, crisp passes to her setter, usually Meagan Acevado, for what Treviño wants to see — a quick and powerful point-ending kill, often times coming from right-side hitter Veronica Elizondo or one of Edcouch’s other big hitters.
“This isn’t ping pong. We don’t want to be rallying back and forth,” she said. “When the other team gives us a free ball our job is to get a kill off it to quick point or a point and side out. When we are in certain rotations, these girls know what to do and they’re getting there.
“Having played together and having played a lot together from school and in all the toughest leagues, these girls know their strengths and weaknesses.”
The Class 5A Yellow Jackets hold an 18-7 record, having finished second in a Donna tournament, fourth in a Sinton tournament and fifth in a Laredo tournament. They also have impressive wins over Class 6A perennial powers McAllen Rowe and San Benito.
E-E almost knocked off the Texas Girls Coaches Association’s No. 12-ranked Class 5A team in Mission Veterans, coached by Treviño’s sister, Diana Lerma.
“We lost 15-13 to them in the third set,” Treviño said. “We came so close. They looked worried, they sure did.”
Edcouch travels to Roma for a 6:30 non-district matchup tonight before hosting Brownsville Hanna on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets open defense of their District 32-5A title on Sept. 14 against Brownsville Lopez at home.
LERMA HONORED AS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mission Veterans senior Kassy Lerma was named the Max Preps/American Volleyball Coaches Association national volleyball player of the week for the week of Aug. 21.
The middle hitter/blocker has registered 451 kills so far this year, averaging 6.7 kills per set on .543 hitting percentage. She has also accumulated 117 blocks — 87 solo blocks and 30 block assists for the No. 12 team in the Class 5A rankings, according to the TGCA.
She also has 26 aces and 343 digs. Lerma was also named The Monitor/RGV Sports.com Player of the Week for Aug 19. Mission Veterans is 22-5 on the year and plays at Brownsville Hanna at 7 tonight.