McALLEN — Haidee Moore winced just a bit after her first attack Saturday at the net, not exactly swinging at 100% power. She then stretched her arm to make sure her shoulder was OK. The next time she got a set, she tipped it just over of the outstretched arms of a blocker, still a little unsure and testing that shoulder.
On the next ball to her, the McAllen High senior middle hitter let a shot rip through a pair of blockers and down the middle of the court for her first kill of the match against McAllen Memorial.
That wince turned into a smile of satisfaction throughout the day as Moore and Ollie Tite paced McHi’s offense, while Audrey Zamora was a human highlight reel defensively in the back row, as the Bulldogs claimed a 25-21, 23-25, 25-18, 25-20 win over a taller and arguably more powerful Mustangs team.
Combined with McAllen Rowe’s five-set win over previously unbeaten Sharyland Pioneer, the McHi victory throws the top of District 31-5A into what looks like a rush-hour traffic jam with McHi, Memorial, Pioneer and Rowe all with one loss. Memorial plays Rowe on Tuesday and Pioneer on Saturday to end the first time through the schedule for that district.
Moore had played the first week with a sore shoulder, limiting her effectiveness and strength at the net. That concern was cleared early in the match. It was especially critical for the Bulldogs, playing without leading hitter Celina Saenz.
“After I pounded that one, I felt a lot better,” said Moore, who ended the day with nine kills, three blocks and was a fixture in several key plays. “After that I had the confidence in my hitting. We knew they (Memorial) were a great team and with plenty of power and we would have to play together, communicate and step up.”
Ollie Tite had a team-high 14 kills and seven aces to go with two blocks.
“The seniors really played hard today, they wanted this,” McHi head coach Paula Dodge said. “We knew they were big and powerful and we needed to play great defense. Defense is the key, it wins game.”
Leading that defense when the Mustangs’ barrage of attacks got past the blockers was senior libero Audrey Zamora, who time after time saved balls with fully extended dives all across the back row. She ended the match with a game-high 20 digs.
“I just tried to read their hitters and how blockers were set up,” Zamora said. “They did a great job at the next. Memorial has great hitters but we played together and we worked hard all game.”
McHi won the first set but Memorial came back in the second behind an artillery of kills from JoJo Fernandez, freshman Amare Hernandez and Eliane Silberman. Fernandez and Hernandez each had 10 kills to pace Memorial, and Fernandez added a game-leading four blocks.
The third set was tied at 17 when McHi went on a 5-0 run behind a pair of aces from Tite and kills from Aleah Saenz and Moore. Memorial broke the run with a powerful kill from Leah Garcia. And closed to within 22-18. Madison Helmcamp served out the set on a 3-0 run during which Zamora made a sprawling save, Moore placed a perfect tip over two blockers and followed that with a block to end the set.
“These girls just know each other so well from both teams, playing with them so much. They know where the holes are and what to do,” Dodge said. “Today they came out, led by our seniors, had fun and worked hard the entire match against a very, very good Memorial team.”
The Bulldogs led early and throughout the entire fourth set, leading by as much as nine at 15-6. Title added her final kill of the day then made a diving save of a ball that took Memorial by surprise, flying over the net and landing just inside the line to end that match.
McHi improved to 3-1 overall (4-1 following the afternoon win over PSJA Southwest), while Memorial dropped to 2-1 (3-1 including the forfeit win over Valley View, which begins play when the district’s second time through the schedule begins). District 31-5A is playing doubleheaders Saturday to maximize the number of matches before playoffs and due to a COVID-related shortened season.