PHARR — PSJA North got a taste of what the rest of District 31-6A has been getting in the early part of the 2020 high school volleyball season — a dose of Evana Ramos and the first-place Edinburg North Cougars.
Ramos, a senior, had yet another monster game both offensively and defensively and Edinburg North swept PSJA North 25-11, 25-17, 25-17 to remain undefeated Tuesday at PSJA North High School.
The Cougars improved to 4-0 on the year with wins over Edinburg High, Edinburg Vela, PSJA High and PSJA North. The Cougars sit alone atop the district nearly halfway through, while the other teams continue to beat one another as they scramble for postseason position.
Ramos led the nation in digs last year, according to MaxPreps.com. The Monitor’s 2019 All-Area Libero of the Year was once again a human backboard Tuesday in the back row, saving nearly everything hit at, near and around her. She, at times, also had some impressive defensive help from Shayla Gaytan and Stephany Kotzur. Ramos, however, just didn’t save balls, she also attacked — and often — from the back row. The verbal commit to UTRGV had a game-high 13 kills to go with her 31 digs, five assists and four aces.
Edinburg North head coach Raul McCallum said as impressive as Ramos has been this season with her dominant play, it’s been her leadership that has risen to new levels.
“The way the kids are responding to her has been important for our team,” McCallum said. “She’s our quarterback and she will tell them to move to different spots or whatever and they are listening. It’s important they don’t just watch her play. I tell them she’s not going to get to every ball, which she pretty much does, but if she doesn’t they have to be there.”
Tuesday, she was at nearly every ball, rarely missing an opportunity to keep a play alive. She received nearly every PSJA North serve, as well, while in the game.
“We tell our girls to serve the ball to the player in the wrong colored jersey,” McCallum said, referring to the libero, considered the best defensive player on each team and who wears a different color jersey than the rest of the team. “When they serve to us they know that Evans is going to get the dig and pick up that serve.
PSJA North had a few solid attacks led by outside hitters Angel Lozano and Emily Lucio. However, the Cougars’ back row rarely let a ball land and more often than not returned the attack with one of their own.
“Our height is very different this year from the past years and that makes my job easier,” Ramos said. “I was a litter nervous at the beginning of the year knowing we were taking in a lot of new girls, but it was really easy because they were super nice.
“Our goal is just to get closer as team. We don’t have goals like to win every game. As a captain I want us to try to have as much fun because, well, you don’t know with corona(virus). Sure, everybody would love to win all their games and we’re going to try of course but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.”
Edinburg North led for the most part throughout the entire first two sets, falling behind by two early in the first set. In the third, however, the Raiders led by as many as five, 9-4, propelled by an ace and a pair of kills from Lucio. Trailing 11-7, however, Alexis Espinoza collected a kill and Edinburg North went on a 7-0 run to lead 16-11 en route to the sweep.
Kayla O’Bryan added five kills, six digs and three blocks for Edinburg North while Kotzur contributed 12 assists, three aces and 10 digs.
Edinburg North (4-0) plays at home Friday against Mission High, which is coming off a win over Edinburg Vela on Tuesday night. PSJA North (2-2 in district) travels to Edinburg High.