By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
PORT ISABEL — The regular season ended Saturday for District 32-4A, and the La Feria Lionettes kept themselves in the mix for the top playoff seed with a sweep of Port Isabel.
The 25-8, 25-12, 25-18 match was a good bounce-back win for La Feria, which used the whole roster throughout the three sets, after losing to Hidalgo in five sets Friday. After Hidalgo defeated Rio Hondo later Saturday, the Lionettes, Lady Pirates and Lady Bobcats are all jumbled up at the top of the district with two losses each.
“It was our last regular season game and I felt like I needed to give everyone some playing time, so it was good. It felt like a total team win,” Fraga said. “(Now), someone, I would imagine, would have to play some kind of tiebreaker for seeding. If not all of us, at least two of us.”
It was the fourth and final match for the Lady Tarpons, who began practicing Oct. 12 and jumped right into district play days later. They got a little stronger in each set, playing scrappy back row defense and using a solid block to extend rallies as the match went on. Port Isabel coach Julie Breedlove saw good progress from her squad in the whirlwind season.
“Safety was the No. 1 priority for us, all we wanted was to keep our kids safe. I’m just so thankful we were at least able to get the games in that we did,” Breedlove said. “The girls did a great job coming in. We had four days of practice, so we had to do a lot of stuff quick. I’m really proud of the girls. We have a great group of senior girls that are going to go out and do great things, and we’re going to miss them. But we also have a great group of younger girls, and we’re excited about that.”
La Feria’s arsenal of powerful hitters challenged Port Isabel’s defensive specialists, who were an inexperienced bunch. Breedlove said the Lady Tarpons worked on bringing off-target digs back onto the court to keep volleys going in practice, and she felt the team executed that better in Saturday’s match than they did in others.
The Lionettes’ attack was spearheaded by Reanne Fraga swinging from the opposite position and Alani Garza in the middle. Libero Sabrina Castaneda played great defense to anchor La Feria’s back row, where she was helped by Ayisha Castillo’s solid passing.
Port Isabel junior middle blockers Madison Ramos and Gisell Borjas played well at the net, recording some blocks with the help of senior setter/opposite Karina Martinez. Ramos was effective as a hitter, too. But overall, the Lady Tarpons sent over too many tips and free balls that were covered well and used by La Feria to run an efficient offensive attack.
Castaneda and Garza were strong at the service line to spark scoring runs for the Lionettes that helped create comfortable leads in each set. Fraga said she has seen the team’s chemistry and players’ confidence improve throughout the season, and they’re ready to take on the playoffs and make the most of every match ahead of them.
“We look at Raymondville, they were the first ones to practice and they’re not able to finish their season,” Fraga said. “It’s reminding them and reminding myself that we need to be thankful for every opportunity we get to play. Right now, we’re feeling good. We’re excited to keep going.”