By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
The Brownsville Porter Cowgirls didn’t go down easy, but a big block from Brownsville Pace helped the Viqueens hold on for a four-set District 32-5A Zone B win Tuesday.
Freshman middle blocker Andie Lozano-Lomeli was a key contributor on Pace’s block and offensive attack to lift her team after it struggled during the third set to earn the 25-8, 25-13, 19-25, 25-16 victory. She played well throughout the night, using her height, vertical and great timing at the net to stuff Porter’s hitters and record booming kills.
“It felt great. I feel like our team worked hard, and we knew we were capable of getting back in the fourth set. I was really proud of them because it’s all about being mentally strong,” Lozano-Lomeli said. “In the fourth set, definitely I’ll give a lot of credit to my setter, my sister (Dyllan Lozano-Lomeli). When she gave me a perfect set, that’s when I got the ball down. And also the passers, because if they don’t get the ball to the perfect spot, then I can’t get the kill.”
The Viqueens went up two sets behind their lineup of strong hitters. Ana Cano, Ashley Gonzalez and Estefany Coutino were consistent from the outside and opposite positions. The variety from the Pace attack kept Porter’s back-row defense on its heels early on, which caused too many unforced errors and free balls from the Cowgirls hitters.
Porter has powerful hitters in Brianna Franco, Azaneth Perez and Kladys Sandoval, and first-year coach Ashley Martinez said she has been pleased with the way freshman setter Melanie Ortiz runs the offense. But reigning in that power is a work in progress.
The Cowgirls cleaned up their play and rattled the Viqueens to win the third set and keep the fourth competitive. Franco anchored a Porter block that grew more effective during the final two sets. Libero Liberty Garza and defensive specialists Angela Vallejo and Andrea Perez were scrappy and passed better as the match rolled on, helping the Cowgirls show their fight.
“We tell our girls, we have 12 seniors on our squad, so it’s do or die. Give it all or nothing. That really fired them up, but we’re losing points at the net by not finishing,” Martinez said. “We’re sending the ball out way too many times. We’re a much better team in practice, and we need to bring that same energy onto the court. That’s the struggle that we’re having right now, but I know the girls are hungry and I know they want to make this program change.”
Andie Lozano-Lomeli, Cano and Gonzalez were especially lethal during the fourth set, creating a wall at the net that shook Porter’s hitters and got momentum back on Pace’s side to close out the match.
“Porter doesn’t give up. Their defense moves all over the place. They wanted it, you could tell,” Pace coach Pamela McCumber said. “Our competitiveness and drive, I feel like that really came up big in the fourth set. I call (my team) the chest pain team, the game point team. They like to come back and fight.”