STAFF REPORT
Early season matchups in high school volleyball are meant to prepare teams for the rigors of district play.
Due to the Valley being a hotspot for the COVID-19 pandemic, there wasn’t a preseason for any area teams. Teams may have squeaked in two games before their district schedule began, some went headfirst into district.
For Edinburg Vela, the District 31-6A season opener against PSJA High was a battle of two teams expected to fight for the district title. Vela shook off a little rust and rebounded from a first-set loss as the Sabercats claimed an 11-25, 25-22, 25-27, 25-21, 15-10 win over the Bears on Tuesday at PSJA High.
“We went in there hoping we were ready after trying to put it together for a week,” Vela head coach Araceli Ortega said. “As the match went on, you could see our girls were starting to figure it out. They (PSJA) had just beaten Mission Veterans over the weekend. We knew that and knew it would be tough. I was proud to see how they responded.
Vela lost the first set 25-11 and trailed early in the second set before the two teams tied at 10 and then four more times before Vela went on an 8-3 run for a 22-17 advantage. Samantha Villalobos recorded two aces during that span and Vela went on to tie the match at one set apiece.
After the two teams traded off wins in the next two sets, Vela jumped out to 8-4 lead and extended it to 10-5 behind the of Fey Vasquez. A sophomore, Vasquez was used mainly as a blocker last year but with the graduation of standout Glenys Maldonado, she has been asked, like the rest of the team, to step up this year. Vasquez responded with three kills in the final six Vela points to secure a playoff-like win for the Sabercats.
“She came up big for us,” Ortega said. “She was nervous before the game but then started showing confidence. She was just willing to get whatever she could with any ball she got and do something with it.”
Vasquez led the Sabercats with a game high 14 kills along with seven blocks. Villalobos added 10 kills to go with five blocks, seven digs and 11 service points. Maria Sanchez chipped in 35 digs and 14 points.
Kaylah Hernandez had 10 kills to lead the Bears offensively while Talia Gomez had eight kills. Jenna Guajardo and Jumairy contributed six kills apiece.