CORPUS CHRISTI — Four straight times, Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial hitters attacked.
Four straight times, McAllen Memorial’s front row said a collective “no,” blocking the attempt.
Then, Memorial’s Leah Garcia showed everyone the correct way to register a kill.
That set the tone for the rest of the night, as Memorial claimed a 25-14, 25-18, 25-17 win over Corpus Christi Veterans to advance to the third round of the Class 5A state playoffs. The Mustangs dominated every aspect during a match that took 66 minutes.
McAllen Memorial will play Gregory-Portland at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Alice.
Gregory-Portland defeated McAllen Rowe in three sets Thursday.
“I think our presence at the net is intimidating and getting blocked four times in a row is something you have to battle back from mentally,” Memorial head coach Ashley Doffing said. “That’s them and their defense. It makes it a lot easier on the defensive end. I’m telling you, those little ones are appreciative of those big girls.”
Memorial’s bevy of hard hitters were primed and more than ready for a rematch against the Eagles, defeating them earlier in the year in back-to-back sets during a tournament in Corpus. Eliane Silberman, Amare Hernandez, Leah Garcia and crew pushed their will at the net in possibly the most impressive, and complete, performance of their season.
The defense, led by libero Kassie Falcon, was also in near-perfect rhythm, stopping several Veterans attacks, most coming from their star hitter, Ariana Caldera. The defense worked a seamless transition from defense to offense, leading to a plethora of attacks. The Eagles’ attacks, however, diminished following the overpowering defensive walls the Mustangs kept putting up. When they tried to tip, Falcon or Sammi Garcia had no difficulties turning those digs into instant offense.
Silberman returned just before the end of the regular season after missing most of the season playing with the U18 Peruvian National team. The 6-foot middle blocker has added another dimension to the Mustangs and was used more frequently on Thursday offensively as Doffing and Memorial threw in a few different looks at Veterans.
During the third set, Memorial rolled, successfully attacking freely and without pause, or much resistance, in completing the sweep.