By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
BEEVILLE — The San Perlita Lady Trojans battled Utopia on Tuesday in their third consecutive trip to the Class 1A regional quarterfinal round, but that’s where the journey ended this season.
San Perlita was swept 28-26, 25-17, 25-15 by the Lady Buffs. Lady Trojans coach Criselda Rubalcaba liked the fight her team showed throughout the match, but an influx of errors proved to be costly.
“I told the girls we were going to play a really good team today, and the team with the least amount of mistakes was going to win,” Rubalcaba said. “We made a few mistakes here and there, our serving wasn’t as solid as it was (in the area round), our hitting wasn’t as accurate, and that cost us points.”
The playoff jitters were on full display during the first set as both teams sent several serves and hits long. But once they settled in, rallies were competitive and San Perlita made Utopia work for its “overtime” win.
San Perlita earned the first sizeable lead, going up 8-5 on a tip by junior middle blocker Daniella Ramos to force the Lady Buffs to call a timeout. Senior middle Aliyah Garcia was strong on offense and defense to create the cushion.
But Utopia came back to tie things at 12 as middle blocker Cherish Dunlap and setter Ansleigh Davis found their rhythm. The teams stayed within two points of each other and swapped points as defenses hustled for digs and stray passes, keeping rallies long despite solid hitting from both teams.
Senior outside hitter Jasmine Rodriguez put down powerful, slicing hits and collected digs in the back row to help San Perlita get to set point leading 24-22. Garcia also was dynamic playing all around, racking up digs and patrolling the net.
Utopia’s middles came up huge to clinch the opening set and control the next two. Dunlap and her opposite, Kylie Bomer, placed kills all across the court and challenged San Perlita’s hitters with their blocking. The Lady Trojans killed off two Utopia set points, but a Bomer kill sealed the deal.
“They kept battling the whole time. They never gave up. They kept pushing regardless of the score and never made it easy for them. The seniors held it together and kept telling them to push,” Rubalcaba said.
Garcia, Rodriguez and senior setter Elyssa Nieto led a respectable effort during the final two sets. Nieto hustled to try and get the offensive attack going, but San Perlita’s passing declined as the match went on and Utopia turned up the firepower.
Outside hitter Khloei Johnston contributed to the powerful Lady Buffs attack. When Dunlap was in the back row, she served as the second setter, giving Davis a chance to swing, too. Utopia didn’t suit up a libero, but defensive specialist Meagan Cole was the leader in the back row and covered the court well.
Utopia racked up aces during the third set and took advantage of the plethora of free balls San Perlita sent over as it was overpowered by the Lady Buffs down the stretch. Utopia will face Round Top Carmine in the regional semifinal round.
San Perlita says goodbye to an impactful senior class headlined by Garcia, Nieto and Rodriguez. But with key returners in Ramos, sophomore Summer Terry and junior outside hitter Arabella Rodriguez — who contributed hard kills and good digs in the match — leading the way like the departing seniors did, the Lady Trojans’ future looks bright.
“(The seniors) were my first group, three starting freshmen coming in. They’ve grown with me, and over the years they’ve really come together to lead the team,” Rubalcaba said. “They left a really heavy mark on the younger girls. They set this tradition for them, and I know the younger ones will keep it going. They have this experience, and they’ve seen how hard these seniors pushed and that the hard work pays off.”