While the McAllen Rowe defense was covering ground better than grass covers Centre Court at Wimbledon, the Warriors also displayed a much improved offensive scheme Saturday.
The result was a 25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 25-21 win over city rival McAllen High in the District 31-5A opener for both teams.
The victory improves Rowe to 22-5 on the year and 1-0 in district. Meanwhile, McHi drops to 26-3, two of the losses coming at the hands of Rowe. The Bulldogs are 0-1 in district.
The Warriors’ vaunted defense was true to form, bodies diving and arms flailing all over the court, keeping balls alive that fans from both sides thought were floor bound. Libero Ariana Castro collected 33 digs, while Mia Mata had 27 and Nila Cortez and Vanessa Morales added 14 and 13, respectively.
“I’m a real believer that everything begins with defense,” McAllen Rowe head coach Magda Canales said. “You cannot have one with out the other but, in my personal opinion, it starts with defense. The girls were excellent there today.”
But the offense wasn’t too shabby, either, for the Warriors. Stats provided from each school showed Rowe with 54 kills compared to 32 for McHi.
Leading the way offensively for Rowe was junior star outside hitter Mia Mata with a match high 14 kills. It was, however, junior outside hitter Natalia Higaredia, playing opposite Mata in the rotation, who provided her team with some extra firepower, blistering 13 kills. Morales added eight and Jillian Pantillano contributed seven.
“We have absolutely gotten so much better with our training and our communication,” Higaredia said. “I’ve gotten so much more confidence within myself and the setter and communicating with them what I want. The offense was great today. And having a trust with our defense is an absolute priority.”
McHi seemed to have found an effective strategy during the second set, as Ada Sadlier and Celina Saenz found openings, often splitting the Rowe back row for kills. The Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to grab a 15-8 lead and hold onto the second-set victory.
After making some adjustments of their own, it was almost all Rowe, overcoming a 6-2 deficit during the third with a 10-0 run, including two of Krystal de la Rosa’s match-leading 10 blocks, to go up 12-6 and roll to a 25-17 win.
“We practice different shots and as much as the crowd and everyone wants the power, there’s more to volleyball than that,” Canales said. “We strategically look for what’s open. I continuously tell them to look on the other side of the net. Study your opponent. When they adjust — and McHi did adjust —look at what is given and then it’s our turn to adjust.”
The Bulldogs also hurt their cause with 10 service errors, compared to just two for the Warriors.
“I trust my players fully to know where the serve needs to be placed and they do a good job on that,” Canales said. “I’ve been preaching and teaching that they are on the ones on the court, they can see what’s open and see the opponent face so you pick the spot. It seems to give them a little more confidence and ownership on their serve.”