MISSION — More than ever this year, Mission Veterans girls volleyball head coach Diana Lerma has emphasized placement and points over power.
Right-side hitter Chloe Kosillo put those words into action late in Saturday’s match against a fiercely hungry Roma squad, placing a kill down the line to give the Patriots a 24-22 fourth-set lead that stopped the surging Gladiators en route to a 25-13, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23 victory at Mission Veterans High School.
The win improved Mission Veterans to 29-5 overall and 11-0 in District 30-5A, with a two-game lead over Laredo Cigarroa. Roma fell to 6-5 in district and in fourth place, two games ahead of La Joya Palmview for the final playoff position and one game behind Laredo Nixon for third with three district matches remaining.
After trailing 20-14 in the fourth and looking dejected, the Gladiators found life scoring on attacks from junior middle Elaiza Martinez and freshman hitter Madelyn Garcia. An ace from Ali Salinas and a double called on Vets brought Roma back into it, down 22-20. But too much damage had been done, and the Patriots halted any discussion of a fifth set.
Powerhouse Rylie Barnett led Vets with 29 kills and 19 digs, Kathryn Villarreal added 12 kills and Kosillo had nine. Evelyn Vela had 45 assists for the Patriots.
Martinez posed a big threat throughout the match, offensively attacking, but also setting up her teammates, making smart plays and blocking. Barnett said the team knew who they were facing.
“She’s a really good player, and we challenged our blockers to do more and the defense to be ready for everything she does,” said Barnett, who is closing in on her 2,000th career kill. “But our biggest challenge is ourselves. We need to play to our potential every second of the game. I think we’re doing better with that each and every game — we just need to be more consistent and not get in those holes.”
Lerma said the game was a bit of a roller-coaster ride in terns of intensity.
“I tell the girls if they play like this in the playoffs, well, only the strong survive,” Lerma said. “We have to realize that every point counts and play like that, not only at the end but from the very beginning.
“The girls have to understand it’s not just a hitting game but a placement and points game. It doesn’t matter how good they look killing the ball. It comes down to whether they got the point or are they playing for the other team?”