PSJA North wanted a taste of the District 31-5A victories that have taken place during the preseason across the Valley and the state. They earned that Saturday, downing Grulla, Rio Grande City and district and city rival PSJA Memorial en route to the Hidalgo eighth annual volleyball championship.
Along the way, North head coach Lisa Lancaster also picked up her 100th career victory.
Senior Victoria Rodriguez was named tournament MVP. The hitter led the Raiders with 14 kills during the 25-27, 25-19, 15-11 victory over the Wolverines. She added 13 kills in the semifinals against Rio Grande City and 13 again in the first round of the gold bracket against Grulla.
“I think the wins are a reflection of the hard work the girls have put forth in a short time period,” Lancaster said. “They’ve had to do learn the way I want things and my approach to the game. It’s challenging enough but to also apply it simultaneously is rough for anyone. So it’s really a testament to them wanting to get better.”
District 31-5A is regarded as the toughest district in the Rio Grande Valley. Five of its teams each won at least 30 matches last year. During redistricting, perennial playoff team Edinburg Vela and a highly improved PSJA North were added to the mix.
“It’s definitely a confidence boost. It’s a really competitive district that we’ll need to find our place in,” Lancaster said.
The PSJA North coach is in her seventh year as a head coach, leading Progreso for two years and Lyford for four. She said she was looking forward to earning win 100.
“It’s a stepping stone in my coaching career,” she said. “Looking up to Laura Cavazos (Sharyland Pioneer) who just got her 300th and Diana Lerma (Mission Veterans) at 700. I didn’t want the girls to win for me because it was a plausible 100th win. I want the girls to want to work hard for each other and play whistle to whistle. The points will come, the wins will follow.”
ON THE ROAD
McAllen High (20-5) captured the silver bracket championship in the Seguin tournament, defeating the host team 25-21, 29-27 to earn the title. The Bulldogs defeated San Antonio Christian before dropping matches to San Antonio Taft and St. Agnes Christian on Friday. They defeated Burbank and McCollum to advance to the silver finals.
“It’s always great to get out of district and be able to give all the girls a chance to showcase what they can do,” second-year head coach Michael Smith said. “Now we turn our focus to the toughest district in the Valley and get ready to battle night in and night out.”
Mission Veterans and McAllen Rowe both competed in the Laredo tournament. The Patriots, winners of their pool, were eliminated by Laredo Alexander in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Rowe, winners of their pool, advanced to the semifinals with a win over Highlands before also falling to Alexander, who also defeated McHi early in the season.