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.

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This story has been updated with a corrected dates.

Harlingen South stayed close to PSJA High for the first two sets of their UIL Class 6A bi-district playoff matchup Tuesday.

Dinks, pushes, tips, roll shots to the lines or cut wide were giving the District 31-6A top seed fits. That’s when PSJA High head coach Carolina Cuellar made some adjustments. In the end, instead of it being a match of soft shots, Kaylah Hernandez, Johanna Montelongo and a host of PSJA hitters powered the Bears to a 26-24, 25-21, 25-14 sweep over the visiting Hawks, the No. 4 seed from District 32-6A.

The win sends PSJA High to a second-round matchup against San Antonio Harlan, which swept Laredo Alexander in their match. Details for the area-round game will be determined today.

The Bears hoisted a bi-district trophy following the match, the first such victory for the Bears in more than a decade. A banner in the gym shows the last bi-district victory coming in 1992 but PSJA did advance to the Class 5A regional championship match in 1995. A story from The Monitor from November 1995 reads that “the Lady Bears became the first Rio Grande Valley volleyball team ever to win at the Region IV-5A tournament” after beating Pflugerville 8-15, 15-13, 15-9 at UTSA.

Montelongo, a sophomore, paced the Bears with 14 kills and a pair of aces, while Hernandez, a senior, added seven kills, four blocks and two aces. PSJA had seven players register at least four kills during the match.

Freshman lefty Malloree Mireles provided most of the power for Harlingen South, coming up big from the back row, on both sides of the front row and on quick attacks in the middle. The rest of the team worked more on placing the ball, either cross court and wide or deep down the lines, with a plethora of softer shots, choosing precision over power.

“It was definitely tough at the beginning and we didn’t see that on film too much. Saw a lot of them swinging away,” Cuellar said. “But we talked about going through district and every game you learn something and these girls I’m really proud of them because every week they capitalized on something, they fixed it and tonight it showed.”

PSJA led 8-7 during the third set before libero Serenity Lopez served up six straight points, including one ace, a pair of kills from Montelongo and one from Emma Pedraza. The run, however, started when Hernandez solidly blocked Mireles on a back-row attack.

“We worked through that,” Hernandez said. “We went through film to make sure we knew what they would do. We knew they had that middle, the lefty (Mireles) and knew she would (hit to the five spot), even though she killed us on that we got a few blocks and we got them.”

Throughout the season, the Bears used their variety of hitters to find the hot hand. During the third set, it was Montelongo and Hernandez with those hot hands.

“Coach tells us once they’re hot, give it to them,” Hernandez said. “That’s what we did.”

After pushing the lead during the final set to 18-11, it was Hernandez who served up the next five points, collecting her two aces while also nailing a back-row kill. Jocelyn Serna also collected a kill, hammering the set into a Hawks double block that flew out of bounds.

“We adjusted our defense,” Montelongo said about the difference in play from the first and second sets to the third. “We moved Serenity deep, moved the outside back and just adjusted. They (Harlingen South) were really smart.

“Kaylah was doing great tonight. We have each other, always telling each other where to go and where to place the ball. We’re a team.”

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This story has been updated with a corrected date wh PSJA High won its last playoff game

Harlingen South stayed close to PSJA High for the first two sets of their UIL Class 6A bi-district playoff matchup Tuesday.

Dinks, pushes, tips, roll shots to the lines or cut wide were giving the District 31-6A top seed fits. That’s when PSJA High head coach Carolina Cuellar made some adjustments. In the end, instead of it being a match of soft shots, Kaylah Hernandez, Johanna Montelongo and a host of PSJA hitters powered the Bears to a 26-24, 25-21, 25-14 sweep over the visiting Hawks, the No. 4 seed from District 32-6A.

The win sends PSJA High to a second-round matchup against San Antonio Harlan, which swept Laredo Alexander in their match. Details for the area-round game will be determined today.

The Bears hoisted a bi-district trophy following the match, the first such victory for the Bears since 1996, according to school officials, when they advanced to the regional tournament

Montelongo, a sophomore, paces the Bears with 14 kills and a pair of aces, while Hernandez, a senior, added seven kills, four blocks and two aces. PSJA had seven players register at least four kills during the match.

Freshman lefty Malloree Mireles provided most of the power for Harlingen South, coming up big from the back row, on both sides of the front row and on quick attacks in the middle. The rest of the team worked more on placing the ball, either cross court and wide or deep down the lines, with a plethora of softer shots, choosing precision over power.

“It was definitely tough at the beginning and we didn’t see that on film too much. Saw a lot of them swinging away,” Cuellar said. “But we talked about going through district and every game you learn something and these girls I’m really proud of them because every week they capitalized on something, they fixed it and tonight it showed.”

PSJA led 8-7 during the third set before libero Serenity Lopez served up six straight points, including one ace, a pair of kills from Montelongo and one from Emma Pedraza. The run, however, started when Hernandez solidly blocked Mireles on a back-row attack.

“We worked through that,” Hernandez said. “We went through film to make sure we knew what they would do. We knew they had that middle, the lefty (Mireles) and knew she would (hit to the five spot), even though she killed us on that we got a few blocks and we got them.”

Throughout the season, the Bears used their variety of hitters to find the hot hand. During the third set, it was Montelongo and Hernandez with those hot hands.

“Coach tells us once they’re hot, give it to them,” Hernandez said. “That’s what we did.”

After pushing the lead during the final set to 18-11, it was Hernandez who served up the next five points, collecting her two aces while also nailing a back-row kill. Jocelyn Serna also collected a kill, hammering the set into a Hawks double block that flew out of bounds.

“We adjusted our defense,” Montelongo said about the difference in play from the first and second sets to the third. “We moved Serenity deep, moved the outside back and just adjusted. They (Harlingen South) were really smart.

“Kaylah was doing great tonight. We have each other, always telling each other where to go and where to place the ball. We’re a team.”

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McALLEN — Eliane Silberman’s return to the McAllen Memorial volleyball team cannot be overstated.

Returning to an already impressive and powerful offense, the 6-foot middle hitter/blocker adds an offensive power punch and an intimidating defensive presence, not to mention leadership and experience.

All of those skills were on display Monday as the Mustangs rolled over visiting Edcouch-Elsa 25-17, 25-16, 25-20 in just over an hour in their UIL Class 5A bi-district playoff matchup.

The Mustangs will play the winner of tonight’s Mission Veterans-Corpus Christi Veterans opening-round match in the next round.

Silberman tallied 12 kills, second only to teammate Amare Hernandez, who finished with 15. The senior has missed most of the season while playing for the Peruvian Under-18 national team. She returned to play last week and, while still working with her setters to perfect the timing on the quick middle attacks, connected enough times help the Mustangs easily advance.

“(Eliane) was on the Sweet 16 team here and just her presence along is big for us,” Memorial head coach Ashley Doffing said. “I was super proud of what she was doing (with her national team) and she came back for us when it counts.”

Silberman, Hernandez and Madisyn Sosa, who added eight kills, along with a deep group of hitters, add a wide variety of offensive options for Memorial. During one rally, Silberman made her aggressive approach and, as E-E’s defense adjusted for the oncoming quick attack, setter Gabriella Torres used the approach as a diversion and dumped the ball over for an easy point.

Silberman, who left during the summer to join the national team, said she has worked with both Torres and setter Madison Amaya in the past and felt it wouldn’t take long to get their connection back. While at times the timing wasn’t there as the match progressed, it was clear the connection was quickly growing.

“We knew with a couple of changes and a little bit of practice things would get back to as usual,” Silberman said. “It’s so important to have a lineup with big hitter always ready at the same time. It makes the blocker on the other side unsure who is going to get what and I feel it bring so much more to this team, things we always knew we could bring.”

E-E found some success early taking the ball wide off attacks or even free balls, often times between the front and back row. However, the Mustangs adjusted and increased their effective play as the match continued.

“It’s all about team chemistry and awesome passing,” Doffing said. “When there’s a great pass, we trust that our offense will put it away.”

On many occasions Silberman, Hernandez or Sosa would explode on the ball, hitting defenders with thunderous body shots or splitting defenders who could only look on at the attack.

Junior Vida Ybarra — who at one point this season was third in the state in Class 5A in kills and has carried E-E offensively this year — was mostly ineffective due to the Memorial attacks. When she did have opportunities, however, she made the best of them.

Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, however, those opportunities were not often and the Jackets didn’t find a rhythm most of the night.

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Edinburg Vela head football coach John Campbell believes there is no better time than now to bring NCAA Division I football to the Valley.

“UTSA, prior to football, was probably a campus, a school very similar to UTRGV,” the fifth-year SaberCats coach said. “The community down here loves football, loves their athletics and the opportunity for exposure for local kids is tremendous.”

UTRGV students will vote from Nov. 8-10 on a referendum that, if passed, would bring football, a marching band and women’s swimming and diving programs to the Valley, while also expanding the school’s spirit program.

Upon completion of the voting at 11:59 p.m. Nov. 10, results will be available within five business days, but could be ready as soon as Nov. 11.

Campbell said the perfect template was created 200-plus miles up the road at UTSA. Still an infant program for the most part — their first game was played Sept. 4, 2011, in the Alamodome, with a stunning 56,743 in attendance — the Roadrunners debuted at No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings two weeks ago and are currently No. 23. They were one of nine teams in the FBS that remains unbeaten at 8-0 going into Saturday’s games.

UTSA students voted on a similar referendum that increased the student athletic fees and passed the referendum by a two-to-one margin.

Campbell, a San Antonio native, saw the support UTSA was given throughout the region.

“Having a home base so to speak where those kids could establish a footprint on the college level, I think was very important. Not just for the city of San Antonio, but more importantly, for the athletes and football players in the city,” Campbell said.

McAllen Memorial first-year head coach Moses Patterson said having a local college football program will “shine some more light on Valley football down here.”

“I know it’s a college program and they’re going to go out and recruit. But I think we have some diamonds down here in the Valley. I hope it’ll be an opportunity for them to participate locally instead of trying to find somewhere else to go,” Patterson said. “I’m hoping it’s going to draw even more kids out to participate in the local programs. I think they’re going to be able to see it firsthand now just how big football is.”

The referendum seeks to increase athletics fee by $11.25 to students per credit hour, capped at 12 hours. The proposed increase would go into effect in fall 2022 and only affect new incoming students and those outside of UTRGV’s Guaranteed Tuition and Fees program.

The university has said the new programs will create at least 500 new opportunities for students, as well as new jobs.

“Starting these new programs could be very exciting for the whole university because they would help us grow a lot, including with things like more classrooms and expanded housing. That would be beneficial to all of us,” UTRGV volleyball player and Edinburg north graduate Evana Ramos said. “The programs themselves would be really exciting. Football was a big part of my high school experience. I think football would bring more attention to both UTRGV and the Valley. I also think this would help us come together as one institution in Brownsville and Edinburg.”

The football team would begin playing in the 2025 season and would probably play at both H-E-B Park in Edinburg and Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.

Sharyland High quarterback Orly Lopez said he believes there will be a trickle-down effect to the Valley high schools, football programs and athletes.

“Knowing there is a DI university down here, it’s going to push Valley athletes harder to play. I think the competitiveness in the Valley is going to go up,” he said. “Everybody is going to be trying harder to be the best and get looked at so they can play DI ball. If UTRGV does get that football program I feel like the competitiveness of Valley players is going to go up.”

UTSA’s first-game attendance set an NCAA record for the highest attended game for an NCAA DI startup program and university officials have said that hiring Larry Coker, who won a national championship with the Miami Hurricanes in 2001, and the overwhelming community support were among the biggest catalysts to the program’s fast climb.

“The establishment of a football program, along with the creation of swimming and diving and expanded spirit programs would be another way for UTRGV to engage with and highlight the regional community to a larger audience,” Michael Aldape, UTRGV director of dual enrollment, said. “UTRGV is the Valley’s university and a key component of our institutional DNA is a focus on community engagement. Programs like these would allow UTRGV to continue building unity among our communities around a shared experience.

“It’s more than just spirit and sports. It’s about community.”

Campbell echoed those sentiments.

“It’s an opportunity for a community to fall behind their university,” he said. “There are a lot of UTRGV grads that still live in the Rio Grande Valley, so to me, all signs point to it being an absolute no-brainer.”

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SAN JUAN — High school volleyball teams have already played 40 or more matches this season, most of those teams playing 11 or 13 of them within their respectful districts.

At least two of those districts are waiting until Tuesday — the final day of the regular season — to crown a district champion.

PSJA High defeated Edinburg North in District 31-6A, and both McAllen Memorial and Sharyland Pioneer won their matches in District 31-5A, setting up some big regular-season finales.

PSJA AT EDINBURG HIGH

PSJA will travel to Edinburg for a 7 p.m. matchup Tuesday as the Bears and Bobcats face off in what’s grown to be an intense rivalry. The Bears beat Edinburg in five sets the first time the teams met.

PSJA is 14-1 in district, while Edinburg is 13-2. The Bears won the first meeting between the two at PSJA in five sets.

If Edinburg wins, the teams will either flip a coin or play one more match to decide the playoff seeding. PSJA hasn’t won a district volleyball title since 1995. This is head coach Carolina Cuellar’s fourth season leading the program. The Bears missed the playoffs her first year but made the playoffs the previous three years, including this year.

Cuellar said the biggest thing her squad will be facing Tuesday is “a hostile environment,” but she has been preparing her team to be ready.

“We know what to expect. We remember how it was with the loud music and the play-by-play and all that stuff from last year,” Cuellar said. “This year we’ve done a better job preparing mentally and a majority of my drills are mental drills. In the offseason, they work on skills but during the regular season it’s about mental toughness.”

Cuellar said they put a playlist together that heckles the girls at 6 a.m. practice, preparing them for Tuesday’s match.

“It’s loud and they are yelling and heckling the girls and they can’t hear me but they know if they make errors we are running,” Cuellar said. “We want to recognize the atmosphere, and we will not be bothered by it and use it to our advantage.”

Since losing to Edinburg North the first time they played, PSJA High has dropped only three sets — two to Edinburg and one to Edinburg Economedes.

In Saturday’s sweep over North, the Bears’ Jocelyn Serna led the offensive attack with a team-high 14 kills while Johanna Montelongo added six.

SHARYLAND PIONEER AT McALLEN MEMORIAL

During her season debut Saturday, McAllen Memorial’s Eliane Silberman registered nine kills, six blocks and a pair of aces during Memorial’s four-set win over McAllen Rowe.

The Monitor’s 2020 All-Area Volleyball Middle Hitter/Blocker of the Year was cleared by the UIL earlier this week to join her team after missing all of the season up until this week while playing with the Under-18 Peruvian National Team in the World Championships.

The first time these two star-studded squads battled this season, Pioneer — led by all-everything setter Natalie Reyes, middle hitters Lorelai Hill and Jordan Bravo, and a host of others — collected the four-set victory during a match determined by offensive firepower and a battle of wills.

Another highlight-film matchup is once again expected as both team go into the District 31-5A match with 11-2 records. Memorial lost once against McAllen High and the other against Pioneer, while both of Pioneer’s losses have come from McAllen Rowe, in three sets each time.

Memorial is led offensively by The Monitor’s 2020 All-Area Volleyball Newcomer of the Year, Amare Hernandez. The big hitter can be a game changer in any matchup, and when Memorial has Silberman and Hernandez together on the front row it can be an intimidating view, both offensively and defensively, for the opponent.

Pioneer defeated PSJA Memorial in three sets Saturday as Thalia Ochoa led the Diamondbacks (34-4 overall) during their final tuneup before Tuesday’s rematch with McAllen Memorial.

Both games — PSJA High at Edinburg High and Sharyland Pioneer at McAllen Memorial — will be played at 7 p.m Tuesday.

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Laredo Martin put an end to Mission Veterans’ nine-plus year undefeated district winning streak in convincing fashion Tuesday in Laredo with sweep of the Patriots. The win put the Tigers in a tie atop the District 30-5A race with the Patriots at 7-1 with just two games remaining in the regular season.

Vets’ long win streak began in 2012, and the Patriots were 7-0 in district and had defeated the Tigers twice this year, two sets to none in the Mission ISD Tournament and then 3-1 on Oct. 2 at home.

In that match, Vets’ Rylie Barnett slammed away 23 kills at a .228 hitting percentage while getting help from Jacqueline Nino with 11 kills and Carla Guerrero with eight.

Melanie Duron paced Martin with 21 kills in that first match but received little to no help offensively as Mission Vets tallied 50 kills to Martin’s 32.

It was the senior Duron once again Tuesday who led the team with 19 kills on a whopping .325 hitting clip in avenging the previous loss.

Martin (24-8, 7-1) plays at La Joya Palmview at noon today and concludes its regular season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home against Rio Grande City. The Tigers swept both opponents the first time through district play. Mission Veterans (28-8, 7-1) travels to Rio Grande City for a noon matchup today before coming home for its regular-season finale at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Laredo Cigarroa. The Patriots swept RGC the first time they met and won 3-1 against Cigarroa.

The two teams could end up playing a tiebreaker at a neutral site decided by the two coaches sometime next week if they remain tied for first.

CELEBRATING A MILESTONE

The Patriots still have plenty to celebrate, despite the one setback. Longtime head coach Diana Lerma reached her 700th win during the regular season and the school plans to celebrate with former players and others after Tuesday’s game against Cigarroa.

Lerma has been with the program since its beginning in 2002 and missed half of the 2016, and all of the 2017, due to a reassignment. Upon her return, however, it was back to normal for one of the most dominant programs in South Texas. Mission Veterans has won 16 of 19 district titles since the program’s inception and is looking for No. 17 this season.

Lerma’s first 60 wins came during three years as the head coach of La Joya High School from 1996-98.

DISTRICT CLASHES

With only two games remaining in the regular season, there’s still a lot up in the air. Here are some of the district scenarios:

District 31-6A. The top four teams are pretty much set, though nothing is confirmed as far as who will end where. PSJA High is on top with a 13-1 record in district and is clearly in charge of its own destiny. The Bears have games today against Edinburg North, in fourth place at 10-4, and a regular-season finale against Edinburg High on Tuesday. The Bobcats are 13-2 and have an off day today, giving them more time to prepare for that finale. PSJA High swept the first matchup between the district’s top two squads at home.

District 31-5A. Sharyland High is all but mathematically out of the playoffs in possibly the toughest district in South Texas. But, like District 31-6A, there’s still the possibility of a lot of movement as the top teams fight for playoff position.

The Rattlers are 30-13 overall and 6-6 in district and two games behind McAllen High (34-6, 8-4) for the fourth and final playoff spot. McHi won the first matchup at home in five sets. The two teams battle today at Sharyland High.

McAllen Memorial (28-13, 10-2) travels to McAllen Rowe (29-7, 9-3) for a noon matchup. The Mustangs are tied with Sharyland Pioneer atop the district but a win by Rowe would put Rowe and Memorial in a district tie for third place. A Memorial win puts Rowe and McHi in a tie for third place if McHi defeats Sharyland.

It looks as if it will all come down to Tuesday as Memorial and Sharyland Pioneer play each other in their regular-season finale. The Diamondbacks are also 10-2 in district and 33-4 overall. The two district losses both came at the hands of Rowe, which twice swept Pioneer.

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While many eyes are on the huge battle in District 31-5A with the “Power 5” teams after a weekend where the top two teams — Sharyland Pioneer and McAllen Memorial — both fell to district opponents Saturday, Mission Veterans continues to climb the Class 5A poll released Monday by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.

The Patriots (28-7 overall, 7-0 in district) were ranked No. 12 in the latest Class 5A poll and are looking to claim their 10th straight undefeated district title. Also, Mission Veterans head coach Diana Lerma is coming up on her 700th career victory and could clinch that as the regular season ends.

Mission Veterans plays at second-place Laredo Martin today. A win would clinch the district title and the top spot for the district heading into the postseason. Martin is 6-1 in the district, its only loss coming to the Patriots during the first time through district play.

While District 31-5A has had five teams ranked throughout the year, the only one that remains is Sharyland Pioneer (32-4, 9-2), tied for No. 25, as the top five teams have pounded on one another all season. Pioneer has lost only 10 sets in district play but six have come during a pair of sweeps by third-place McAllen Rowe (28-7, 8-3). Three have come at the hands of fourth-place McAllen High (34-6, 7-4) and one to co-first place McAllen Memorial (27-13, 9-2).

San Isidro (29-4) was ranked again No. 9 in the Class 1A/2A poll, Lyford (22-5) came in at No. 16 in the Class 3A poll and Harlingen High (31-6) hung on, tied for No. 25 with San Antonio Clark, in the Class 6A poll.

E-E’S YBARRA KILLING IT

Edcouch-Elsa’s Vida Ybarra hammered out 26 kills to lead the Yellow Jackets to a huge win over Brownsville Pace on Saturday in four sets.

The win improved E-E to 8-3 in District 32-5A, one game behind Pace for second place in the district. It also guaranteed the Jackets a spot in the playoffs. Donna High is in fourth in the district after beating Brownsville Porter, now one game behind Donna.

The senior outside hitter has 799 kills for her career and is third in the state with 587 kills, according to stats provided by Edcouch-Elsa via MaxPreps.com. Ybarra is also tops in Class 5A in kills.

DIGGING IT FOR THE D’BACKS

Sharyland Pioneer’s Elizabeth “Lizzy” Fina registered her 1,000th career dig against Sharyland High at the end of last month. The senior libero has been a huge part of the Diamondbacks’ 32-4 record, giving them a wide range of coverage in the back row and phenomenal passing to transition from defense to offense.

“Lizzy is a very skilled, consistent and knowledgeable player,” Pioneer head coach Laura Cavazos said. “She is the leader of our back row and controls our defensive energy. She can make a great play on defense and come right back and make a perfect pass out of serve receive.

“She’s the total package.”

Sharyland Pioneer hosts Sharyland High at 7 tonight.

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McALLEN — Something just clicked.

Losing 9-6 during the second set after being easily cast aside 25-16 during the first set, McAllen High roared back to claim a 16-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-17 victory over McAllen Memorial Saturday at McAllen Memorial in a huge District 31-5A matchup between the two city rivals. The teams end the regular-season series with one win against the other.

McHi improved to 33-6 overall and 7-4 in the district, holding a one-game lead over Sharyland High. Memorial dropped to 27-14 overall and 9-2 in the district, still tied with Sharyland Pioneer, which lost for the second time this season to McAllen Rowe, in a sweep. Rowe is 8-3 and in third in an extremely tight District 31-5A battle.

It wasn’t a high-flying or thunderous, eaarth-trembling offense that turned the tide — neither team seemed to be able to win the attack battle, if there even was a battle. What the Bulldogs used was aggressive pinpoint serves, but more so plain old grit and determination, more than they’ve shown, or needed to show, all year. This has become their new style of play and they showed their intensity on multiple occasions with some devastating blocks to go along with a few post-point fiery glares across the net.

“All I heard was good luck, good luck,” McHi head coach Michael Smith said. “I don’t need luck. I’ve got 16 girls who want to fight.”

After starting the district season with back-to-back losses to Pioneer and Rowe, and going 1-3 during that span with a loss to Memorial, the Bulldogs have won six of their past seven matches including wins over three of the district’s Power 5 teams: Memorial, Sharyland High and Rowe.

“We fought, we fight. That’s what we do,” Smith said. “We had a lot to block out and we just had to play and today they played.

“It’s them (the girls). It was nothing from me. Those girls know how to play and they’re a great team. It was all them.”

As the Bulldogs started gaining momentum they became like a snowball going downhill, picking up speed and strength, just becoming to big to stop.

McHi ended the third set with a 6-0 run and finished the match on a 7-0 run as serving became their go-to weapon, rarely giving the Mustangs any “rainbows” to work with and hitting open spots all across the back row, keeping Memorial from easily setting up its potent offense. When it did, Amare Hernandez responded by putting her team on her shoulders and attacking ferociously.

On two occasions, Memorial players had a pre-celebration of a point that wasn’t a point. It ended up being a miracle save that the Bulldogs kept in play to keep the rally going. One of those plays came late during the fourth set when Aleah Saenz, with her back facing the net and the ball suddenly popping up in front of her, stuck her arm out and sent the “surprise package” over the net for a McHi point.

That was how they played after dropping the first set. There wasn’t one area where one could point and say that’s how the Bulldogs claimed this victory, it was them constantly working.

“I don’t even remember that. It was all too chaotic,” Saenz said. “I thought we started strong but just let it go and we knew we all had to come together. Unity is important to us — it’s a team sport. Memorial was a great game to put us together.”

The two long runs to win sets three and four were key, especially considering last Saturday against Pioneer, the Bulldogs could only muster five runs of more than two points and the largest was a three-point run.

Saturday, Sharian Ruiz ended the match with a serve to the corner where both teams celebrated – Memorial claiming the serve was out, McHi believing the opposite. Ruiz earned the ace at the end, her second during that run sandwiched around three Memorial attack errors and two points, including the Saenz one, that were one with gritty play at the net.

Celina Saenz (no relation to Aleah) concluded with third set with a 6-0 run, claiming an ace during that span and getting a huge double block from Shiela Zamora and Ada Sadlier.

Each team has some key district battles remaining. McHi will play at Sharyland on Oct. 23 with possibly the fourth and final postseason spot on the line. Memorial travels to Rowe on Oct. 23 and then hosts Sharyland Pioneer that potentially, will be for the District 31-5A title and a top seed in the postseason.

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As the high school volleyball season nears the end of the regular season, there still are races for district titles, races for playoff positioning and races just to make it into the playoffs.

Here’s a glance at some of the district races
District: 31-6A
Top four teams now: PSJA High (11-1), Edinburg High (11-2), Edinburg Vela (10-3), Edinburg North (10-3).
Key matches: Edinburg North at PSJA High (Oct. 23), PSJA at Edinburg High (Oct. 26).

The Bears still have two of the probable playoff teams to face once more. Possibly the most balanced team in the district with a plethora of hitters, PSJA’s one loss came against Edinburg North, which it faces next week. Edinburg High is still in the running for a district title, a half-game behind the Bears.

District: 32-5A
Top four teams now: Brownsville Veterans (10-0), Brownsville Pace (9-1) , Edcouch-Elsa (7-3), Donna High/Brownsville Porter (tied at 5-5).
Key matches: Brownsville Porter at Donna High (Oct. 16) Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Pace (Oct. 16), Donna High at Brownsville Veterans (Oct. 23), Brownville Porter at Edcouch-Elsa (Oct. 23), Brownsville Veterans at Brownsville Pace (Oct. 23), Edcouch-Elsa at Brownsville Veterans (Oct. 26).

Three of Edcouch-Elsa’s remaining games can have significant playoff impact. First for the Yellow Jackets is second-place Brownsville Pace. While E-E is two games behind in the standings, if the Jackets can win out, they have a shot at taking second place. Pace also has a rematch against Brownsville Veterans, the only team it lost to earlier this season.

Donna High can take a huge step Saturday as Brownsville Porter comes to town. The two are tied at 5-5 in the district with four games remaining and Porter with the tougher remaining schedule.

District: 31-5A
Top four teams now: Sharyland Pioneer (9-1), McAllen Memorial (9-1), McAllen Rowe (7-3), McAllen High (6-4).
On the bubble: Sharyland High (5-5).
Key matches: McAllen High at McAllen Memorial (Oct. 16), Sharyland Pioneer at McAllen Rowe (Oct. 16), Sharyland High at Sharyland Pioneer (Oct. 19), McAllen High at Sharyland (Oct. 23), Sharyland Pioneer at McAllen Memorial (Oct. 26).

The season began with one huge question: who isn’t going to make to the postseason? In a district that has had five different teams ranked, playoff positions will be determined at the end. More than likely, the Pioneer-Memorial game will not only be the game of the year, but will decide the top two seeds from that district. Rowe is safely in the postseason at 7-3.

McHi and Sharyland are hoping for upsets over Memorial and Pioneer on Saturday before they face one another with the fourth and final postseason berth on the line. McHi won the first meeting in five sets. Pioneer defeated Memorial in four sets.

District: 30-5A
Top four teams now: Mission Veterans (6-0), Laredo Martin (5-1), Roma 3-3, La Joya Palmview (2-2).
On the bubble: Rio Grande City (1-5), Laredo Cigarroa (1-5).
Key matches: Mission Veterans at Laredo Martin (Oct. 19).

Barring an upset, Laredo Martin is the only team that stands in the way of a seventh straight undefeated district championship for the Mission Veterans Patriots. Those two will meet Oct. 19 in Laredo. Mission Veterans head coach Diane Lerma is on pace to pick up her 700th career win before the season ends.

District: 32-4A
Top four teams now: Rio Hondo (7-0), La Feria (4-3), Raymondville (4-3), Grulla/Hidalgo (tie 3-4).
Key matches: All involving La Feria, Raymondville, Grulla and Hidalgo.

It seems like every season there’s some type of pileup somewhere in the standings, this year being for the second, third and fourth seeds among four teams, since Rio Hondo has all but mathematically clinched the district title.

Check out the standings at rgvsports.com.

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