MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer faced some of the biggest hitters in the Rio Grande Valley going into Saturday afternoon’s championship match.

Their final daunting task was to face two more monster hitters: Mission Veterans’ Carla Guerrero and Rylie Barnett.

But it was Pioneer’s Lorelai Hill who brought the biggest presence, coming through with the biggest, and loudest, kills when it mattered most in a 25-13, 14-25, 25-16 victory over Patriots en route to the Mission Varsity Volleyball Tournament crown.

“It was about execution in the third set. We didn’t play very well in the second and how we respond is important to us this year,” Pioneer head coach Laura Cavazos said. “Balls are going to fly out of bounds and we will have mistakes so how we respond is important.”

Pioneer clearly had the toughest road to the final. Two of the teams the Diamondbacks faced Friday in pool play — Harlingen High and Edinburg High — won their elimination bracket titles Saturday in the Silver and Bronze categories.

Hill, named to the all-tournament team, had her best match in the biggest one of the day Saturday. She tallied 10 kills to go with two blocks and an ace against Veterans, which has quickly climbed the ranks of top Valley teams, improving at a rapid pace seemingly daily in the early part of the season.

Hill, at 5-foot-7 played every inch as big than much taller hitters throughout the tournament, connecting with setter Natalie Reyes, named tournament MVP, often on quick middle attacks but also on the outside. Hill was also a force at the net defensively, not only with her blocks but also with the number of balls she got her hands on against some pounding attacks.

“It’s all about the timing for me because I am a lot shorter than most people would expect me to be,” Hill said. “I knew they were hitting over us, so I knew if we delayed our timing and went up when they are swinging, we would have a better chance to get a touch or maybe a block and it’s all about the timing.”

Hill set the pace in the tiebreaker set early on with two thunderous attacks left untouched down the line.

“I was really frustrated with how I was playing and everyone said this spot is open and try to kill it there,” Hill said. “So that was what I was going to do. I came in with the mindset of this is what I’m going to do right now and I don’t care about what other plans happen. This is how I’m going to execute it.”

Later in the set tied at 8, Hill and Guerrero trade off blows at the net in an entertaining and intense series. Hill, however, won the battle with back-to-back kills, coming when the game was tied at 10. Pioneer went on a 5-0 run to take a 15-10 advantage.

“Our whole plan is to keep (the opponent) out of system as much as possible,” Cavazos said. “The deeper (the serves) are, the harder it is to stay in system. I thought we executed that in game one and three but our serves were a little difficult in the second.

“Getting Lorelai going was important to our offense. We weren’t moving her around like we should so the way she started in the third played a big part (in that set).

Barnett, however, can be a game changer and kept her team close until Pioneer’s Jordan Bravo and Mariana Treviño paired up with Reyes for a couple of quick middle kills and outside attack as Pioneer pushed its lead with a 10-6 run to claim the championship.

Pioneer (12-2) defeated Edinburg North and Los Fresnos to reach the championship, while Mission Veterans beat PSJA High and McAllen Rowe to advance.

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MISSION — Three weeks into the volleyball season, most teams are still making big-impact adjustments, preparing for district play, which is still a few weeks away.

Sharyland Pioneer, however, looks like it’s prepared for the postseason.

With an offense and defense that moved like synchronized swimmers in glorious rhythm, but also with the intense ability to attack like frenzied sharks in that same water, the Diamondbacks on Friday showed why they are considered among the best teams in South Texas.

Led by the deft touch of ever-dangerous senior setter Natalie Reyes, ferocious middle-hitter/blocker Lorelai Hill and a cast of teammates who are much more than supporting players, the Diamondbacks won all three of their matches in powerful fashion during Friday’s pool play in the Mission Varsity Volleyball Tournament at the Mission High gym.

Pioneer was placed in what arguably could be tagged the “group of death,” a pool that contains more powerhouses than available slots to advance and is a common phrase in major soccer tournaments. Pioneer was matched with Edinburg High, Harlingen High and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln in their pool. Pioneer, Edinburg and Harlingen are all considered among the front-runners for their respective district titles.

The Diamondbacks swept them all and showed the complete package, from aggressive serves to solid defense and powerful attacks from pin to pin, especially succeeding in the middle with Hill and fellow middle hitter/blocker Jordan Bravo.

Reyes is the key to Pioneer’s fast-moving offense, which likely will only get faster throughout the year. Her sets are on point and she highlighted her team’s varied offense with high, quick, shoot and a variety of two sets — essentially the entire spectrum. Often, she would set a ball from pin to pin, low and with enough speed to keep the blockers off guard and a half-step behind their block. If those blockers left her too early, Reyes would find that opening and send the ball over into the gap, forcing the blockers to stay and be late on the block.

The defense played near-flawless — not just picking up monster attacks from the likes of Edinburg High’s Jazmin Cuellar and Natalie Hernandez, or Harlingen High’s Juli Bryant and windmill-swinging Casey Vidal, but they would also get them into a good enough spot to counterattack.

Still, the offense runs through Reyes and one coach who was scouting the match said Reyes controls not just her side of the court, but both sides.

A four-year starter at setter, Reyes has found connections with each of her hitters, especially in the middle with Hill, Bravo and junior Marcela Martinez, who was not available for Friday’s matches.

“I’ve worked with Lorelai all year during club,” Reyes said. “I love that she’s so vocal, so confident in herself, so persistent and so consistent. It makes it much easier to connect.”

Reyes was The Monitor’s 2019 All-Area Setter of the Year and the 2018 All-Area Newcomer of the Year. She replaced Pioneer’s Audrey Smith, who signed her national letter of intent to play for Texas Tech. Reyes slid right in the following season.

“There’s a very big difference since my freshman year, my sets were so high,” she said. “Was looking at film and everything has changed so much. I’m humbly thankful and proud of how much work I’ve put in and having so many different caliber of players and my coaches. They’ve molded me to keep a different mindset.”

Gold bracket play begins at 9 a.m. today at Mission High. The championship match is scheduled for 2 p.m., also at Mission High, where the silver bracket plays also at the same times. The bronze and Ruby brackets will be played at Mission Veterans, also with similar times.

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During one rally in the second set of the McAllen Poundfest volleyball championship between Brownsville Veterans and McAllen Rowe, multiple Rowe players charged toward the net.

A ball had rolled along the top of the next and was rapidly sliding down the net, and Brownsville players and fans started cheering for what appeared to be their point.

Somehow, though, Rowe libero Ariana Castro dug the ball out from near the floor. Surrounded by almost the entire team, another Warriors player swung their arm as the ball arose and she popped it up and near the opposite sideline, where setter Vanessa Morales chased it down, reached it and sent it back across the net to a shocked Chargers squad. It was a hair-raising, exciting moment as Rowe eventually won the point and went on to win the championship 25-15, 25-13 over the Chargers.

That play exemplifies what Rowe head coach Magda Canales has preached for years, putting together strong defensive teams with one or two big hitters. The Warriors’ championship path Saturday included a pair of three-set victories over District 31-5A opponents McAllen Memorial and McAllen High to reach the final.

“We are working hard toward that type of defense,” Canales said. “We’re emphasizing defense first of all. We aren’t there yet. We’re trying to build chemistry and that takes a while. But I’m very pleased at where they are now.”

After going 3-0 during the first day of pool play Thursday, Veterans star middle hitter/blocker junior Elise Fourt injured her ankle and had to sit out the remainder of the tournament. With her out, no one expected Veterans to reach the final. However, it defeated Brownsville Rivera in the quarterfinal and Sharyland High in the semifinal.

Rowe, though, brought a whole lot of defense and the offensive firepower of junior Mia Mata and senior Jill Pantillano to pull off the championship sweep.

“I celebrate defense and give them lots of compliments when they are getting after the ball,” Canales said. “I tell them even if you don’t get to the ball, pursue it, go after it. Sooner or later muscle memory will get them there.

Castro, one of nine seniors on the team, spent her younger years wanting to be a hitter. Once she agreed to work as a libero, she embraced it and her hustle on the court exemplifies what Canales wants to see and is contagious among her teammates. Veterans struggled throughout the match to find an open space on the floor to drop the ball with any sort of attack.

“I go out there and hustle and do everything I can to pick up the ball and I know when I do, my teammates will be there to pick it up to get it over the net,” Castro said. “If we do our part, move to the ballI and pick it up, – we should be fine. We’re trying our best to do the best we can with what we have and it’s been working for us.”

It takes more than just scrambling to keep balls alive for Canales to be content. Understanding the sport at a deeper level is another component.

“I want them to be students of the game,” she said. “Don’t just play for your side of the net. Read the server, read the hitter, what’s the approach? All those things are what well-rounded players should have.”

The Warriors have some offense too, led by Mata and Pantillano. During one stretch in the first set, Rowe turned an 11-8 lead into a 15-8 advantage as Krystal De La Rosa, Mata, Natalia Higareda and Pantillano collected back-to-back-to-back-to back kills and blow the first set wide open.

“We’re still finding the right combos and the right spots, and we’re getting there,” Canales said. “I told the kids that this is the fruit of all the hard work they have put in. This is (the) payoff.

“It’s very gratifying.”

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volleyball championship between Brownsville Veterans and McAllen Rowe, multiple Rowe players charged toward the net.

A ball had rolled along the top of the next and was rapidly sliding down the net, and Brownsville players and fans started cheering for what appeared to be their point.

Somehow, though, Rowe libero Ariana Castro dug the ball out from near the floor. Surrounded by almost the entire team, another Warriors player swung their arm as the ball arose and she popped it up and near the opposite sideline, where setter Vanessa Morales chased it down, reached it and sent it back across the net to a shocked Chargers squad. It was a hair-raising, exciting moment as Rowe eventually won the point and went on to win the championship 25-15, 25-13 over the Chargers.

That play exemplifies what Rowe head coach Magda Canales has preached for years, putting together strong defensive teams with one or two big hitters. The Warriors’ championship path Saturday included a pair of three-set victories over District 31-5A opponents McAllen Memorial and McAllen High to reach the final.

“We are working hard toward that type of defense,” Canales said. “We’re emphasizing defense first of all. We aren’t there yet. We’re trying to build chemistry and that takes a while. But I’m very pleased at where they are now.”

After going 3-0 during the first day of pool play Thursday, Veterans star middle hitter/blocker junior Elise Fourt injured her ankle and had to sit out the remainder of the tournament. With her out, no one expected Veterans to reach the final. However, it defeated Brownsville Rivera in the quarterfinal and Sharyland High in the semifinal.

Rowe, though, brought a whole lot of defense and the offensive firepower of junior Mia Mata and senior Jill Pantillano to pull off the championship sweep.

“I celebrate defense and give them lots of compliments when they are getting after the ball,” Canales said. “I tell them even if you don’t get to the ball, pursue it, go after it. Sooner or later muscle memory will get them there.

Castro, one of nine seniors on the team, spent her younger years wanting to be a hitter. Once she agreed to work as a libero, she embraced it and her hustle on the court exemplifies what Canales wants to see and is contagious among her teammates. Veterans struggled throughout the match to find an open space on the floor to drop the ball with any sort of attack.

“I go out there and hustle and do everything I can to pick up the ball and I know when I do, my teammates will be there to pick it up to get it over the net,” Castro said. “If we do our part, move to the ballI and pick it up, – we should be fine. We’re trying our best to do the best we can with what we have and it’s been working for us.”

It takes more than just scrambling to keep balls alive for Canales to be content. Understanding the sport at a deeper level is another component.

“I want them to be students of the game,” she said. “Don’t just play for your side of the net. Read the server, read the hitter, what’s the approach? All those things are what well-rounded players should have.”

The Warriors have some offense too, led by Mata and Pantillano. During one stretch in the first set, Rowe turned an 11-8 lead into a 15-8 advantage as Krystal De La Rosa, Mata, Natalia Higareda and Pantillano collected back-to-back-to-back-to back kills and blow the first set wide open.

“We’re still finding the right combos and the right spots, and we’re getting there,” Canales said. “I told the kids that this is the fruit of all the hard work they have put in. This is (the) payoff.

“It’s very gratifying.”

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McALLEN — McAllen High volleyball head coach Michael Smith has been watching something fascinating grow within middle hitter Andrea Tovar.

That growth exploded Friday at the annual McAllen Poundest volleyball tournament as Tovar dominated at the net and helped lead McHi to a 3-0 record and the No. 1 seed going into today’s final round of the 22-team, three-day tournament. The Bulldogs will play at 9 a.m. today at the McAllen High gym against PSJA High in the first round of the gold bracket.

McAllen Rowe will play McAllen Memorial, also at 9 a.m. The winners of those two matches will face each other in the semifinals.

The other two quarterfinal gold bracket matches, at 10 a.m. will have Sharyland High, which also went 3-0 on Friday with wins over Laredo United South, McAllen Memorial and Weslaco East against Los Fresnos and Brownsville Riveras play Brownsville Veterans. The semifinals are scheduled for 11 a.m. and noon. The gold bracket championship is slated for 2 p.m.

Tovar, a senior who opted out of playing last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tallied seven kills and a pair of blocks in the first match of the day, a two-set win over Los Fresnos. More than just the numbers, her presence at the net forced hitters to look for ways around or through her. When they did, the defense picked up the ball and often times returned with an attack. Her excitement reverberated throughout the team and her performance helped them during a time where they didn’t seem to be playing quite in sync.

“I think this has been coming,” Smith said. “We started to see it grow over the summer and then starting out more in scrimmages. Then something really clicked with her offensively.”

Tovar got her team rolling during the first match and never stopped, showing more confidence, bigger hits, solid blocks and precision shots throughout the day. Tovar said she began this year a worried about being behind.

“I was concerned about disconnecting with my setters and the rest of the team because everybody connected last year,” the senior said. “But we all came together and we’re really close.”

On at least two occasions, an opponent would try to sneak either a second ball or a tip over Tovar, but she extended, and put the ball right back down on the other side of the net, amplifying her role at the net.

“I was just reading the hitter and could tell by looking at their hands they were going to throw it at us and just got it,” she said.

Tovar credited the healthy competition between the team’s four “bigs” (outside hitters Celina Saenz and Ada Sadlier, co-middle hitter Sheila Zamora and Tovar) for pushing one another during practices. She and Saenz have been teammates since middle school and Tovar said being able to watch her has also influenced her play

“I definitely think that it’s great to be on the opposite net of each other day in and day out in practice. It’s a bonus, typically with middles,” Smith said. “Sheila and Andrea are consistently going at it in practice and their friendly competition makes them both so much better the more they go after each other.”

Through the first two matches of the day, Saenz finished with a team-high 19 kills while Zamora added 12 as the Bulldogs kept moving the ball around while defenders played chase the ball. Stats were not available by press time for the third match, a sweep of Harlingen South. The Bulldogs dropped one set earlier in the day against Brownsville Veterans, forcing a third set.

Smith said it’s more than the physical parts of the game that has elevated Tovar to a serious threat each rally, but also gaining a deeper understanding of everything that’s happening on the court.

“I think it came maybe a little sooner than expected but we’ve seen it coming. She works extremely hard, asks a lot of questions and what we want her to do and what we are seeing,” the first-year McHi coach said. “We work hard to be able to put her in good positions and to be able to finish things off.

“With this group I’m very hesitant to cap their potential. They have more of that than I’m even able to see right now and we want to go even faster and she’s been eating that up. The faster we can go, the more we can get teams out of their grooves.”

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McALLEN — Four District 31-5A teams — McAllen High, McAllen Memorial, McAllen Rowe and Sharyland High — as well as Brownsville Veterans and Brownsville Rivera won their pools Thursday as the first day of the McAllen Poundfest tournament concluded.

The annual three-day event is being held at McHi, Memorial and Rowe, with a second-day of pool play beginning at 9 a.m. today and the final round of elimination play Saturday. Twenty-two teams are competing in the event, playing three matches each of the first two days to determine where teams will fall for third day — the gold, silver of bronze bracket.

Five of the pool winners advanced with perfect 3-0 records. Sharyland’s pool ended with three teams tied at 2-1 and the fourth at 0-3. The Rattlers, however, advanced by virtue of the best win-loss record in sets.

Sharyland has shown it’s ready to compete in the mix of a top-heavy 30-5A, both throughout its performance in summer leagues and Thursday. The Rattlers didn’t make the playoffs last season and were one of the harder hit programs in the Rio Grande Valley in regards to COVID-19.

This year, however, eighth-year head coach Raul Castillo is excited for his Rattlers to rebound and fight for a postseason opportunity.

“I think last year, not getting a full season for the young kids or even the junior high kids really hurt and we got hit hard,” Castillo said. “We lost an entire team at one point.”

The Rattlers played in three leagues during the summer and had five weeks of strength and conditioning, Castillo said. That, he added, has helped the team tremendously.

“I think they said during the summer let’s do what we can in case we don’t get a season,” Castillo said. “Let’s put our time in with leagues, open gym, strength and conditioning and open gym and they have committed. I think they’re all on the same page.”

Last year Valley teams didn’t travel to tournaments around the state, and few were held. Poundfest, the Donna/Donna North tournament and others were put on hiatus last year. McHi first-year coach Michael Smith said tournaments give coaches and players different opportunities prior to the district season beginnings.

“Today has been great, about like the first day hosting a Poundfest for anybody the first time,” Smith said. “Tournaments are lots of fun, you compete at a little bit of a different level, you see different things back-to-back and get to go a little deeper into your depth and get to see some kids go, which is exciting. Plus, being able to be around a tournament just had a different type of feel.”

COVID-19 cases are back on the rise and many of the programs have been hit with positive cases within their teams, coaches, players and helpers. Castillo said that it’s a reminder to not take anything for granted, which could’ve been easy to do just a couple weeks ago.

“When we started the season, and we were going in there you weren’t too worried about distances and you were running drills back to normal. Other than the mask, it felt like we were back to normal,” Castillo said. “Last year, we even discussed if these drills were safe enough. You couldn’t really run game-like because you can’t be in a group for too long before you separate them.

“We’re not there this year but it feels we are going that way. It feels like we are walking on eggshells.”

Smith was in Georgia, coaching his high school soccer team (volleyball was over) when the virus hit them.

“I’ll never forget wanting to be back on the sideline and for my kids to be on the field,” he said. “Everything is a blessing every time we get to step on the court. I translate that to the girls that we have today. Go and have fun and play hard and accomplish what we can. Tomorrow is no given and tomorrow will take care of itself but today, we are going after it.”

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Jazmin Cuellar adjusted her approach and swung with authoritative power, smashing the ball with tremendous force during a 2020 match against a district, and city, rival. The ball blasted off the head and face of the awaiting libero with little-to-no time to react before the ball ricocheting out of bounds.

“She got facialized big time there,” said Cuellar, a ferocious senior middle hitter for Edinburg High and one of the best attackers in the Rio Grande Valley. “She looked at me and said, ‘Nice swing.’”

That excitement, however, carried over in the Bobcats’ victory.

For those who believe the old adage that defense wins championships, that’s hasn’t really been the case in volleyball. It’s all about offense, how hard one can hit the ball and where can one place it. The objective, is to score points and the most efficient and effective way it’s done is with the kill.

Yenelis Santos Allegne, who played for the Cuban national team, holds the fastest women’s volleyball spike recorded at 64 miles per hour, according to volleywood.net. With defenses situated about 10-15 feet or so away from those monster hitters, it gives little time — or hope — for successful returns. The higher a hitter jumps, the more power they can bring with them, as well as more options to find open areas on the floor.

“That’s why the service game is so important,” McAllen High first-year head coach Michael Smith said. “The receiving team is the first one to have the opportunity to attack.”

There have been changes in the sport that have succeeded in their purpose, to extend rallies and make it more exciting. The libero position was added in 1999 and trickled down to high schools within a year. The spot was considered a glorified defensive specialist with special rules that lets them play in the back row for all six rotations. It also helps with substitutions as teams aren’t charged a sub as the libero comes in and out.

That same year, rally scoring replaced the previous scoring style when points were awarded only to the serving team. A side out wouldn’t result in a point. Now, there is a point rewarded at the end of each rally.

“A six-rotation outside hitter is the most important position in volleyball. The second-most important is your other outside hitter,” Smith said. “It’s a huge advantage to have somebody to count on to stay in there defensively, be able to take swings from anywhere and you’re trying to side out. Volleyball is an attacking game where the other team has the serve and having those confident pin hitters is the best way to do it.”

During some of the deeper runs by Valley teams in the playoffs, defenses have played strong, but the opposition has multiple powerful hitters, more height to kill over blockers and, sooner or later, the best defenses break down. McHi has advanced to the Sweet 16 during the past two years and McAllen Memorial has been there five of the past six years.

“It’s an offensive game and you can only defend so much of the floor and that’s why hitters can be so influential for your team and changing the game for you,” Smith said.

After studies and collecting data, trainer and author Dan Blewett wrote on his website danblewett.com he found five major factors that affected hitting velocity in high school female volleyball players: age, strike quality, set quality, jump height and aggression, where he wrote: “The bigger girls consistently hit harder than smaller girls. But, there were numerous outliers — very thin girls who hit as hard or harder than their larger counterparts. The common denominator was what I call, ‘Screwyouism.’”

As the 2021 season begins this week, after a week of tryouts and weekend of scrimmages, Cuellar is among several big hitters across the Valley who will carry a large part of the burden to bring home a district championship and make a deep run into the playoffs. Some of the others include Edcouch-Elsa’s Vida Ybarra, McAllen High’s Celina Saenz, McAllen Memorial’s Amare Hernandez and Leah Garcia and Mission Veterans’ Rylie Barnett, The Monitor’s 2020 All-Area Volleyball Hitter of the Year, among others.

Hernandez was one-third of a freshman trio of heavy hitters — including Garcia and Madisyn Sosa — for Memorial. She was named The Monitor’s 2020 All-Area Volleyball Newcomer of the Year. Her expectations are higher this year now that the “newbie” status is far removed.

“I wasn’t very confident last year,” Hernandez said. “I’m excited to show everybody how much I’ve improved. Last year I was barely in the weight room but this year I’ve been focused and know what I want, get strong and more toned where I increase my vertical and my hits are stronger and go more down.”

Every position on the court, however, is needed for an offense to run smooth. First, there needs to be a good pass, followed by a set that can be handled by the hitter. From there, it’s all up to the offensive juggernaut to attempt to end it.

But that takes more than just jumping and swinging.

“It’s very critical to put the ball down and to make sure we keep the defense on their tows and guessing instead of reading where we are going with the ball,” Cuellar said. “We need to stay aggressive.

“And we need a great pass to the setter and have her stress-free. I make sure I’m tracking the ball and reading the defense to see where I should move it and what route I should take. Also have to have communication and a connection with your setter. Then I try to take the perfect route and get as high as I can possibly get.”

Valley volleyball players learn at an early age that the kill is more than just overpowering everyone and that there is strategy involved every time they go up at the net, Smith said.

“Hitters down here early on get used to picking their spots and learning to hit around blocks,” Smith said. “Height isn’t necessarily something all these girls are blessed with, but they are great at being creative, doing different things and disguising what they are doing and where they are going. They have a nice toolkit available.”

Still, the best hitters usually make the final statement.

“Every position is critical on the court. But we’re just where the action is and people see that end result,” Cuellar said.

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Valley Volley Talk Podcast (Episode 1; Aug. 6, 2021)

The Monitor’s Henry Miller talks with McAllen High first-year head volleyball coach Michael Smith about growing up in Georgia, his love for volleyball and the upcoming Poundfest Tournament. They also cover the importance of having big hitters as a preview to a story coming in Sunday’s edition of The Monitor and on RGVSports.com. Finally they talk about a southeastern delicacy — boiled peanuts and a life-changing Valley food for coach Smith.

Former McAllen High and current Texas A&M rising senior, swimmer Shaine Casas barely missed qualifying for the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games after finishing third in an extremely tight 100-meter backstroke final at the U.S. Olympics Swimming Time Trials on Tuesday in Omaha, Nebraska.

The top two finishers in each event more than likely make the American Olympic team – it’s extremely rare for second place to not advance, with the top six likely to qualify in the 100- and 200-meter freestyles or to fill out relays.

Casas started in lane three with three-time Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder in the event, Ryan Murphy, next to him in lane four. Casas led Murphy by .07 seconds at the turn. Murphy however finished in 52.33 seconds to defend his 2016 title, followed by a surprising Hunter Armstrong, of Ohio State, who swam a personal best in the semis, in 52.48. Casas captured third in 53.76 seconds.

Jared Anderson, senior writer for SwimSwam.com told The Monitor that Casas could actually pull off an upset and beat Murphy, if not in the 100 back, then maybe in the 200 back. He challenged some of Murphy’s record times throughout the season.

Casas advanced to Tuesday’s finals after finishing second in his semifinals heat Monday nigh with a time of 52.77 seconds. He was .25 seconds ahead after the first 50 meters. Armstrong, however, gained some ground in the final 20 meters to touch the wall ahead of him in 52.67.

Murphy won his semifinal heat in 52.22 seconds Monday, setting up Tuesday what many prognosticators expected to be the first of two finals showdowns between Casas and Murphy, the other coming in the 200-meter backstroke, which will take place Thursday with the quarterfinals in the morning and the semifinals in the evening, starting at 7 p.m. CST on NBC.

Casas and Murphy were projected by many swimming experts to capture the top two spots in both the 100- and 200-meter backstrokes and advance to the 2021 Tokyo Summer games. In each of the past three Olympics, the third-place finisher in the time trials, had a time good enough to win the Olympics that year. The U.S. men have won gold in the event in each of the last six Olympics.

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There’s not much more Shaine Casas can do to prepare for the U.S. Olympic time trials and a shot to represent the United States at the Tokyo Summer Games.

The former McAllen High swim star, national champion and three-time NCAA Championship gold medalist this past year for Texas A&M, has his shot beginning today as Wave II of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Swimming Time Trials takes place in Omaha, Nebraska.

“I’ve waited long enough,” said Casas, who will be swimming in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events, and possibly others. He said there has also been talk about swimming in the 50 freestyle, but “I would do that just to do it,” he said.

When the pre-scratch sheets were revealed earlier this week, the 6-foot-3, 160-pound Casas was listed as possibly competing in seven different preliminary events: the 200 free and 100 back Monday, the 100 free Wednesday, the 200 back and 200 IM on Thursday, the 100 fly Friday and the 50 free Saturday.

“Preparation was the entire year leading up to this. There’s not much I can do to change, except to be training to peak,” Casas told The Monitor last week. “I’ve been excited for this moment for years. This is the worst time now, just waiting. It’s so close.”

The top two finishers in each event will make the U.S. Olympic team, with the top six likely to qualify in the 100- and 200-meter freestyles to fill out relays.

“He’s a very good IMer and butterflier and could really try anything in there,” Jared Anderson, senior writer for SwimSwam.com, told The Monitor. “The Olympic trials are packed into eight days. How much do you take on? Five events? Or do you focus more on two or three to get into the Olympics.

“I think Shaine could be one of those next set of great swimming guys. He’s got a huge wing span, he’s tall and covers a lot of ground every stroke. He’s a big guy and swims event bigger. You have to eat yardage as an Olympian and he’s got the skill sets that are Olympic.”

Casas has been projected by publications such as SwimSwam and Sports Illustrated to qualify for the Tokyo Summer Games and take second in both the 100 and 200 backstroke, finishing only behind Ryan Murphy in each event.

A former University of California swimmer, Murphy won the NCAA Championship in the 100 and 200 back all four years during college (2014-2017). He also won three gold medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, capturing the 100 and 200 back, while also winning in the 4×100 men’s medley relay. Murphy also broke Aaron Peirsol’s world record for the 100 with his relay time of 51.85.

“That thought of making the Olympics — the dream — is always there for everybody. Then, one day it became more of a realization after every single milestone I passed and starting doing well in high school,” Casas said. “Then after nationals it became more of a real thing. By the end of my freshman year and after winning nationals it was real. I started actually thinking, ‘I can.’”

In the NCAA Championships this year, Casas won three individual championships — the 200 IM and the 100 and 200 back. His time of 1 minute, 35.79 second was the second-fastest time in that event’s history, just missing the record of 1:35.73 during the 2016 NCAAs by none of than Murphy. But, for Casas, it’s rarely ever “what happened,” but more “what’s next?”

“The individual accolades are pretty impressive, but I definitely fell short on times and stuff like that, but I still got the job done — 3-for-3. Hopefully that is something that this year’s success can build on in the future. I can’t take away that it was a great meet, but I want more than a great meet, I want an excellent meet,” Casas was quoted by USA Swimming managing editor Dan D’Adonna as saying.

“… I am going to add what works and add that for long course and hopefully apply that for the Olympic Trials and hopefully the Olympic Games.”

With all the events Casas could compete in, he may be looking at 18-21 swims if he competes in them all, which is highly unlikely. Still, he is seeded second in the 100 backstroke behind Murphy and ahead of six-time Olympic medalist Matt Grevers, third in the 200 backstroke, with the University of Texas standout seeded second, both behind Murphy. Casas is also seeded eighth in the 100 fly and 200 Individual Medley (IM), 17th in the 100 freestyle, 52nd in the 200 freestyle and 67th in the 50 free.

While he was already being heralded as one of the next U.S. men’s swimming greats, this solidified that prognostication and has set the stage to remove “next” from that unofficial title.

Anderson said what’s especially impressive to him about Casas is not only how fast he gets into the turn but also to see how much time Casas has shaved off in such short times.

“He’s really shown improvement with the kind of time he’s dropped at times, even back when he was a sophomore or junior,” Anderson said. “By the time he was a senior, he was really good and being big-time recruited and I was thinking that someone was going to be really lucky to get him.

“But then when he continued to drop the type of times he was dropping in a year, you’re going to open a lot of eyes, and he has done that.”

Casas said everything stepped into another level after winning the 19-and-under national championship at the Phillips 66 National Championships in July 2018. He followed that with a long list of accolades, including being the top point scorer and winning the Commissioners Trophy at the previous two SEC Championships.

“After winning and something like that and performing the way I did — I mean, it didn’t come out of nowhere but people didn’t expect it and I felt like a lot was born in that moment,” Casas said. “I was winning against the best and winning for Texas A&M and for me and the program.

“That was the coming out party for me. I’m here. I’m winning NCAAs, stuff like that. Now, hopefully I’ll make the Olympics. I don’t care if I win, I just want to be in the top two — I’ve got to be in the top two.”

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Great Goals

Before anyone could lay claim as the Valley’s new all-time girls soccer scoring leader, the then-current record holder had to be found.

Then Xochitl Nguma shattered the record and is now the Rio Grande Valley’s all-time goals leader in girls soccer.

After scoring 57 goals this season, Nguma not only demolished the record with 186 for her career, but she’s also earned The Monitor’s 2021 Girls Soccer Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Ironically, after following the trail to confirm who was at the top of that list, it circled all the way back to Sharyland High and Katie Watson who, during her senior year, ended her career with 146 goals. During that senior year, Nguma was Watson’s freshman teammate.

“It was quite the duo to have,” Sharyland High girls soccer head coach Mario Ribera said. “I think Katie helped Xochi quite a bit and when Xochi became more comfortable, they just became such a threat. Katie saw that Xochi could be quite the player, so it pushed Katie and Xochi saw how good Katie was and it made her work hared and more.

Nguma said that her first impression of Watson was of a girl who was so mature and “looked to well put together,” Nguma said. “She had great grades, was amazing at soccer and she was always so well dressed for the occasion. She always knew what she was doing and I wanted to be as well put together as her.”

Nguma said she wished she would have been more outspoken back as a freshman. However, Nguma was a young freshman — just 14 at the time — and was nervous about talking to the older girls, and intimidated.

As the season ran on, the two warmed up to each other, making their onslaught of opponents even more intense. During that year, Nguma said Watson was a big influence on the future offensive megastar.

“There was a non-district game we played and we were losing. Katie scored a goal to tie the game and I couldn’t get past the defenders, but she could,” Nguma said. “I needed to be able to do what she is doing so that people could depend on me like they could depend on her.”

She accepted that challenge, and that challenge prepare her for two most challenges, one of them unprecedented in the RGV, one of them unprecedented around the world — the race for the all-time scoring crown, and the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively.

“I have an elderly family member that lives with me in my house,” Nguma said. “My fear was that I would go to practice and have a teammate or someone who wouldn’t take care of themselves and I could catch it and take the virus back to the house and would spread it to the people I love. I would hear so many stories in the other sports at my school and I would come home from practice, immediately take a shower and always wear my mask, to be extra cautious.”

Nguma, Edinburg Vela’s Taylor Campbell and Donna North’s Gabby Aviles all surpassed Watson’s then-record. As the season continued toward playoffs, the “chase” started to surround the girls. More people wanted to see who those three athletes were who were putting up video-game numbers in goals scored.

Nguma said there was no escape from it. One teammate was keeping detailed information on each goal Nguma scored and it became a daily quest from fans, friends and others who wanted to know who was winning the chase.

“It was very overwhelming. I didn’t expect it to reach out to so many people,” she said. “I was overcome with so many emotions. People I didn’t know people would take watch over who and how many goals and they would come to the games. Knowing this just pushed me more. I didn’t want to let my team down. We were getting publicity and people wanted to come and see.”

Nguma doesn’t like attracting attention, but her actions on the field demand it. As the season neared the end, even opponents would bring up the chase during a match.

“I never really kept up on the goals but it was in the back of my mind, especially with the other girls competing and wondering how close they are or who was next to me,” Nguma said. “People would tell me so-and-so is catching you. It was really nerve-racking.

“Some people would even bring it up on the field — ‘Aren’t you the girl who is supposed to be doing all that scoring and stuff?’ I would think, ‘Now they’re expecting a good game.’”

And, most of those times in response, Nguma would respond with as much, or more, than they were expecting.

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