VALLEY-VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

Tuesday, Sept. 27

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial def. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 25-7, 25-10, 25-5

McAllen Rowe def. La Joya High 25-5, 25-10, 25-6

McAllen High def. La Joya Palmview

District 31-6A

PSJA North def. Edinburg Economedes 25-10, 25-11, 25-9

Edinburg High def. PSJA Southwest 25-14, 25-16, 25-18

Edinburg Vela def. PSJA High 25-10, 25-17, 25-15

PSJA Memorial def. Edinburg North 25-17, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22

District 32-6A

Weslaco East def. Harlingen South 25-23, 25-23, 25-14

San Benito def. Weslaco High 25-10, 25-23, 25-16

Los Fresnos def. Brownsville Rivera 21-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-18

Brownsville Hanna def. Harlingen High 25-12, 20-25, 25-18, 25-13

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer def. Laredo Cigarroa 25-8, 25-13, 19-25, 25-13

Mission Veterans Memorial def. Laredo Martin 25-9, 25-16, 15-14

Laredo Nixon def. Roma

Valley View of Rio Grande City, not reported

District 32-5A

Edcouch-Elsa def. Brownsville Lopez 25-5, 25-14, 25-6

Brownsville Veterans def. Donna North 25-11, 25-14, 25-14

Brownsville Pace def. Donna High 16-25, 25-23, 25-18, 26-24

Mercedes def. Brownsville Porter 25-15, 25-21, 25-22

District 32-4A

Hidalgo def. Grulla 9-25, 26-24, 16-25, 25-9, 16-14

Raymondville def. La Feria 25-21, 25-23, 16-25, 25-20

Port Isabel def. Rio Hondo 14-25, 25-22, 25-18, 21-25, 15-9

Progreso def. Zapata 25-23, 26-24, 25-14

Tuesday’s Matches

District 30-6A

MCALLEN MEMORIAL DEF. LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN

25-7, 25-10, 25-5

MCALLEN MEMORIAL — Jocelynn Everage 8 kills, 4 aces, 2 digs; Taylor Marburger 5 kills, 4 aces; D.D. Ibarra 4 kills, 3 aces; Bethany Caldwell 3 aces, 2 digs; Morgan Bialaszweski 4 assists.

JUAREZ-LINCOLN — Not reported.

RECORD — McAllen Memorial 31-3, 5-0 in district.

McALLEN HIGH DEF. LA JOYA PALMVIEW

25-5, 25-10, 25-6

LA JOYA PALMVIEW — Giselle Ornelas 2 kills 5 digs; Sarahi Zavala 3 kills 2 assists; Keyla Gutierrez 2 kills.

McALLEN HIGH — Not reported.

RECORD — Not reported.

McALLEN ROWE DEF. LA JOYA HIGH

25-5, 25-10, 25-6

McALLEN ROWE — Amanda Martinez 1 assist, 3 kills; Renee Alonzo 1 assist, 7 kills, 11 digs; Jackelyn Alaniz 20 kills; Adriana Martinez 13 assists; Isabella Lopez 3 kills; Brianna Chaidez 6 digs; Kayla Cruz 8 digs; Vanessa Lopez 19 assists; Victoria Galindo 1 kill.

LA JOYA HIGH — Not reported.

RECORD — McAllen Rowe 24-12, 4-1 in district.

District 31-6A

PSJA NORTH DEF. EDINBURG ECONOMEDES

25-10, 25-11, 25-9

PSJA NORTH — Stephanie Crispin 11 kills, 3 blocks; Carla Muro 7 kills, 5 blocks, 1 ace; Ashley Garza 7 kills, 1 ace; Crystal Ibarra 11 digs, 1 kill, 3 ace; Sam Enriquez 28 assists, 1 ace.

economedes — Not reported.

RECORD — PSJA North 21-11, 3-3 in district.

EDINBURG HIGH DEF. PSJA SOUTHWEST

25-14, 25-16, 25-18

edinburg high — Dezi Marmolejo 3 kills, 6 aces, 12 digs, 33 assists; Marissa Arce 12 kills, 17 digs, 1 assist; Tianna Howard 24 kills, 2 blocks, 2 digs; Natalie Martinez 6 kills; Elizabeth Olivarez 1 kill, 1 ace, 24 digs; Maria Reyes 3 kills, 12 digs, 1 assist; Renee Ponce 1 kill, 3 digs, 5 assists; Lorissa Gonzalez 8 digs.

psja southwest — Not reported.

RECORD — Edinburg High 26-6, 5-1 in district; PSJA Southwest 16-14, 1-5 in district.

EDINBURG VELA DEF. PSJA HIGH

25-10, 25-17, 25-15

EDINBURG VELA — Jaida Muhammad 16 kills, 18 points, 1 ace,5 digs; Nicole Avelar 13 kills, 1 ace, 6 digs; Julissa Cuellar 22 assists, 9 kills, 5 points, 5 digs; Cynthia Hernandez 14 assists, 7 points; Bianca Cortez 6 kills, 5 stuff blocks; Dylann Guerra 9 digs, 17 points; Chery Chavez 4 digs, 3 aces.

PSJA HIGH — Not reported.

RECORD — Edinburg Vela 28-8, 6-0 in district.

District 31-5A

SHARYLAND PIONEER DEF. LAREDO CIGARROA

25-8, 25-13, 19-25,25-13

sharyland pioneer — Caitlyn Cottrell 12 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks; Mikayla Zimmerer 8 kills; Sam Roberts 27 assists 14 digs; Christina Ybarra 11 digs, 4 aces; Audrey Smith 16 kills, 14 assists, 20 digs.

laredo cigarroa — Not reported.

RECORD — Not reported.

MISSION VETERANS MEMORIAL DEF. LAREDO MARTIN

25-9, 25-16, 25-14

MISSION VETERANS — Makenzie Gerlach 7 kills, 1 assist 3 digs, 1 ace; Iliana Contreras 1 kill, 28 assists, 8 digs, 1 ace; Karyna Lozano 2 digs; Andrea De La Garza 5 kills, 1 assist, 8 digs, 4 aces; Alex Jimenez 11 kills, 8 digs, 3 aces; D’Iyza 6 kills, 2 digs; Veronika Cantu 5 assists, 1 dig; Jackie Howell 11 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces; Valerie De La Fuente 2 kills, 4 assists, 1 dig.

LAREDO MARTIN — Not reported.

RECORD — Mission Veterans 9-0 in district.

District 32-5A

EDCOUCH-ELSA DEF. BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ

25-5, 25-14, 25-6

EDCOUCH-ELSA — Maddie Acevedo 3 kills, 4 assists, 22 digs, 1 block; Bianca Cardenas 9 kills, 1 assist, 8 digs, 2 blocks; Jackie De Los Santos 2 kills, 19 assists, 6 digs; Paloma Ybarra 13 kills, 3 digs, 3 blocks; Lexie Villalpando 3 kills, 1 assist, 1 ace, 1 dig, 2 blocks.

BROWNSVILLE LOPEZ — Not reported.

RECORD — Edcouch-Elsa 4-2 in district.

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS DEF. DONNA NORTH

25-11, 25-14, 25-14

DONNA NORTH — I’Dasha Sorrell 11 kills, 2 aces, 4 blocks; Evelyn De Leon 3 kills; Nicole Rodriguez 15 assists, 1 ace; Vanessa Alonzo 2 kills.

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS — Not reported.

RECORD — Donna North 8-13, 1-5 in district.

District 32-4A

HIDALGO DEF. GRULLA

9-25, 26-24, 16-25, 25-9, 16-14

GRULLA — Delma Ozuna 5 aces, 10 kills,1 block, 1 assist, 28 digs; Larissa Martinez 3 kills, 6 assists,16 digs; Maxine Solis 1 aces, 3 kills, 6 assists, 12 digs; Caitlyn Rodriguez 4 aces, 1 kill, 1 block, 30 digs; Analuz Velasquez 2 kills, 35 digs; Amarayza Huerta 2 aces, 5 digs; Abigail Flores 1 kill, 7 digs; Jennifer Anzaldua 1 block.

hidalgo — Not reported.

RECORD — Grulla 14-14, 2-5 in district.

RAYMONDVILLE DEF. LA FERIA

25-21, 25-23, 16-25, 25-20

LA FERIA — Isis Bernal 1 kill, 5 assists, 4 digs; Karina Diaz 24 assists, 1 kill, 8 digs; Myah Salas 15 kills, 20 digs, 1 ace; Anelli Rodriguez 4 kills, 5 digs, 1 block; Syerra Montalvo 7 kills, 27 digs, 1 assist; Camryn Lopez 5 kills, 1 assist, 10 digs; Donna Garza 1 kill, 6 digs; Destiny Martinez 14 digs; Alyssa Martinez 1 kill, 2 digs; Dakota 5 digs.

RAYMONDVILLE — Not reported.

RECORD — Not reported.

By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER

With seven returners back this year, Hidalgo coach Kay Dee Benavides believes she has the “foundational” pieces in place to surpass what the team accomplished in 2015.

So far, that has held true. The Lady Pirates are 4-2 in district and on pace to make the playoffs, unlike last season when they finished fifth — one spot shy of the postseason. Kill leader Karla Cantu and Stephanie Ysasi have been the catalyst, with Hidalgo turning to their one-punch for consistent scoring all year.

Benavides attributes the team’s familiarity to one another, and their workout regimen, to the turnaround in Year 2.

“Definitely more confident this year,” Benavides said. “I’m sure every team and every coach says they work the hardest, but I feel we do. We hit the weights heavy twice a week, we do tons of jumps and hits so I think they know that they’re ready.”

While there was an adjustment period last year with the coaches and players trying to get in sync, Hidalgo no longer finds itself trying to build that cohesion. The Lady Pirates have come out of the gates determined to challenge for one of the top seeds in district.

Just as Ysasi has been a reliable source of scoring this year, Hidalgo faces some uncertainty the next three matches while the senior recovers from injury. How the Lady Pirates comes together in her absence will be determined tonight when they travel to take on Grulla.

“The rest of the team is going to have to step up,” Benavides said. “We have to see if they’re going to go get it or sit back and let it go. Hopefully the team can come together and pick up where she left off.”

RELYING ON DEFENSE

With four returning back-row players, McAllen Rowe finds itself thriving defensively this season.

During the offseason, coach Magna Canales encouraged her players to compete during the summer without a coach as a way to better learn to make tactical changes on their own accord. So far, Canales said, that appears to be paying off, with her core defensive unit leading the way.

“They’re more mature,” Canales said. “They’re becoming more students of the game. They were able to see the overall picture (during the summer because) they didn’t have someone to tell them where to go or where to cover, where to position themselves between the split on the block. So they had to figure that out.”

Between Kayla Cruz, Brianna Chaidez, Andrea Gomez and Karina De La Rosa, the Lady Warriors have been able to maintain themselves as playoff contenders, even with the loss of key players, such as by Mayda Garcia. They’re 23-13 overall and 3-1 in district as they head into tonight’s match against La Joya High.

With Garcia gone, Rowe finds itself in somewhat of a “rebuilding” phase. Finding a source for scoring has been challenging at times, Canales said, as the team has continued to search for its most productive rotation. Their lack of height also poses a problem, particularly against taller teams like McAllen High and McAllen Memorial, both of whom are vying for a District 30-6A title.

But Canales remains encouraged, nonetheless, as she continues to try to develop a well-rounded roster.

“There’s a lot of things we work on in practice,” Canales said. “There’s different shots, different angles of attack. Different heights on sets. I preach to the kids that I don’t want a one-dimensional player. They need to be able to pull different shots at any given time. Those are the things they work on in practice. And they continue to train here and on their own. They’re working hard.”

With Saturday’s match against McAllen Memorial, McAllen Rowe will look ahead to the second round of district play.

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MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — For three years, Joshua Doria never finished in the top 20 at the RGVCCCA Meet of Champions. The Edinburg North product said he didn’t feel he possessed the strength necessary to compete against the Valley’s best, nor did he have the proper motivation to test his limits.

But in the wake of his mother’s death due to breast cancer, Doria said he found the inspiration to tap into his potential. So when he won the elite boys division at the ninth annual Meet of Champions on Saturday at Monte Cristo Golf Country Club, Doria savored the moment.

“You have to run with heart and guts,” Doria said. “Runners run with purpose, right? They run for their family, for their coaches. They run for themselves to get scholarships. But I run for my mom. I love her. I wish she was with me everyday, like an average mother. But you have to keep on fighting in life.”

Doria clocked in at 15:40.1 to edge La Joya Palmview’s Eliseo Rodriguez by exactly two seconds. His finish helped Edinburg North claim the top prize as a team with 103 points. Donna High (173) came in second, and Rio Grande City (175) third.

Brownsville Rivera’s Andrea de la Rosa (18:25.5) won the girls elite division by a significant margin over the competition. La Joya Palmview’s Brianna Robles (18:47.8), who finished second, said it was the first time this season that she didn’t come away with a win.

“It was hard,” Robles said. “It was really humid and I haven’t gotten used to that. I just felt tired.”

For Doria, the meet marked the first time he took first place at any event this season. That it came against 30 of the Valley’s top programs added significance. In past years, he said he didn’t feel he was adequately prepared to win. But as he continued to improve his strength and stretch properly, he noticed a difference in his results.

Doria showed improvement in regionals last year, after he said he garnered “a bad place” as a sophomore. Physically, he said, he was in a lot of pain then, unable to keep up with the upperclassmen. His coaches continued to push him, however, reminding him of the sport’s everyday commitment.

“I failed so much,” Doria said. “I’m not going to lie. But I said I’m going to run hard, I’m going to run smart. I’m going to fight for things. My mom fought with breast cancer, and I’m going to fight for this. I’m going to fight for education and scholarships.”

Though he admittedly did not run “smart” on Saturday, Doria said it was his toughness that prevailed when he saw Eliseo Rodriguez trailing him, along with Rio Grande City’s Brandon Gracia (15:50.5), who finished third.

“Brandon and Eli, they’re strong competitors,” Doria said. “On the straightaway, I just looked back to check to see in case if Eli was going to catch up. I was pushing, pushing, giving everything I had.”

While Robles said she had ambitions of winning the elite girls division Saturday, she was ultimately pleased with outcome, given her fourth-place finish a year ago with a time of 19:23.5.

The junior was coming off a first-place finish at the Islander Splash in Corpus Christi, and the Meet of Champions served as her final tuneup before district gets under way. Feeling both “heavy and tired” Saturday, she fell short of her own expectations.

“It was a rude awakening that I have to continue to work hard in races because at any given moment, anyone can take it away,” Robles said. “I just have to get more long runs in the afternoons to get used to this heat, and stay hydrated.”

La Joya Palmview won the girls division with 46 points. Sharyland Pioneer (141) and PSJA Memorial (155) followed. It marked the second straight year that the Lady Lobos claimed the top prize.

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RGVSPORTS.COM

McAllen Memorial racked up four touchdowns before allowing a first down, cruising past La Joya Palmview 70-28 in the District 30-6A opener for both teams Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“Any time you get in a district ball game and get a big win and score like we did and play like we did, I’ll take that every week,” Memorial coach Bill Littleton said.

Campbell Speights ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns, Emilio Mendez had 130 yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore backup quarterback Shawn Skaugen had 150 yards and two scores.

JoJo Williams also found the end zone for the Mustangs, and starting quarterback Angel Almaguer threw a touchdown pass to Will Garcia.

“In all three phases of our football game, we played pretty well,” Littleton said.

Memorial improves to 3-2 overall, while Palmview falls to 1-4, 0-1 in district.

McALLEN ROWE 17, LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN 14: At La Joya, Rowe remained undefeated on the year, moving to 4-0 by winning its District 30-6A opener against Juarez-Lincoln.

The Huskies drop to 2-3, 0-1 in district.

EDINBURG VELA 42, EDINBURG NORTH 23: At Edinburg, Robert Guerra scored three times on the ground to lead the SaberCats to a win in their district opener.

Teammate Christian Flores rushed for another score and Brandon Guzman hauled in another TD, helping atone for Vela’s errors in the first half in which fumbled the ball three times in the opening half.

“Our kids were resilient and they battled,” SaberCats coach Michael Salinas said. “We told them to take advantage of possessions. We squandered three of those with fumbles, so that’s something we’re going to have to fix. We can’t win ball games doing that. So we’re fortunate to come away with a win.”

Vela improved to 3-1 on the season, while Edinburg North dropped to 0-4.

PSJA SOUTHWEST 20, PSJA HIGH 17: At Pharr, Justin Corona scored the go-winning touchdown on a 10-yard run to lead the Javelinas in both teams’ district opener.

“Justin had a determined game,” Southwest coach Jesus Reyes said. “He took the offense on his shoulders and did a good job.”

Southwest improved to 3-1 on the season, while PSJA High fell to 2-2 overall.

“It’s a confidence-booster for us,” Reyes said. “Our kids are really confident, but they’re level-headed. They’ll enjoy tonight but they know tomorrow it’s right back to work.”

CLASS 5A

RIO GRANDE CITY 24, ROMA 21: At Roma, Danny Perez’s 24-yard field goal with about four minutes left proved to be the game-winner in another intense chapter of the Starr County rivalry.

The Rattlers led 14-7 at halftime, but saw Roma score two quick touchdowns to take a 21-14 lead late in the game. But defensive lineman Javier Garcia blocked a punt that led to Javi Garcia’s touchdown reception and Perez ended the dramatics with his leg.

“Our kids showed a lot of character coming back,” RGC coach Aaron Garcia said. “I’m real proud.”

Perez, who was banged up last week and missed an offensive series early in the game, threw two touchdowns. His backup, Armando Gonzalez, threw another TD pass, also to Javi Garcia.

“This was a special game for both teams,” Garcia said. “What I was really proud of it was a total team effort. That’s what we harped on all along. You take a guy like Armando Gonzalez who comes in and executed beautifully.”

MERCEDES 31, DONNA HIGH 0: At Mercedes, Mark Ledesma threw for more than 270 yards and rushed for 66 more in leading the Tigers without starting quarterback Zach Gomez, who continues to recover from a sprained shoulder suffered two weeks ago.

Gomez is day-to-day and expected to back next week.

Mark’s brother, Matt, caught two touchdown passes and Joe Garcia caught another. Fabian Ledesma ran in a touchdown score.

It was the first win for Mercedes, which started the season 0-3 but won its district opener.

“It’s been rough,” coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “We did this on purpose as far as setting our non-district schedule, seeing tough opponents early that tested us. We were in each game and it prepared us for our district. That was the whole goal. It was a great win, it’s been a long three weeks and to open up district against the reigning district champs … this is a great win.”

EDCOUCH-ELSA 45, DONNA NORTH 12: At Elsa, the Yellowjackets improved to 3-1 and won their district opener.

Running back Jorge Gomez rushed for more than 150 yards and three touchdowns.

“It was a total team effort,” E-E coach Joe Marichalar said. “We had two things to concentrate on — teamwork and discipline. We evaluate ourselves before our opponent, and going off last week’s win (at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln), we looked and we wanted to fix our problems. Those were the two we felt we could do a better job on. For the most part, everybody did their part and that was the plus.”

Donna North lost for the second time in the last three games. The Chiefs are 1-3 overall.

CLASS 2A

MONTE ALTO 42, BENAVIDES 21: At Benavides, the Blue Devils improved to 2-2 on the season with a win on the road.

By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER

RIO GRANDE CITY — As a senior and second-year starting quarterback, Grulla’s Fabian Anzaldua insists he isn’t so much concerned about individual accolades at this stage of his career as he is leading his Gators to a district title.

So before practice got underway Wednesday, Anzaldua approached coach Abel Gonzalez III about how to better maximize his opportunities. Through four games, Anzaldua has connected on just 25 of 65 attempts (40.3 percent) for 377 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions.

How his completion percentage looks alongside his name isn’t so much the root of his frustration as is the outcome his team could have enjoyed had those looks connected.

“A lot of those routes he’s throwing downfield are 1-on-1s, so I’m going to tell him to go for those every time,” Gonzalez said. “He took those shots last year, and we hit a lot of them. This year we’ve hit about one or two, so we have to be more consistent with our deep ball.”

Anzaldua attributes his recent slump to the pressure he puts on himself to go for “the home run plays,” as Gonzalez describes it, simply “looking to pump up my teammates.” Part of that, Anzaldua said, stems from his intention to establish the run game. Though he plays quarterback exclusively, Anzaldua leads the district in rushing with 532 yards on 58 attempts (9.2 yards per carry average) and six touchdowns.

That production has helped Grulla generate 73.5 percent of its offense on the ground, far and away the best rushing attack in District 16-4A, Division I.

Where Anzaldua might have rushed more than 20 times a game last year, the senior is now finding himself being a bit more conservative, rushing an average of 14.5 times a game. Gonzalez came up with that figure before the year as a way to scale back the number of times Anzaldua could potential absorb hits.

But that’s hardly been the case with Anzaldua, who committed himself to the weight room in an effort to shed defenders and break tackles.

“He’s always been an elusive runner,” Gonzalez said. “He’s always had good speed. But he’s a lot stronger than he was last year, and it’s starting to show. He’s a tough kid to bring down.”

Despite his success on the ground, Anzaldua understands he has to improve his accuracy if his team intends on going past the opening round of the playoffs. The past two games have been the toughest on Anzaldua — a 35-34 loss to PSJA Southwest and a 17-7 win over Lyford — in which he completed 15 of 35 attempts.

The next two games, starting with Friday’s matchup at Rio Hondo, provide the final tune-ups before opening a four-game district slate.

“I was telling Coach about it today how I need to get on my passing game and pay more attention to that,” Anzaldua said. “I haven’t been as accurate as I had been the first two weeks. I went back to the running game. But now I have to pay more attention to the passing so I could be that dual threat.

“It’s just about trying to get the team going, trying to come up with the big plays to give the guys energy.”

As a senior, Anzaldua has taken to heart his role as a leader. He was determined this past offseason to improve his footwork and have a better read on the defense. He’s also been more vocal, pulling aside teammates when the offense is on the sideline, providing words of encouragement or offering advice.

That’s why his stats aren’t so much a concern for him. That will come with the victories, he said. What matters most to Anzaldua is that the Gators, now 2-2 overall, are able to fulfill their potential.

“Everything’s different now,” Anzaldua said. “When we’re watching film, we’re paying attention to details. Here in practice, there’s no messing around. That’s what separates this year’s group from last year’s: they’re showing they want to win. As long as we do that, as long as we stay focus, we’re going to be OK.”

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By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER

After splitting its non-district schedule, Sharyland High is enjoying its place atop the District 31-5A standings.

Before losing to Laredo Nixon on Saturday, the Lady Rattlers (17-13, 5-1 in district) had won five straight matches, including a four-set win over rival Sharyland Pioneer. All this with a largely inexperienced roster for Sharyland.

“The girls have been working hard,” Lady Rattlers coach Raul Castillo said. “They know we started off flat in the beginning, and so we had work to do. We have only two seniors, we’re fairly young. There’s going to be mistakes in the beginning. That’s what ended up happening. But little by little they’re picking up the little details in the offense and minimizing errors.”

Sharyland High has also received a boost from junior Maddy Bickerton, who transferred from Port Isabel. Bickerton, who attended B.L. Grey Middle School before moving to P.I., has flourished since joining the Lady Rattlers. Utilizing her height and athleticism, Bickerson has worked her way into a starting spot on the right side.

Castillo lauded her for being a quick learner, saying she generally makes whatever adjustments are asked of her within the same set.

“She’s one of those kids who wants to work and wants to get it done so she could stay on the court,” Castillo said.

Senior middle blocker Norma Quintanilla has also drawn praise for her vocal leadership and her play in the front row. Together, the team pulled what was largely considered an upset win over Sharyland Pioneer.

“Whenever you beat your rival school, it’s going to boost anyone’s morale,” Castillo said. “We had the odds stacked against us; no one thought we were going to win. But we were practicing for it, and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. And they didn’t take them lightly.”

He added: “The girls are just working hard and coming together, doing a lot of team bonding. Right now it’s just realizing what we’re able to accomplish with our offense, our sets. Knowing how to set, when, knowing who they have across from them. Knowing what defense the opponents run and having our setters realize what their weaknesses are versus our strengths and being able to get that offense going for us.”

STAYING IN THE HUNT

As much as Roma has been marred by injuries this season, coach Angie Garcia refuses to let her players use it as an excuse.

At 3-3 in district, Roma (11-14) is in the playoff hunt — looking to make its fourth appearance in five years — despite losing a middle blocker to season-ending shoulder surgery and three other defensive players to varying ailments.

The Lady Gladiators took a hit when it lost Alejandra Reyes, one of three seniors on the team, due to a shoulder injury.

She’s been replaced in the starting lineup by Maya Salinas, the only freshman on the team. Garcia said Salinas’ play has been “tremendous,” so far.

With Natalie Gonzalez (sprained wrist), Alexa Sanchez (groin) and Yeritza Saenz (groin) also sidelined, Roma has forged ahead nonetheless to post a .500 district record heading into tonight’s match against Laredo Cigarroa.

“It’s a combination of everybody coming together,” Garcia said. “I don’t have that one standout player that we say this is our go-to girl. It’s definitely a combination of everyone’s efforts. We’re not a one-girl team. We cannot do it. It’s hard when you have to pull that off. So we’re blessed to have several good players on this team.”

Garcia added: “I always try to tell the girls not to get satisfied. You have to stay hungry for more. And I think we could’ve gotten at least one of those three games we lost early on, for sure. But that’s how it goes, and I think we’ve gotten better every game. The team has gotten more unified and working harder together.”

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VALLEY-VOLLEYBALL SUMMARIES

Saturday’s Matches

DISTRICT 30-6A

McALLEN MEMORIAL DEF. McALLEN HIGH

25-22, 25-18, 25-18

McALLEN MEMORIAL — Valeria Trevino 5 kills, 3 digs; Emily Whitworth 3 kills, 2 digs; Jocelynn Everage 14 kills, 12 digs; Taylor Marburger 12 kills, 4 aces, 8 digs, 13 assists; DD Ibarra 5 kills, 9 digs; Alexia Kruse 5 digs, 25 assists; Abrianna Saenz 15 digs, 2 assists.

McALLEN HIGH — Carter Helmcamp 1 ace, 7 kills, 5 digs, 1 block, 21 assists; Victoria Rogers 1 ace, 8 kills, 12 digs, 1 block; Julia Monday 8 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks; Sydney Pemelton 1 ace, 4 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks; Kellie Woodin 8 digs.

RECORDS — McAllen Memorial 29-3, 3-0 in district; McAllen High 30-2, 1-1.

MISSION HIGH DEF. LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN

25-12, 25-10, 25-11

MISSION HIGH — Lissete Vela 8 kills, 2 blocks, 16 points, 9 aces; Maria Garcia 7 kills; Emily Alvarado 7 kills; Anyssa Aguilar 14 points, 4 aces, 12 assists; Clarissa Gonzalez 5 kills, 7 points

JUAREZ-LINCOLN — Not reported

RECORDS — Mission High 17-8, 2-1 in district.

McALLEN ROWE DEF. LA JOYA PALMVIEW

25-11, 25-9, 25-9

McALLEN ROWE — Amanda Martinez 16 kills, 1 ace, 13 digs; Andrea Gomez 7 aces, 12 digs; Karina DLR 2 assists, 12 digs; Renee Alonzo 3 kills, 7 aces, 12 digs; Jackelyn Alaniz 15 kills, 3 aces, 6 digs, 2 blocks; Adrianna Martinez 13 assists, 1 ace, 7 digs, 1 block; Isabella Lopez 1 kill; Brianna Chaidez 6 digs; Kayla Cruz 1 assist, 10 digs; Vanessa Lopez 18 assists, 1 kill, 1 ace, 2 digs; Victoria Galindo 2 blocks.

LA JOYA PALMVIEW — Not reported.

RECORDS — McAllen Rowe 22-12, 2-0 in district.

DISTRICT 31-6A

PSJA NORTH DEF. EDINBURG NORTH

25-20, 25-19, 25-17

PSJA NORTH — Carla Muro 12 kills, 2 blocks; Stephanie Crispin 11 kills, 2 blocks; Ashley Garza 9 kills, 1 ace; Mariana Juarez 6 kills; Melissa Palacios 12 digs; Sam Enriquez 42 assists, 1 ace.

EDINBURG NORTH — Not reported.

RECORDS — PSJA North 20-9, 2-1 in district

EDINBURG HIGH DEF. PSJA MEMORIAL

25-10, 23-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-7

PSJA MEMORIAL — Kristi Gomez 10 kills, 8 digs, 3 blocks, 2 aces; Deserey Gomez 12 assists, 3 kills, 5 digs, 2 blocks; Stephanie Flores 3 kills, 6 blocks; Valerie Guajardo 13 assists, 1 block; Mireya Martinez 10 digs; Victoria Maldonado 10 digs; Kristy Alanis 4 assists, 5 digs.

EDINBURG HIGH — Dezi Marmolejo 4 kills, 5 aces, 51 assists, 22 digs; Marissa Arce 15 kills, 5 aces, 19 digs; Amber Reyes 13 kills, 5 assists, 15 digs; Tianna Howard 24 kills, 1 block, 1 ace, 6 digs; Elizabeth Olivarez 25 digs, 1 assist; Maria Reyes 3 kills, 17 digs; Brianna Sanchez 3 kills, 4 blocks.

RECORDS — PSJA Memorial 23-6, 2-1 in district; Edinburg High 23-6, 2-1 in district.

EDINBURG VELA DEF. PSJA SOUTHWEST

25-15, 25-13, 25-11

EDINBURG VELA — Jaida Muhammad 12 kills, 11 digs; Nicole Avelar 14 kills, 10 digs; Julissa Cuellar 14 assists, 7 kills; Cynthia Hernandez 19 assists, 17 points; Chery Chavez 28 digs, 6 points.

SOUTHWEST — Not reported.

RECORDS — Not reported.

DISTRICT 31-5A

SHARLAND PIONEER DEF. VALLEY VIEW

25-17, 25-17, 30-28

SHARYLAND PIONEER — Audrey Smith 8 kills, 2 aces, 22 assists, 15 digs; Caitlyn Cottrell 8 kills, 3 aces; Daizy Coronado 3 kills; Mikayla Zimmerer 3 kills, 5 digs; Savannah James 9 kills, 21 digs; Samantha Roberts 14 assists, 5 digs; Christina Ybarra 15 digs.

VALLEY VIEW — Not reported.

RECORDS — Sharyland Pioneer 20-7, 4-2 in district.

DISTRICT 32-5A

BROWNSVILLE PORTER DEF. DONNA NORTH

25-24, 25-23, 28-26

DONNA NORTH — I’Dasha Sorrell 13 kills, 4 blocks; Evelyn De Leon 3 aces, 5 kills; Nicole Rodriguez 1 ace, 18 assists.

BROWNSVILLE PORTER — Not reported.

RECORDS — Donna North 8-10, 1-2 in district.

DISTRICT 32-4A

HIDALGO DEF. ZAPATA

25-27, 25-22, 25-20, 25-19

HIDALGO — Stephanie Ysasi 26 assists; Karla Cantu 26 kills, 6 digs; Barbie Gutierrez 11 kills; Vivian Chavez 7 kills, 35 digs, 2 aces; Christy Ochoa 4 kills, 9 digs; Gabby Estrada 22 digs; Ashley Arjona 12 digs; Andrea Espinoza 9 digs; Jaime Leal 27 digs.

ZAPATA — Not reported.

RECORDS — Not reported.

GRULLA DEF. RIO HONDO

25-14, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19

GRULLA — Delma Ozuna 1 ace, 9 kills,1 block, 1 assist, 28 digs; Maxine Solis 1 ace, 8 assists, 17 digs; Caitlyn Rodriguez 34 digs; Eveline Saenz 1 kill, 1 assist, 12 digs; Analuz Velasquez 1 kill, 1 assist, 27 digs; Larissa Martinez 1 block, 3 assists,11 digs; Amarayza Huerta 1 ace,3 kills, 1 assist, 9 digs; Abigail Flores 1 block, 3 kills, 5 digs; Jennifer Anzaldua 1 block, 1 kill, 2 digs.

RIO HONDO — Not reported.

RECORDS — Grulla 14-11, 2-2 in district.

NON-DISTRICT

ROMA DEF. LA JOYA HIGH

28-26, 25-15, 25-23

ROMA — Diamantina Ramirez 1 ace, 2 assists, 8 kills, 4 blocks, 3 digs; Marianna Canales 1 ace, 5 kills, 12 digs; Alissa Gonzalez 7 aces, 11 assists, 1 kill, 2 digs; Jesselle Guerra 2 aces, 4 assists, 12 digs; Alba Gonzalez 3 blocks; Mya Salinas 6 kills, 1 block.

LA JOYA HIGH — Not reported.

RECORDS — Roma 11-14, 3-3 in district.

VALLEY-VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

District 30-6A

McAllen Memorial def. McAllen High 25-22, 25-18, 25-18

Mission High def. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 25-12, 25-10, 25-11

McAllen Rowe def. La Joya Palmview 25-11, 25-9, 25-9

District 31-6A

Edinburg Vela def. PSJA Southwest 25-16, 25-15, 25-11

PSJA North def. Edinburg North 25-20, 25-19, 25-17

Edinburg High def. PSJA Memorial 25-10, 23-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-7

PSJA High vs. Edinburg Economedes, not reported

District 32-6A

Los Fresnos def. Weslaco East 25-16, 25-12, 25-17

Harlingen High def. Weslaco High 25-23, 15-25, 25-22, 25-21

District 31-5A

Sharyland Pioneer def. Valley View 25-17, 25-17, 30-28

Mission Veterans Memorial def. Rio Grande City 25-6, 25-8, 25-12

Sharyland High at Laredo Nixon, not reported

District 32-5A

Donna High def. Brownsville Lopez 25-20, 25-16, 25-12

Brownsville Porter def. Donna North 25-24, 25-23, 28-26

Mercedes def. Brownsville Pace 25-17, 25-16, 19-25, 17-25, 15-10

Brownsville Veterans def. Edcouch-Elsa 25-21, 27-25, 23-25, 29-27

District 32-4A

Hidalgo def. Zapata 25-27, 25-22, 25-20, 25-19

Grulla def. Rio Hondo 25-14, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19

La Feria def. Port Isabel

Progreso def. Raymondville

Non-district

Roma def. La Joya High 28-26, 25-15, 25-23

By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — D.D. Ibarra remembered the disappointment she experienced a month ago when her McAllen Memorial team led McAllen High in the championship match of the Poundfest Tournament before losing the final two sets.

That letdown, she said, motivated her team to avoid a similar outcome Saturday, and it showed in the manner in which the Lady Mustangs dispatched visiting McHi 25-22, 25-18, 25-18 in the first of two regular-season meetings.

“We knew from the beginning it was going to be a tough game, like the championship game of the McAllen tournament (last month),” Ibarra said. That tournament match “was horrible; we were embarrassed. So we knew we had to come out better.”

Ibarra recorded five kills, one ace and nine digs as Memorial (29-3, 3-0 in district) handed McHi only its second loss of the year in 32 outings. The Lady Bulldogs hadn’t lost since the season opener, when they hosted Laredo Alexander.

McHi led in a couple instances in the opening game Saturday, but never by more than one point until it opened a 21-19 edge on a kill from Carter Helmcamp to Victoria Rogers. Following a timeout, however, Memorial responded with a 4-0 run, helped, in part, by two McHi errors.

Moments later, officials reversed a call in favor for Memorial, which took a 24-22 lead, before Alexia Kruse connected with Jocelynn Everage for a kill to seal it.

“They’re a great team,” McHi coach Paula Dodge said. “They did a good job, and we made way too many errors. You play a team this good and you have to be at the top of your game. And we made a lot of hitting errors and defensive errors.

“At this level, you have to execute all the fundamentals, all the time.”

Though the Lady Bulldogs kept it close in Game 2, Memorial never appeared in danger of losing, keeping at least a five-point separation once it led 15-10. Then in the final set, McHi took control early before Memorial tied it at 12 and went ahead for good on a series of timely lobs by Kruse, who finished with 25 assists and five digs.

“She was definitely on her A-game,” Ibarra said. “Her sets were perfect. And Taylor (Marburger)’s defense was amazing. So was Jocelyn’s blocking, too.”

With that, Memorial, ranked No. 3 in the latest RGVSports.com top 10 poll, remained atop the district standings after beating McHi, the preseason No. 1 pick.

“Every year it’s the same,” Memorial coach Lorena Lopez said about the competitiveness of the rivalry. “You’ve got to get these wins early on to secure a high playoff speed. But, really, we just treat it like individual matches, but we know we could still get a lot from these. These prepare us for the playoffs.

“I’ve been coaching against Coach Dodge for 15 years, and we love it. We love to play the game, and I’m hoping the girls come out of this with a lot of confidence. It’s definitely a good boost.”

As McHi looks ahead to the remaining 10 games of district play, Dodge said her team would have to sharpen several skills, particularly blocking. In some instances Saturday, her players hit right into blocks, giving away costly points.

Rogers led the way for McHi with eight kills, 12 digs and one block. Julia Monday also had eight kills to go with four digs and two blocks. Sydney Pemelton delivered four kills, four digs, two blocks and one ace. And Helmcamp notched seven kills, five digs, 21 assists, one block and one ace.

Everage led Memorial with 14 kills and 12 digs. Marburger had 12 kills to go with 13 assists, eight digs and four aces. And Valeria Treviño contributed five kills and three digs.

“We knew coming in that they had huge blockers,” Ibarra said. “So we just had to swing away and have our defense ready for whatever was going to come. … The goal now, for this team, is to be undefeated district champs, so we’re just trying to meet that goal right now.

“This was like a playoff game. Both teams were really strong. It just came down to who was better today.”

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