PHARR — Following PSJA High’s three-set win over Edinburg High on Tuesday night, Edinburg head coach Deanna Dominguez walked over to PSJA head coach Caroline Cuellar and basically summarized the District 31-6A matchup in five words.
“Kaylah really wanted it tonight,” Dominguez said.
PSJA middle hitter/blocker Kaylah Hernandez, a junior, whose attacks at the net were just as brutal as some of her blocks, helped lead the Bears to a 30-28, 25-15, 26-24 win over the Bobcats at PSJA North, where both teams were informed the game was being played just 90 minutes beforehand after PSJA High had to shut down due to COVID-19 concerns.
The win moved PSJA into a tie for third place with Edinburg in District 31-6A at 9-4 with one match remaining for both teams before the playoffs. The win also clinched a postseason berth for the Bears. The Bobcats had already qualified.
Cuellar, in her second year at the PSJA helm, said the team took a break from practice Monday to study film.
“We really broke down about two full games of (Edinburg),” Cuellar said. “Our girls have finally bought into the structure and processes we run as a program, and now they know the girls’ tendencies. Our defense knows every girl on the court, our hitters know them, too.”
Hernandez finished the night with eight kills and three blocks, two of them solo blocks against Edinburg High standout middle Jazmin Cuellar. Most of Hernandez’s impact came in the final two sets.
“Kaylah has matured since the beginning of the season and we’ve worked all season on the mental game,” said Cuellar, whose team began district play with two losses but has since gone 9-2. “She would get blocked and just down. Now she’s turning around and asking her teammates or myself what’s open or what else she could do to be a threat. She’s overcome a lot to get here.”
Jumairy Campos and Johanna Montelongo were also swinging at full power. Campos led the team with 14 kills, while Montelongo added 12 as the Bears won the battle of attacks.
That, however, was set up by a defense led by libero Talia Gomez, who racked up 52 digs. More importantly, most of those digs were sent like clockwork to setter Alexa Carranza or Victoria Gonzalez, creating many opportunities for PSJA’s hitters to attack time and again.
“The first time we played them I noticed we were scared on defense,” Cuellar said. “You’re never gonna get the set you want if the ball’s not passed correctly and we knew that Edinburg likes to target players on the serve receive. I told them, if we’re not ready, we’re gonna blow the game. Whoever was in the back row today was ready and they came through.”
Jazmin Cuellar, a junior, has been overpowering much of the time this season and during one stretch in the second set it looked as if the Bobcats had found a rhythm, going on a 5-0 run to turn a 20-9 deficit to 20-13. Cueller had three kills during that run and Mia Dominguez added another. PSJA closed it out, however, with a 5-2 run behind a Montelongo kill and a pair of kills from Campos.
Jazmin Cuellar again had a big night, leading the Bobcats with 12 kills and six blocks.
“Jazmin Cuellar looks like she’s up for hitter of the year in our district,” Coach Cuellar said. “She’s got a hot hand and she’s dominant. Whatever they set her and wherever, she’s putting it away. We knew if we could keep No. 7 off the court we would need to run up the score then. When she was on the court we needed to break it right away, rotate and get her off because of how dominant a hitter she is.”