Call it coach’s intuition.
Brownsville Veterans Memorial volleyball coach Lisa Mares didn’t feel quite right about her lineup.
Even though the Lady Chargers have been playing matches with that lineup since the beginning of the UIL season in early August, Mares still made changes with her starting six just prior to Saturday’s District 32-5A opener at Pace.
The result was a solid 25-19, 25-11, 25-16 victory for Brownsville Veterans over the Lady Vikings and a 1-0 start to district.
“I was a little nervous about this match because I had been thinking a lot about changing the lineup,” said Mares, whose Lady Chargers have captured the past two 32-5A championships with undefeated district records each season. “We had (already) played all these tournaments and non-district matches, and Friday, I just decided to change it. I didn’t feel quite right about it, and that’s why I was a little nervous going into this match.
“We practiced with the lineup change only once, and we hadn’t played any matches with it,” Mares added. “That’s why I’m so proud of the girls for not letting the lineup change matter. It was the same people (in the lineup), they were just switched around. I am proud of the girls because they played well against Pace.”
The Lady Chargers built an early lead during each game, and besides a 1-1 tie in the third set, they stayed out in front throughout the match to win each of the three games comfortably. They led by as many as eight points (19-11) during the first game, 14 points (25-11) in the second set and 10 points (24-14) during the final game.
“We have room for improvement and I’m telling the girls that, but overall, we’re jelling better,” Mares said. “We’re talking to each other more (on the court) and showing very good teamwork. From where we started off the season, we’re getting more consistent. I like the scrappiness of our game (now). The girls are making plays and it’s awesome.”
The Lady Vikings (0-1) are under the direction of new coach Pamela McCumber. She was disappointed her team didn’t make it a closer match against the Lady Chargers, but she sees positive things ahead for Pace.
“We made a lot of mistakes, but we did see a lot of good things,” McCumber said. “Hopefully, we can capitalize on that for our next match.”
Libero Lexy Arce was a standout Saturday for Pace, recording 28 digs.
For Brownsville Veterans, the top performers included Pamela Sanchez (15 kills, eight digs, two aces), Frida Rangel (six kills, four blocks), libero Alexandra Parchmont (14 digs, four aces) and setter Daniella Espinosa (27 assists, 14 digs).
District 32-5A competition continues Tuesday as Brownsville Veterans plays host to Donna High and Pace is at Edcouch-Elsa.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess