At long last, the District 32-6A volleyball race is starting.
It’s taken more than six weeks of non-district matches and tournament play since the start of the UIL season in early August to arrive at this point for the six teams of 32-6A, which include Brownsville schools Hanna and Rivera, Los Fresnos, Harlingen High, Harlingen South and San Benito.
Now the most important part of the season begins for them at 6:30 tonight with defending 32-6A champion Rivera playing host to Hanna, Los Fresnos visiting Harlingen South and Harlingen High playing at San Benito.
Each team has done its best to prepare for district, and ready or not, it’s go time.
Los Fresnos, with a 25-7 record, is blessed with a senior-laden, cohesive squad. Los Fresnos has been the most successful of the six 32-6A teams thus far during the first six weeks of the season. But the Lady Falcons were handed a 20-25, 29-27, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12 setback in a non-district match at San Benito on Saturday. If anything, that result suggests the 32-6A race could hold some surprises as it unfolds during the next month or so.
San Benito coach Ruby Medina said last week the Lady Greyhounds’ non-district match against the Lady Falcons would show her just where the team stood going into 32-6A action. Medina received a pretty positive response from her girls Saturday.
“I’m very pleased with the performance of the girls (so far),” Medina said. “Things are going well. I hope we can continue to improve.”
At the same time, Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods is upbeat about the Lady Falcons’ prospects. They’ve been to the playoffs 12 straight years, many times as the district champion.
“Honestly, I feel very optimistic,” said Woods, now in her 34th season as the Lady Falcons’ coach. “We probably have one of the best teams this year that I’ve ever had the privilege to coach in Los Fresnos. It definitely has the most seniors (11) I’ve ever had at one time. That’s what makes this team very special.”
The 32-6A race can be summed up by saying there are six teams vying for four playoff spots. Last year, it was Rivera, Los Fresnos, San Benito and Hanna going to the postseason. Let’s see how it turns out this time around.
32-5A UPDATE
A crucial victory by Edcouch-Elsa over Donna High in five games on Saturday left the Lady Yellowjackets with sole possession of the District 32-5A lead at 3-0. Donna High is 2-1 along with Brownsville schools Veterans Memorial, Lopez and Porter. Mercedes is 1-2, while Pace and Valley View are each 0-3.
E-E prevailed over Donna High 25-21, 23-25, 25-12, 23-25, 15-5.
Also Saturday, Lopez won a five-set match at Pace with an epic comeback, 22-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-11.
“It’s crazy because there’s no one dominant team (in 32-5A),” said Noemi Gallardo, Lopez’s senior setter. “The best team last year (Brownsville Veterans, which won 32-5A in 2017 with a 14-0 record) has already lost (to Donna High). It’s looking like a very close race right now.”
32-4A UPDATE
Two District 32-4A matches postponed from Saturday were played Monday night as Port Isabel entertained Hidalgo and Progreso visited Raymondville. Hidalgo and Raymondville were the winners.
Including the results of those matches, Hidalgo is the 32-4A leader at 4-0, while La Feria and Zapata come next with 3-1 records. Port Isabel and Grulla are 2-2 and Rio Hondo is 1-3. Raymondville is now 1-3 and Progreso is 0-4.
TAPPS OPENER
St. Joseph Academy’s fledgling volleyball program plays its first TAPPS district match at 5:30 p.m. today. The Lady Bloodhounds play host to Corpus Christi Incarnate Word Academy.
“I really don’t know too much about Incarnate Word, but I’m sure they will be competitive,” SJA coach Dolores Olguin-Trevino said. “I just want my girls to play to their potential. We’ve struggled a little in our last three matches, but if we can play relaxed, move (around like we should) and communicate, we can be pretty competitive.”
The Lady Bloodhounds continue TAPPS district action at 3 p.m. Saturday at Laredo St. Augustine.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess