EDINBURG — City rivalries have a knack for creating great drama.
In Edinburg, it’s in abundance.
Saturday’s edition featured two of the top volleyball teams in 31-6A, and it completely lived up to the hype as the Edinburg High Bobcats defeated the Edinburg Vela SaberCats in a dramatic 19-25, 25-14, 17-25, 25-16, 15-9 victory.
“It’s always a big game against any of our city schools, and credit to (Vela) coach (Araceli) Ortega, they didn’t let us down. It was point-for-point for most of the game, and we were fortunate to pull away,” Edinburg High head coach Deanna Dominguez said. “I felt that our outsides helped us out quite a bit this game … that was also a difference maker; we didn’t have that contribution the first time we played at Vela.”
The Bobcats clawed their way back after dropping a dismal third set that had them behind 20-11 at one point. They found their sets, capitalized on first-ball opportunities, and took complete control of the fourth. They won the fourth set in definitive fashion with major contributions from Jazmin Cuellar and Natalie Hernandez.
Cuellar’s timely kills and solid service kept the SaberCats on their heels, while Hernandez’s play at the net kept the fourth set from being close.
“We knew we couldn’t give up because in the third set we let up and relaxed. We let a lot of balls drop and had a lot of miscommunication, so we knew that if we wanted to win, we had to be strong and keep going,” Hernandez said. “After the fourth set, we had a lot of energy, and we knew could do it. I felt as a team we had a lot of confidence and knew we could finish the game. We were determined.”
The SaberCats got strong performances from Samantha Villalobos and Amaris Cruz during the first set but struggled to follow up with the second. Villalobos dominated the first with a huge block for the initial point and capped the game with three blocks in a row. She consistently put up a fight at the net with her counterpart Hernandez and provided some thunder to the SaberCats’ offense.
“Sam does a good job, and if we can get that pass to target and she can get it down, we’re going to get some good points there,” SaberCats head coach Araceli Ortega said.
Cruz was solid throughout from the service line and provided some heroics in the final set. Cruz relentlessly tumbled and dug out three bombarding shots in a row to keep things alive but eventually lost the point to go down 6-4.
“Amaris Cruz has been very steady and is kind of the nucleus of the team. She really plays big for our team,” Ortega said.
The momentum the Bobcats built in the fourth was too much for the SaberCats during the fifth. The last set was highly contested featuring ties at 3, 6, 7 and 8. A resounding bomb from Mia Dominguez at 11-9 sent the crowd into a frenzy.
After that, it was over. And the Bobcats secured their 10th district win.
The Bobcats moved to 10-2 in district with four games to go. Their final game against the PSJA High Bears could have district championship implications.
“It was really important for our team because if we took the loss, we probably wouldn’t have a chance to be district champions,” Hernandez said. “With this win … hopefully we win completely out.”