MISSION — Sharyland High has the most wins of any team in the Texas Girls Coaches Association most recent Top 10 volleyball poll.
The Rattlers are also the only Valley team ranked in that poll, released Monday.
But they aren’t the only team looking for one more win today and a trip to the Sweet 16 in their respective classes.
McAllen Memorial, Lyford, San Isidro and San Perlita also have plans to extend their volleyball season to the weekend, and maybe beyond.
The Rattlers are 43-4 overall with one more win than Class 2A’s Jewett Leon, 3A’s Columbus, 4A’s Pleasanton and Farmersville, 5A’s Forney and a pair of 6A powers, Dallas Highland Park and San Antonio O’Connor.
Cornerstone Christian School in San Antonio is 55-2 but is not a UIL-affiliated school. However, Maxpreps.com has the school ranked second overall in the nation, between Cathedral Catholic and Mira Costa, both from California.
The Rattlers held a 29-match win streak before District 31-5A rival, and No. 2 seed McAllen Memorial ended it in an exhausting five-set classic of RGV super heavyweights.
(Check out Tuesday’s third-round schedule here and the Texas Girls Coaches Assocation top 10 polls here)
Now, Sharyland High travels to San Diego Middle School for a 6 p.m. matchup today against Victoria West (29-9) and Memorial (38-9) treks to Falfurrias Junior High for a date with Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (35-6), also at 6 p.m. today.
“We just need to keep playing the way we have been playing,” Sharyland High head coach Raul Castillo said. “It’s going to be a competitive match but if we do the things we are supposed to do, we will be OK.”
Sharyland swept Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial in the area round, while McAllen Memorial downed Gregory-Portland in five sets, also in the area round.
“We have to keep attacking, that’s Memorial volleyball,” McAllen Memorial head coach Ashley Doffing has been saying all season. “Every area of our game is playing well at this point and we just want to keep it going.”
The Lyford Bulldogs are the lone Class 3A team still alive.
“This group has really bought into the program even when it is tough,” Lyford head coach Rebekah Perez said. “I think their success is a testament to their hard work and dedication. They take a lot of pride in the type of volleyball they play and that resonates with our other teams.”
The Bulldogs defeated Hebbronville in the area round in five sets to set up a meeting with Corpus Christi London at 6 p.m. today at Falfurrias High School.
San Perlita returns to the third round of the Class 1A playoffs for the third straight season. Utopia defeated the Trojans in the third round the past two seasons.
San Perlita faces Tilden McMullen County at 6 p.m. today at Alice High School.
The Trojans are a young team that only returned two players from last season. Four of the starters this season are underclassmen.
“When we first started, we struggled a little bit, but I feel like we are reaching our potential at the right time,” San Perlita head coach Criselda Rubalcaba said.
McMullen County is a familiar foe in other sports for San Perlita. The Trojans and the Cowboys are in the same district in basketball and cross country.
“We have never played against each other in volleyball,” Rubalcaba said. “I think as long as my girls go out there and give it their all, it will be a good competition.”
The San Isidro Tigers secured a first-round bye by claiming the District 32-1A title. The Tigers swept Knippa to set up in the area round a meeting with playoff rival D’Hanis.
This will be the third straight season that San Isidro and D’Hanis meet in the third round of the playoffs.
D’Hanis swept San Isidro in 2020, but the Tigers picked up the win in five sets in 2021 after dropping the first two sets.
The two revive their playoff rivalry at 6 p.m. today at Kenedy High School in Kenedy.