KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — Despite the chilly temperatures outside, the race for a district title heated up inside the gym for the Brownsville Hanna Lady Golden Eagles.
Hanna picked up a 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18 win over San Benito on Tuesday night in Brownsville. The win completes the regular season sweep over the Lady ’Hounds.
With their playoff ticket already punched, the Lady Eagles have a date with Los Fresnos (8-0) on Saturday at home. With two matches remaining in the regular season, Hanna will have a shot at securing at least a share of the district title.
“Now we can prepare for Los Fresnos. There is no pressure, we have a great team and we are the underdogs, and we will work hard to hopefully get a win on Saturday,” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said.
Hanna has yet to lose a district match at home, with a gym pegged as one of the tougher places to play in the district with its tight confines and rowdy student section.
“You have to love our gym. It’s small, it’s dark and it is crowded, I guess we are just used to playing in it,” Hagemann said. “It can be a challenge for other teams to come in here and play, but at the end of the day the court is the same size as any other.”
Angelina Castillo led the offense with 22 kills, Jenna Otero finished with 14 digs, and teammate Ari Arceneaux finished with 12 kills and five digs. Odalys Gonzalez added 15 kills, three digs and three aces.
“We moved our defense around, and we had to adjust to San Benito,” Hagemann said. “It took us a while to get used to it, but the girls adjusted to it.”
The Lady ’Hounds fell to 3-5 in district play but received some help in the standings. Harlingen South (2-6) thumped Brownsville Rivera (2-6) on Tuesday night to keep the Lady ’Hounds one game ahead.
San Benito will meet Rivera on Saturday, and South will look to sweep Harlingen High, which also is 2-6 and eyeing a playoff spot with two games left in the regular season.