LOS FRESNOS — Harlingen High senior hitter Casey Vidal did not have her best match, nor did the rest of the Cardinals, in a loss Tuesday to district foe Brownsville Rivera.
Vidal bounced back with 14 kills, defensive hustle and well-placed serves to help Harlingen High sweep Los Fresnos, the No. 16 team in the state in Class 6A according to the Texas Girls Coaches Association, 25-20, 25-14, 25-16 on Saturday in a District 32-6A meeting.
The senior hitter said she was all over the place against Rivera.
“I was in my head because I did not want to lose,” she said. “I hate losing, I am a person that does not lose. I had the mentality that we are already winning, and we had won, but they came back.”
The Cardinals’ win created a three-way tie atop District 32-6A. Harlingen High, Brownsville Rivera and Los Fresnos are all 4-1 as the second round of district starts next week.
“I am extremely, extremely proud of them,” Harlingen High head coach Joslynn Torres said. “I have not seen our team like that in a long time. I am just so proud that they were able to find themselves. They were unstoppable today.”
Harlingen High’s Juli Bryant suffered an injury scare in pregame warmups, as the senior looked to have injured her ankle, but she received treatment and played the whole match.
Bryant finished the match with 12 kills, including two strong kills that set up match point. Setter Julie Valdez opted for the fake setup and caught the Falcons off-guard to win the match.
Harlingen High put in a great defensive performance. During each set, they led by as many as 10 points at least once. In the second set, Cardinals middle blocker Alana Roquette’s block and easy point at the net put her team up 23-13.
Bryant finished off the set with two ferocious kills.
“Offensively, we do well,” Torres said. “Defense is something we have been working on a lot and (Roquette) pulled through when she needed to, on the day she needed to. Nothing was coming across the net.”
Harlingen High libero Mallory Sauceda chipped in defensively from the back row, and Scout Medley and Bryant also came up with blocks at the net.
Facing set point during the first set, Los Fresnos unleashed an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 24-20, but the following serve hit the net and gave Harlingen High the first set.
“I think we did amazing,” Vidal said. “I feel like we have improved, we talk more, we work together and we have a connection with each other. We are coming back. We are coming back.”
Los Fresnos faces Brownsville Rivera at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Los Fresnos. Harlingen High takes on Weslaco High at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Weslaco High.