HARLINGEN — The Harlingen Lady Cardinals have shown their toughness so far this volleyball season with solid wins against tough opponents.
Most recently, the squad beat district foe Los Fresnos in a recent tournament and on Tuesday night the Lady Red Birds added another feather to their hat with a 25-17, 25-17, 25-23 win over Edcouch-Elsa.
Edcouch-Elsa, which is in District 32-5A, is a playoff team year in and year out. Tuesday’s game was a rematch from when the two squared off in the Donna tournament earlier this month. E-E got the best of Harlingen then, but this time around it was the Lady Red Birds who got the upper hand thanks to an aggressive approach.
“Tonight was about what team was going to show up,” said Harlingen coach Joslynn Torres. “Edcouch-Elsa is a tough team and every year they’re competitive. We knew every ball would be coming back, but tonight the Lady Cardinals showed up. E-E made some mistakes and we were able to take advantage of it.”
In the first set, Harlingen got off to a quick start offensively and took an early 13-7 lead. The Lady Cards never trailed in the first game.
In the back half of the first game, Edcouch-Elsa closed the cap and limited its mistakes and trailed 19-16. However, Harlingen regrouped and put the Lady Jackets away.
In the second set, Harlingen picked up where it left off and took the second set 25-14 behind hitter Kirsten Kattan.
In the third set, it was Harlingen that found itself in a battle. E-E went back and forth tying the score multiple times before taking a late lead.
With the set all tied at 23, the Lady Cards managed to score the final two points and completed the sweep.
“I think we have grown from then to now,” said Kattan. “We know what we need to work on and what needs to be done. In practice we have been practicing on the little things and it’s the little things that matter. We have been able to translate that onto the court and its shown.”
“We have been working hard with our hitters, I was a hitter and my coaching staff has experience in working with hitters,” Torres said. “The timing of the set and keeping the ball in front of them has improved since day one, so that consistency from practice has carried over into our games.”
Harlingen (12-4) will now prepare for perennial power McAllen High on Saturday.
“It gets me excited because all these teams are playoff teams and the girls know that,” Torres said. “Right now mentally we’re not where we need to be, but we’re getting there. We can’t be satisfied yet. Yes, we got the win tonight, but we have to win with class and with pride.”