ROY HESS | STAFF WRITER
PORT ISABEL — The Hanna Lady Golden Eagles and Port Isabel Lady Tarpons are so evenly matched in volleyball that it wasn’t certain until the last couple of points during the third game just which of them was going to surge ahead and win the Volley at the Beach championship Saturday at the Port Isabel gym.
Playing a best-of-three game format, Hanna prevailed 25-19, 20-25, 15-12 in the title match to take home the tournament’s championship trophy, but it wasn’t easy by any means. The Lady Eagles and Lady Tarpons were tied on eight occasions during the final game, including the last time at 12, before Hanna (13-5) pulled away at the right time to win.
“We came here to win the tournament, but we also realize that we have a lot of work ahead of us to get better,” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “We let up a little bit in (the second game of) the final and lost focus. It was a struggle to get our rhythm back, but (we did and) we’re happy to be champions.
“I hope this gives our girls confidence and a boost for the season,” Hagemann added. “We’re on a mission to get to the playoffs (in District 32-6A), and this is a stepping stone.”
The Lady Tarpons and Lady Eagles had played on the same court to open the season barely two weeks ago, and Port Isabel won that match in four games.
Lady Tarpons coach Julie Breedlove was pleased with the competition the three-day, 12-team tournament provided for her squad (10-7), which is seeking to capture its third straight district championship playing in District 32-4A this season.
“I think overall the tournament went very well for us,” she said. “We got to see some different teams from different classes, so it was nice to see those new faces around here.
“Our girls played some pretty good volleyball,” she added. “We had two tough matches today (against Hanna and La Feria, a 25-22, 25-18 win). The girls had to fight pretty hard.”
In the first game of the title match, the teams stayed within two or three points of each other most of the way before Hanna surged ahead at the end to win 25-19, a six-point margin of victory that was the biggest of the set.
The Lady Tarpons led virtually the entire way during the second game and were up by as many as 10 points, 18-10, before Hanna battled back and closed the gap to one point, 20-19. From there, the Lady Tarpons tallied five of the next six points to win 25-20.
Then came the deciding third game, which was as close as could be with each team looking at various times like it had the momentum it needed to win. Hanna led 10-7 before Port Isabel fought back to tie the match at 11 and then at 12. Three unforced errors by the Lady Tarpons at the end provided Hanna with the necessary three points it needed to prevail.
Pamela Ellis and Flora Herrera sparked Hanna at the net with 10 and four kills, respectively. Teammate Bianca Olivares was an important contributor with some strong setting.
Port Isabel was led by Gabby Torres’ 14 kills and 22 digs along with Kelcie Swink’s nine kills and 21 digs. Teammates Alex Martinez and Marlen Flores contributed 38 digs and 12 assists, respectively. Larissa Torres added 14 assists.
The third-place match was won by La Feria with a 26-24, 25-21 triumph over PSJA Southwest. Weslaco East was the consolation champion thanks to a 25-21, 25-22 victory over Harlingen South.