By ROY HESS | Staff Writer
At this point of the young volleyball season, teams are looking for improvement as they draw closer to district competition.
Getting better was on the minds of the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles and the Pace Lady Vikings during their non-district match Tuesday at Pace.
Practice just began for the state’s UIL teams Aug. 1, so very few squads are playing at what they consider a high level right now.
Along with showing improvement, winning is also nice, too.
The Hanna girls came away from Tuesday’s match feeling pretty good about themselves after capturing a 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 victory on the Lady Vikings’ court.
“I like that all of us try hard and we’re all hustling,” said Hanna’s Odalys Gonzalez, a 5-foot-11 senior middle blocker who is one of the few experienced returning starters playing for the Lady Eagles right now as they await the return of two other experienced players who are injured. “We lost a lot of seniors from last year, and we have a lot of young girls who really haven’t played at the varsity level.
“Our young girls are getting used to the varsity, and I’m pretty sure by the end of our non-district schedule they’ll be good,” added Gonzalez, who was The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro MVP last season as a junior. “Since we don’t have a lot of front-row players, we have to make up for it with defense (and we are). I like the way everyone hustles and tries their best. That’s what we need to do when we’re missing players.
“I’m just very excited for my senior year. I want everyone on our team to try their best and have fun doing it. I hope we have a successful season. I know (District 32-6A) is going to be very hard, but I also know we can make the playoffs again for, like, the 11th year in a row. I know we can do it.”
Gonzalez led the way for the Lady Eagles with a double-digit total of kills along with several key blocks. Teammate Joanna Garza added some timely kills as well.
Ashley Nicole Gonzalez recorded some kills for Pace.
“We have a very young lineup, and they are improving,” said Lady Eagles coach Ansgar Hagemann, whose girls won the Bronze Bracket at last weekend’s Poundfest Tournament in McAllen. “We are still expecting some girls to come back, and we may get two of them next week. We’ll continue to improve with them.
“Going to the varsity level is hard in all respects,” he added. “The young ones are filling the slots of ones that aren’t in the lineup right now, and they’re doing a great job.”
Pace led 4-0 and 8-5 during the first game before Hanna battled back. From there, the score was tied 10 times, including the final deadlock of the opening game, which came at 22 when the Lady Vikings hit into the net.
Back-to-back kills by Odalys Gonzalez put Hanna ahead 24-22. A tip by Pace made it 24-23. The Lady Vikings served long on the next point to give Hanna the opening game 25-23.
After a deadlock at 7 during the second game, the Lady Vikings had to battle from behind the rest of the way in the set. Hanna was up by as many as six points, 20-14, during the second game thanks to a Pace hit that sailed too long.
The Lady Vikings pulled within one point, 24-23, when Hanna had a hitting miscue that carried out, but the Lady Eagles won the second game 25-23 when Odalys Gonzalez’s tip was hit into the net by the Lady Vikings.
Pace was ahead 6-1 on a tip by Renatta Cano during the third set before Hanna fought back and tied the score at 7, 8 and 9. A serving ace by Garza gave Hanna the lead for good at 10-9. A Pace hit that carried too long on the last point allowed the Lady Eagles to secure the third game 25-20 and sweep the match.
Despite the setback, Lady Vikings coach Paula McCumber said her team is getting better with each outing.
“I think there’s been a lot of improvement,” said McCumber, who has four starters back from last season. “The girls are working hard during practice, and it’s showing in our matches. Step by step we’re setting little goals, and the progress is there. I think the amount of work our girls are putting in shows they want to win. They came (to workouts) all summer.
“I know we’re going to progress,” McCumber added. “We’ll slowly get there.”
Both teams are playing in tournaments later this week. Pace is at the Mission High Tournament and Hanna is at Port Isabel’s Volley at the Beach Tournament.