By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons cruised to a three-set victory over Harlingen South on Tuesday behind their deep arsenal of heavy hitters.
After playing each other tight early in the first and throughout a competitive second set, Los Fresnos dominated the third to seal the 25-17, 25-23, 25-13 win in the District 32-6A match. The Lady Falcons are 4-1 and in second place in the district, with their sole loss being against undefeated Brownsville Rivera in the opener. Harlingen South is 3-2 in district.
“We had a lot of good hits. We’re playing 10 times better right now than we were when we played Rivera,” Los Fresnos coach Becky Woods said. “I think my kids are doing a great job. I’ve got big girls this year, lot of big bodies out there. They’re playing well together, they jell together, and that’s what I really like.”
Andrea Grant and Mariana Garcia started off hot for the Lady Hawks and helped South take a 6-5 lead early in the opening set. But hard-hitting middle blocker Dakota Martinez sparked a scoring run to put Los Fresnos on top 10-6, and the solid effort from the front-row players helped the Lady Falcons maintain the lead and win the set.
Victoria Hernandez, Tate Halford and Alexia Rodriguez helped Martinez create a wall at the net to stymie the Lady Hawks’ offense. Los Fresnos’ back-row defense was strong, too, led by libero Eleyne Rios. The defensive specialists passed with precision to help setter Jennica Leal run a balanced offensive attack, using a number of hitters from all different angles.
Harlingen South’s back-row defense stepped up its game during the second set, anchored by libero Liaida De Jesus and defensive specialists Kaylie Dickens and Patty Garza. Kylie Fonseca’s serve challenged Los Fresnos’ serve-receive to keep the offense out of rhythm, and the Lady Hawks took advantage of free-ball opportunities to get Grant, Garcia and Korynne Reininger hitting well up front to tie the set at 16.
Los Fresnos’ block and a good hitting effort from Rodriguez led the Lady Falcons back to a 20-17 advantage, but an energetic Grant carried the Lady Hawks behind her powerful swing and effective block to a 23-21 lead. But Martinez’s hitting and blocking prowess, which is high though she’s only a sophomore, and consistent coverage from the Lady Falcons’ defense sparked a four-point swing, and Los Fresnos took the tightly contested second set 25-23.
“I’m proud of our girls. I think they’re showing fight, but right now we just need to close,” South coach Anissa Lucio said. “That’s the last obstacle that we need to overcome, and the girls know that and I’m certain we’ll figure that out. We were there defensively, we were making good plays. All around we were making good plays, it was just about us closing.”
The Lady Falcons quickly jumped out to a 13-1 lead in the third set. Hernandez carried the load during the first half, getting up for booming kills and getting blocks or touches on many of South’s hits. The Los Fresnos defense put on a clinic for covering hitters and blockers, and showed great patience and effort to get under everything. Rodriguez, Olivia Parra and Mia Brown contributed to the attack up front, and Halford showed her variety playing all-around and sending over hard hits from the back row as well as at the net.
Grant continued to cheer on her team from the sidelines despite the big run to open the third, and when she entered the court, her all-heart playing style was a catalyst for the Lady Hawks. She continued to play hard up front and helped her team make a dent in the deficit.
“She’s been our energy and our positivity throughout the whole season, and we’re really proud of her for that. She really stepped up today,” Lucio said about the senior.
But the variety of hitters and efficient defense Los Fresnos boasts was too much to overcome. The Lady Falcons convincingly closed out the match and showed why Woods feels they’re starting to peak at the right time with the postseason right around the corner.
“I’ve got good hitters. I have seven who can hit really well,” Woods said. “It’s good because we can hit from the outside and we can hit from the middle. We work hard on covering tips, on passing, on blocking. If we can just keep talking on the court, I think we’re going to be tough in the playoffs.”