ROY HESS | Staff Writer
The Harlingen South volleyball team (21-4) had hoped for a better showing Tuesday at McAllen High, but Lady Hawks coach Anissa Lucio said her team will learn and get better from the experience after its three-set defeat against the Lady Bulldogs.
The Lady Bulldogs (27-1), considered the top team in the Rio Grande Valley, defeated the Lady Hawks 25-18, 25-14, 25-8 in a non-district match.
“It showed us we still have to make some improvements,” Lucio said. “But we’re exactly where we want to be. We want to continue getting better these next couple of weeks and take that (improvement) into District (32-6A).
“The biggest takeaway (from playing McHi) was seeing how determined our team was to right the wrong,” Lucio added. “We can already see the improvement at practice. The loss really has helped us become stronger as a team.”
The Lady Hawks next play host to Brownsville Pace in a non-district match at noon Saturday.
STATE RANKINGS
Please forgive Los Fresnos volleyball coach Becky Woods for not being too overly excited about her team’s state ranking this week by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
The Lady Falcons (22-5) are ranked No. 25 in Class 6A volleyball in Texas. The only other Valley team ranked in 6A by the TGCA is McHi at No. 22. Laredo United is No. 19.
Los Fresnos is coming off Tuesday’s 25-9, 25-17, 25-17 non-district win at home against Pace.
Tuesday was when Woods found out her team was ranked in the state.
“To me, rankings are rankings,” Woods said. “I don’t even know where we’re ranked. I don’t look at things like that because, to me, we can be ranked, (but it’s more important to) beat us on the court. Our opponent may be No. 1 here or there, but you (still) have to beat us on the court.
“People in the Valley now know what we’ve got this year,” Woods added. “I think we’ve been a surprise. People didn’t think we’d have much because we graduated 10 girls from last season. I’ve basically taken over a JV dark team and mixed in two other girls from last year’s varsity, and these girls have just come out and gelled. We’re going to win matches, but we have to play smart. The two big factors for us to win are having a great attitude and not missing serves. It all comes down to playing smart and attitude.”
The Lady Falcons next play host to McHi at noon Saturday.
Lady Bulldogs coach Paula Dodge isn’t overly excited about her team’s state ranking, either.
“It is always nice to receive a state ranking,” Dodge said. “We still need to work on improving and finishing strong. It’s not about how we start, it’s how we finish.”
Other Valley teams ranked by TGCA this week include Mission Veterans, No. 12 in Class 5A, and San Isidro, No. 12 in Class 1A-2A.
DISTRICT ON TAP
September will mark the beginning of district competition for almost all Valley teams.
District 32-6A begins Sept. 21, while District 32-5A starts Sept. 14.
District 32-4A starts Sept. 10 and District 32-3A begins Friday.
It will be a new-look 32-3A this season as Jubilee Brownsville is playing in the UIL for the first time this school year. The Lady Titans (12-3) figure to be one of the top contenders in their district in volleyball.
Jubilee opens 32-3A action at home at 5 p.m. Friday against Brownsville IDEA Frontier.
Other teams in 32-3A include Lyford, Brownsville Harmony, Brownsville IDEA Riverview, Edinburg IDEA Quest, Monte Alto, Santa Rosa, Pharr Vanguard Rembrandt and Weslaco IDEA Pike.
Jubilee athletic director Delra Glover welcomes the chance for his school to play in the UIL.
“We are excited,” he said. “Our student-athletes, parents and the entire Jubilee community are all excited to be a part of the league and all it has to offer both athletically and academically.
“We’ve played most of our district teams in non-district matchups (previously), so to finally get to face them in district matchups is going to be fun,” Glover added. “The (32-3A) teams have welcomed us with a helping hand in this transition, and we just hope we can add more competition to the district.”