By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS — It was an all-around team effort displayed by the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons on Tuesday in the opening round of the volleyball playoffs.
Los Fresnos played its most consistent match in coach Anissa Lucio’s eyes as it defeated Edinburg High 25-22, 18-25, 25-15, 25-22 to advance to the Class 6A area round.
“That was great, we needed that,” Lucio said. “It was good for us. Our girls played good and consistent. We’ve been waiting to play this consistent, and it came at the right time.
“It’s great knowing we have a young group, and a group that’s growing together. … They just wanted this so much. I want to give my girls credit for what they did tonight. They had that determination to get it done.”
Both teams got off to a bit of a slower start, committing unforced errors and struggling to get the hitters rolling during the early part of the first set. Los Fresnos sophomore middle blocker Savannah Smith was the first attacker to find her stride and sparked a 6-0 run midway through the opening frame that led to the Lady Falcons taking a 17-11 lead.
The Lady Bobcats came clawing back with help from a bevy of ball-control errors committed by Los Fresnos. Edinburg High’s Natalie Hernandez and Mia Dominguez hit with power, and Samantha Saenz contributed good digs to make a run and tie the set at 22.
Los Fresnos’ every-rotation sparkplug, Olivia Parra, and Smith came up big to close out the opening set victory.
Edinburg High middle blocker Jazmin Cuellar dominated the second set, teaming up with Dominquez, Hernandez and Emily Carranco to help the Lady Bobcats tie the match.
Los Fresnos struggled with ball control, particularly at the setter position, and when it failed to stay in system and attack consistently, Edinburg High took advantage. The Lady Bobcats mixed hard hits with well-placed deep tips to rattle the Lady Falcons, and libero Arriana Guerra anchored their back row.
Smith and fellow middle blocker Dakota Martinez played exceptionally well during the final two sets to lead the Lady Falcons to victory. Smith was active and aggressive at the net with her blocking, firing up her team and her home crowd by stuffing Edinburg High’s hitters. Martinez ripped down sharp, booming kills from the middle position and was particularly productive in the clinching set.
“Attitude-wise, we really stepped it up because the first sets didn’t look so good,” Smith said. “We just decided we needed to fix our attitude, and we needed to be better as a team and work hard together. I worked so hard to be here, and only being a sophomore, this is great for me.”
Los Fresnos setter Jenna Rios rebounded strong after being called for double touches often during the opening sets. She stayed composed and distributed the ball with precision across the net, getting every piece of her deep arsenal of hitters firing rockets by the end of the match. Mia Brown and Parra were strong from the outside, and Shiloh Jones hit efficiently from the opposite pin. Rios also recorded several aces and was strong at the service line.
“This is (Rios’) first year setting,” Lucio said. “We converted her into a setter my first week here, saw her and how athletic she was, and I knew right away we wanted her to be a setter. She took on that role, and now she’s really shown so much progress and she’s an awesome leader. I can’t say enough good things about her.”
Lady Falcons libero Caydence Castillo, defensive specialist and tough-server Cory Reyes, and Jennica Leal were quick in the back row and increased their passing efficiency as competition went on. Los Fresnos played better and better as it got on a roll, and played with consistent energy.
Edinburg High didn’t go down quietly. After being overpowered during the third set, the Lady Bobcats fought hard to keep their season alive in the fourth. Cuellar, Carranco and Dominguez played well in the front and continued to swing with all their might in long, intense rallies.
Guerra’s defense was superb against Los Fresnos’ powerful hits to tighten things in the fourth. She helped the Lady Bobcats fight off three match points, but an attack error ended a lengthy rally and sealed the victory for Los Fresnos.
The Lady Falcons will take on the winner of Laredo United and Northside Stevens in Round 2 at the end of the week.
“It feels great. We worked really hard to achieve this,” Smith said. “We’ve had a couple losses along the road, but right now, we’re super pumped and we’re going to Round 2. I’m really proud of my team, especially my coaches.”