NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
McALLEN — Once they got going, the McAllen High Bulldogs were unstoppable on Saturday afternoon. They were dominant in their 25-9, 25-13, 25-22 sweep over Harlingen High at home.
“We have been practicing this whole summer, working our bottoms off this whole summer,” sophomore Haidee Moore said. “It just comes to now, and it’s all coming together, finally. We’re starting to work as a team, and the bonds are getting stronger.”
Moore is an example of coach Paula Dodge putting trust in her younger athletes to play a major role in the team’s season.
“I can’t believe it,” Moore said after the win. “Every day I’m on the court, I’m just having a blast. There’s never a moment that I’m not having fun. My team is amazing, and when we play, it’s just so fun.”
The Bulldogs’ top hitter, Lexi Gonzalez, put up 13 kills. But on Saturday, she wasn’t the only girl putting home the points. Moore had five kills and three aces, while Madison Helmcamp had five kills and an ace.
Dodge, who recorded her 500th win at the program last Tuesday, was all smiles most of the match. Her team won decisively, and many players had the opportunity to take the court.
“I have a lot of girls that I can use, and the way they play is a little bit different, so it gives our opponent different things to look at,” Dodge said. “I got some depth. If someone has an off day, I have some people that I can put in for them, and they do a good job.”
On their march to 75 points and the win, McHi allowed only 44 points.
In the first set, the Bulldogs went on a huge run, pushing the score to 18-2 before winning 25-9. Throughout the match, the Bulldogs showed tenacity, moving quickly around the court and not letting a challenging play turn into an automatic point for the Cardinals.
Defensive specialist Audrey Zamora talked on defense and earned her spot as just a 10th-grader.
“Defense… we like to pursue the ball all the time. We can’t just be giving free points away to the other team,” Zamora said. “It means a lot, because I worked so hard for this position to get to this spot, and being the starting libero means a lot to me.”
Dodge said defense will lift her group with district play around the corner.
“Our defense is coming along,” Dodge said. “We have some great kids. That’s going to help our offense roll.”
McAllen High is a week away from its first district match against Rowe, and the Bulldogs are itching to get the most important matches underway.
“We’re ready, because we’ve come a long way from the start of the season,” Zamora said. “It’s just going to be exciting to try to go for district this year.”