BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — As McAllen Rowe was inching toward forcing a third set, McAllen High junior Julia Monday was intent on putting the Lady Warriors away.
With the second set tied at 26, Monday stepped up and delivered a pair of thundering kills, lifting McAllen High to a sweep that secured the Lady Bulldogs their first Poundfest Tournament Title since 2007 on Saturday at McAllen High.
“I was just determined to get a point for my team, and just to have a team win,” Monday said. “We haven’t won this tournament in a couple years, so it was a nice win.”
Doing so required dethroning the defending tournament champ and coming through in a match that had all the intensity of a district match between the two rivals.
When Carter Helmcamp smacked an ace to seal the first set 25-21, it marked just the second time a team had led by more than 3 points. The opening set featured 10 ties, all the way up to 21-all.
“The girls, they just work together really well,” McAllen High coach Paula Dodge said. “They didn’t get flustered. They stayed confident, and just kept pushing points. They’re playing with a lot of confidence and playing together.”
Rowe looked poised to bounce back in the second set behind the play of reigning All-Valley Player of the Year Mayda Garcia. Although Dodge said McHi made an effort to keep the ball away from Garcia whenever possible, she still managed about 10 kills in the frame.
The Lady Warriors jumped out to an 11-6 lead before the Lady Bulldogs came back to knot the set at 12. The two sides traded points from there, with ties at 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25 and 26 before Monday’s two kills finished things off.
“We set a goal, and we met the goal,” Monday said. “I’m proud of everyone. Everyone did their job.”
Rowe finished in second place, and McAllen Memorial took third by topping Laredo Alexander 25-23, 25-23 just prior to Saturday’s final. Once again, the three McAllen teams look like the class of a competitive District 30-6A.
“It’s going to be a tough season,” Monday said. “We’re going to have to work. We’re not done. This is just the beginning.”
Rowe and McHi split their district meetings in 2014, though the Lady Bulldogs came away with the district title, going 11-1. Rowe finished second at 10-2, while Memorial was third at 9-3.
McAllen High also ended the year with the best playoff run of the three, advancing to the Sweet 16. Rowe was knocked out in the regional quarterfinals, while Memorial lost in the area round.
“This year, we’re trying to make it to the state tournament,” junior Sydney Pemelton said. “Our practices were more rigorous, so that’s helping us improve a lot.”
The win capped a run of nine matches in three days — a stretch Monday and Dodge both admitted had the team feeling a little fatigued.
McAllen High topped Edinburg Economedes, Weslaco High and Brownsville Lopez on Thursday before taking down Sharyland High, Edinburg North and Brownsville Veterans on Friday. In bracket play, McHi beat Brownsville Hanna and Laredo Alexander to set up the final against Rowe. Through it all, the Lady Bulldogs never dropped a set.
“We’ve only had two weeks of working out and conditioning, but this helps us,” Dodge said. “We can see a big difference in play from Thursday to today.”