BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
ALAMO — The McAllen Memorial Mustangs required four games to slide past the PSJA Memorial Wolverines in their area-round game 25-18, 25-18, 19-25, 25-14 at PSJA Memorial’s gym on Saturday afternoon.
The outing wasn’t at all a cakewalk for McAllen Memorial (30-8). The Mustangs fell behind 10-5 in game one, which prompted coach Lorena Lopez to call a timeout to regroup.
Later, the Wolverines (26-11) were facing their own five-point deficit and the prospect of a three-game sweep before making a comeback late in game three to steal it from the Mustangs.
“I mentioned this to the girls going into that third set: ‘PSJA Memorial is a strong team, and when their backs were against the wall, they will come back stronger.’ And they did,” McAllen Memorial coach Lorena Lopez said. “They took that third set from us.”
McAllen Memorial junior outside hitter Jocelynn Everage led her team in both kills (26) and digs (15). She also added a block and an ace.
“We’re more of a team now than we’ve been all season,” Everage said. “We rely on each other. We don’t play as individuals. It’s really more a team sport for us now. As we’ve progressed, we’ve gotten closer and we’re family, practically.”
Saturday was not the first time McAllen Memorial and PSJA Memorial met this season. The Wolverines and Mustangs faced off on the Mustangs’ home floor at the Labor Day Weekend Invitational on Sept. 2.
PSJA Memorial got the better of McAllen Memorial 25-22, 25-21 in a best-of-three format.
“They’re a great team,” McAllen Memorial senior right-side hitter Lexi Kruse said. “If you let them have anything, they’re going to take it from you. Today, we played as one unit, so I think we came back well from that loss at home.”
As the Mustangs held a 13-4 advantage in game four, Kruse took a spill and got up with a slight limp. With the help of McAllen Memorial’s athletic trainer, Kruse made her way to the Mustangs bench.
“My right calf gave out on me,” Kruse said.
Kruse was still experiencing pain in her calf as the trainer looked at it. But after PSJA Memorial called a timeout down nine points, Kruse made her way back onto the floor.
“I was in pain, but I still wanted to be out there with my teammates, cheering them on and getting that win,” Kruse said.
Next up for McAllen Memorial in the regional quarterfinals is Laredo Alexander at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Roma High School. Alexander defeated Brownsville Rivera in an area-round matchup on Friday night.
McAllen Memorial and Laredo Alexander are more familiar than most third-round opponents. The teams have met nine times since the beginning of the 2014 season. The Mustangs have won seven of those matchups, including a two-set sweep at this season’s McHi Poundfest Tournament.
“We also met in the third round last season,” Lopez said. “Coach (Ariana Bermea-Mendoza) has a young team just like I do, so you never know. It could go either way.”