RGVSports.com
McAllen Rowe’s quest of making a return trip to the regional tournament got off a dramatic start Monday when it rallied to beat Laredo Alexander 24-26, 25-15, 22-25, 25-17, 16-14 in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs at Roma.
It marked the second time this season that the Lady Warriors (36-5) beat Alexander.
“Everyone obviously is very excited, the fact that we were able to come together as a team,” Rowe coach Magda Canales said. “Our defense was there. Our blocks — even though we couldn’t get a stuffed block on their No. 10 — we were able to get a hand on it.
As long as we did that, we were able to slow them down a little. Our defense gave an opportunity for our offense to develop.”
Mayda Garcia led the way with 31 kills, 52 digs, three blocks and one assist. Vanessa Lopez notched 38 assists, 26 digs and one block. And Deanna Spear had 25 assists, 1 kill, 1 ace, 41 digs, and 1 block.
“It’s very difficult to single out anyone because it was tremendous team effort,” Canales said. “When some of the kids were bruised up, another kid would take over. They would just take turns, getting each other’s back. It was a tremendous team effort.”
Having faced Alexander before in the final non-district match of the season, Rowe knew more or less what to expect: a young, determined bunch. It showed in the way Alexander came out, taking a 2-1 advantage with persistent hitting at the net.
Up next for Rowe, the No. 2 seed from District 30-6A, is the winner of tonight’s Edinburg North-Harlingen High match.
BISHOP 3, EDINBURG IDEA QUEST 0: At Raymondville, Edinburg IDEA Quest’s first postseason appearance ended with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-22 loss to Bishop in Class 3A bi-district action.
“It was rewarding, all the hard work we put in to get into the playoffs,” IDEA Quest coach Robynn Olivarez said. “The girls left the gym with their heads held up high because they know they played their hearts out.”
In its sixth year as a UIL school, the Lady Trailblazers (12-8) became the school’s first program to earn a postseason berth. Its bid to advance further fell short Monday going up against a formidable Bishop squad.
BEN BOLT 3, LA VILLA 1: At Corpus Christi, the Lady Cardinals’ fifth straight playoff appearance ended Monday with a 25-19, 12-25, 25-15, 25-22 Class 3A loss to Ben Bolt at Calallen.
La Villa, which finished seconds in District 32-2A with a 6-2 record, closes out the season at 13-7.