JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — A leaky ceiling at Morris Middle School prompted a change of venue for Friday’s Class 6A area round volleyball playoff match between McAllen High and Edinburg High. The match was moved to McAllen Memorial.
Though the Memorial gym sheltered patrons and players alike from the evening’s incessant drizzle, the Lady Bulldogs rained down one thunderous spike after another en route to sweeping the Lady Bobcats 25-21, 25-21, 25-15.
McHi will face the winner of tonight’s playoff game between Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Laredo United at an undetermined time and site early next week.
The Lady Bulldog’s frontline, led by sophomore Julia Monday, overwhelmed the smaller Lady Bobcats throughout the night. When McHi would forcefully slap a ball into the opposing hardwood, Edinburg could only retaliate with soft floaters or watch helplessly as their would-be attack was emphatically rejected.
“We’re all about six feet (tall),” Monday said. “And we’re all about getting up there.”
Monday led the team with 15 kills. Teammate Sydney Pemelton added nine kills of her own in addition to eight blocks.
The venue change delayed the start of the match by 90 minutes. Each team made the trip by bus, stuck in the same cumbersome traffic as parents and fans.
“Coach just told us to keep it up,” Monday said. “Nothing really changed.”
Nothing except for Memorial’s low-hanging ceiling which, at times, caused the ball to beeline straight down after a wayward assist or simply ping-pong about the rafters.
“(The ceiling) is always a factor at (Memorial),” McHi coach Paula Dodge said. “We play Memorial every year, and we’re aware of what’s happening.”
Despite the sweep, the Lady Bulldogs had to rally in each of the firs two sets. With both sides tied at 21 late in the opening game, McHi went on a 4-0 run to close. The team then became the beneficiary of several unforced Edinburg errors as part of a 6-1 run to end the second set.
“Edinburg did a good job in those first two games,” Dodge said. “They did a good job mixing up their offensive attack on us, whether it was tipping or hitting.”
The Lady Bulldogs cruised in the final set, however, looking every bit like the reigning District 30-6A champions. The errors were kept to a minimum while the kills kept coming.
Though Edinburg’s season ends, Lady bobcats coach Deanna Dominguez focused on the positive after the loss.
“They have nothing to be ashamed of,” Dominguez said. “No one expected us to be here given how young we are. But I can’t wait for most of these girls to come back next year.”