By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Volley at the Beach Tournament returns to Port Isabel starting Thursday.
The fifth annual three-day event hosted by the Lady Tarpons with 12 other teams participating will feature pool play in two of three groups starting at 1 p.m. Thursday. The third group will begin pool play at 9 a.m. Friday. All matches will be played at the high school’s two gyms.
Hanna, the defending champion, is returning. In last season’s Gold Division final, the Lady Golden Eagles won the championship with a 25-19, 20-25, 15-12 victory over Port Isabel.
“We’re going to suck it up and play (and see how we do),” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said of his team’s return to the Volley at the Beach event. “We’re trying to be successful in tournaments.
“You never know (who might do well at these events),” he added.
Hagemann said the Lady Eagles got off to a rough start at last weekend’s Poundfest Tournament in McAllen before playing better during the second and third days of the event.
Pool A of the Port Isabel tournament comprises Port Isabel, PSJA Southwest, Progreso and Santa Rosa, and Pool B includes Rio Hondo, Weslaco East, Ann Richards of Austin and Hanna. Those two pools start play Thursday.
Pool C teams starting play Friday will include Harlingen South, Raymondville, West Oso, La Feria and Monte Alto.
“I think it’s a little more up for grabs this year,” Port Isabel coach Julie Breedlove said when asked which teams she thought were the tournament favorites. “West Oso always brings a strong team, plus Weslaco East, South and Hanna should do well. I really don’t know what to expect from Ann Richards.”
The Gold Division championship is scheduled at 5 p.m. Saturday.
NO SWEAT: Hanna breezed to a 25-2, 25-8, 25-5 non-district victory at home against La Joya Palmview on Tuesday to improve to 6-4 on the season.
“Palmview is a team that is struggling to get better,” Hagemann said. “We sent a lot of balls over the net and not many came back.
“We did fine as a team,” he added. “I can’t really single out any one person. They all did well.”
When asked if he is pleased with the progress of his squad, Hagemann said, “They’re coming together. We’re looking forward to our next matches.”
ON TARGET: The Los Fresnos Lady Falcons appear to be right where they’d like to be at this point of the young season after winning their home opener 25-17, 25-20, 26-24 against McAllen Rowe on Tuesday. Los Fresnos (10-1) is ranked No. 3 in the Rio Grande Valley this week, and Rowe (10-2) is No. 4.
“Yes and no,” Lady Falcons coach Becky Woods said. “We still need to do a lot of work. The real test will be against San Antonio Reagan (on Thursday at the Northeast ISD Tournament in San Antonio). They’ve got a lot of their girls back from their strong team of last year.”
Added Sam Ibarra, Los Fresnos’ standout senior middle blocker, “We feel that we can get better still because our goal is state, and that’s where we want to be (eventually) and that’s where we want to go. We’re all working together, and it’s so amazing for us. We’re just giving the glory to God.”
Rowe and Los Fresnos will be representing the Valley at the three-day Northeast ISD Tournament in the Alamo City.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.
RGVSports.com’s Top 10
1. Mission Veterans
2. McAllen High
3. Los Fresnos
4. McAllen Rowe
5. McAllen Memorial
6. Donna High
7. Edinburg North
8. Sharyland Pioneer
9. Sharyland High
10. Brownsville Hanna
The Herald’s Metro Top 5
1. Los Fresnos
2. Hanna
3. Pace
4. Rivera
5. Brownsville Veterans Memorial