NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
FALFURRIAS — Mission Veterans wasn’t overpowered in the Class 5A regional quarterfinal match against Flour Bluff, they were countered.
The Hornets were able to pull off a closely contested sweep, 25-22, 25-23, 25-18, of the Patriots Tuesday night at Falfurrias High School.
In front of a crowd that filled half of the bleachers with Patriots’ blue, game one set the stage for an incredibly tight match.
Neither team could pull away for more than a two-point lead until Vets went up 17-14.
“They ended up changing their game plan because I know we had more depth on the hitters,” Patriots coach Diana Lerma said. “We kept getting our points by trying to go aggressive hits. What they did was adjust to dinks.”
Those dinks, or well-placed tips over the Patriots block, gave Lerma’s team fits all night. Flour Bluff had strong hitters such as senior Hayle Campbell and sophomore Mackenzie Wiggins but their misdirection and change of pace allowed them to come from behind and win the first set 25-22.
At times, Vets looked out of its comfort zone with uncharacteristic mistakes like watching the ball fall between two players on serve receptions. At other moments, glimpses of what made the Patriots the RGV’s number one team for most of the season was obvious.
Jackie Howell was tough for Flour Bluff to handle, hitting home 25 kills to go along with 11 digs and an ace.
Officiating became a point of contention at several moments. A Patriots hit that fell out of bounds appeared to be tipped but wasn’t noticed by a side judge. Crowd reaction and arms in from the bench went up on a few potentially missed double-hits and carries against the Hornets
Lerma said that in a close contest, every point is magnified.
“When the games are that close and the officials are going to make little calls those are momentum breakers,” Lerma said. “Yes, we’re going to feel this loss because whoever wins this region I think they’re going to go far in these state playoffs.”
In the second game, the same scene played out. Veterans had a lead but couldn’t hang on to the 25th point.
The Patriots jumped out to early leads at 3-0, 7-2 and 14-10. That’s when Patriots setter Val de la Fuente had to be taken off the court and into the trainer’s room with a knee injury.
She returned to the court and finished the match less than 100 percent.
The Hornets took a lead at 21-20 and never looked back despite a late run by Vets.
Flour Bluff played set three with a full head of steam and led most of the game. Patriots mistakes became more frequent and the match ended on a microcosm of the ending with a serve that wasn’t returned for a Hornets ace.
De la Fuente, like many of her teammates, had tears in her eyes after the Patriots emerged from the locker room post game.
She’s part of a group of four seniors including Howell, Makenzie Gerlach and Angela Navarro who played their last game in the Vets uniform.
De la Fuente was appreciative of the experience even while dealing with the pain of a wrapped knee and falling short of long-term goals. Gerlach had 15 kills and 15 digs while De la Fuente had 42 assists in her final game.
“Playing for this team was the best thing that’s happened to me,” de la Fuente said. “Such an incredible connection with all of them. I will miss them, unfortunately, this is my last time playing. Representing the Valley the way that we did really mean a lot to me and the rest of my team.”
The Veterans crowd was raucous and had support from not just the high school but volleyball fans from around the RGV.
“To know that we have that amount of support is incredible,” de la Fuente said. ” If you just look at the other side–we had so many people come out. Even if we did fall short, they are here for us.”
Flour Bluff advances to the Class 5A Regional Semifinal Friday. They will face Boerne Champion who took down Harlan in the regional quarterfinals.