BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Another tournament, another cakewalk for Mission Veterans.
The Lady Patriots added another trophy to their sizable collection Saturday during their own tournament at Mission Veterans High School, beating McAllen Memorial during the championship match 25-19 in all three sets.
“Our goal before coming in was to get first place,” Mission Veterans coach Diana Lerma said. “We were hoping we would face the Mustangs in the finals, because they have a lot of height. That gets us ready for our playoffs, because that’s our intention. We want to go farther than we did last year and the year before. The girls are hungry.”
Saturday’s match marked the second time the Lady Patriots faced the Lady Mustangs in the early going of this season. The fist match occurred August 11 on opening night when Mission Vets swept three tightly-contested games. The rematch wasn’t quite as close. Mission Veterans doubled the Mustangs’ point total at various points throughout the afternoon. Though the team lost three unnamed players for unspecified reason at the beginning of the year, the Lady Patriots looked cohesive and in sync despite their limited roster.
“Unity wise, I think we’re as tight as can be,” Lerma said. “I think they all compliment each other. Even though we’ve got our first three players we can go to, our fourth, fifth and sixth have stepped it up for us as well.”
Senior Gabby Lerma led the team in kills with 17 in addition to 20 digs and a block. Lerma was named tournament co-MVP along with teammate D.D. Ibarra. Ibarra had 19 assists, 15 digs, four kills and three blocks.
“I believe in these girls so much,” Ibarra said. “I’m really glad we all did well in this tournament. We’re all just so together.”
Though the Lady Mustangs lost, their effort was apparent. They made runs in each of the three sets to keep themselves in striking distance of a victory. Trailing 16-6 during the second set, Memorial went on a 9-2 run to trim Mission Veterans’ lead 18-15.
“I learned we can adjust well,” Lady Mustangs coach Lorenz Lopez aid. “We moved some girls around on the lines to make up for (Mission Veterans’) strong swings. They didn’t give up. The point spread was huge, and we just kept fighting. These easily could have been 20-6 games, but they weren’t because of their determination.”
Both teams travel for a tournament next week in Laredo before the beginning of district play.