McAllen Memorial and McAllen High’s wins Tuesday in the Class 6A regional quarterfinals showed one thing is for certain: opposing hitters won’t have a cakewalk of blasting kills at the defense without a battle up front.
The Mustangs defeated Laredo Alexander in five sets, while the Bulldogs lost the first set and won the next three to stop Laredo United. Memorial plays at 5 p.m. today, and the Bulldogs follow at 7 p.m. in the Class 6A regional semifinals — the Sweet 16 — at the Alamo Convocation Center. The winner of each match will play one another at 11:30 a.m. Saturday for a chance to advance to the Final Four.
What pushed both teams into today’s fourth round of the playoffs, among other things, were dominant performances at the net, not just offensively by attacking, but defensively as well. McHi’s Ada Sadlier and Lexi Gonzalez had eight and five total blocks (solo blocks and block assists), respectively, while Haidee Moore, Alexa Ramirez, Celina Saenz and Madison Helmcamp combined for 11 block assists.
That wall was partly responsible for quieting Laredo United’s 6-foot-2, Division I outside hitter Lauren Arzuago, who came into the match averaging 4.4 kills per set but was held to just 3.7 kills per set, while committing five errors. The blocks were so effective that the Longhorns began tipping the ball more often than attacking.
“The blockers were finding the hitters and they put the ball back on some of them and it made the hitters try to make adjustments,” McHi head coach Paula Dodge said. “I can’t say enough about their play. United was looking for an area to take advantage and place the ball and it really frustrated their hitters when they got blocked a couple times.
During Memorial’s match against Laredo Alexander — which beat both McHi and Memorial during the regular season — there was one rally where Alexander loaded up and attacked three straight times, only to have each ball come rebounding back off the Mustangs’ big blockers.
“When something like that happens, not only does it play in the opposing team’s heads, but it gives our girls the confidence to go even stronger,” Memorial first-year head coach Ashley Doffing said. “I told them this before, they love being the underdog; they didn’t want that taste of defeat in their mouths again.
Senior Demy Banks led the front-line defense with four solo block and four solo assists. She also added 12 kills as the Mustangs’ middles — Banks, Eliane Silberman and Jocelyn Fernandez — won the crucial net battle.
“I’m like over the moon with their performance,” Doffing said. “Then, offensively, we have been able to get the ball quickly to our setters and set up for a quick (attack) and when we execute properly the ball is going to go down and it’s going down hard.”
Memorial (36-10) will play San Antonio Clark (42-7) in the first matchup. Clark is led offensively by 6-foot-2 right-side hitter/middle blocker Elisa Mcghee. The junior has 508 kills on the year, according to maxpreps.com, and 3.7 kills per set. She is followed by Grace Gibson, a 5-10 right side hitter/middle blocker who had 376 kills this season.
Banks, Fernandez and Natalie Banks all have more than 250 kills to pace the Mustangs’ well-balanced attack, while setter/hitter Sydney Marburger has 201 kills to go along with a team-high 75 service aces, 660 sets and is second on the team behind libero Cori Talamantez with 289 digs.
“Sydney is a setter and is getting touches and has had some solo blocks,” Doffing said. “To have a setter that is effective in the front row as a hitter is awesome. She’s a silent leader who leads by example and the team has followed in that leadership.”
McHi (46-2) will play Clemens (42-4) in the second matchup. Clemens is paced by 6-foot-1 outside hitter and defensive specialist Shelby O’Neal, who has racked up 519 kills to go with 399 digs and 68 aces.
The Bulldogs are led offensively by Lexi Gonzalez, a 6-0 senior, with 617 kills. She is followed by sophomore Celina Saenz with 369 kills. Several of Saenz kills came during a run midway through the second set against United after McHi lost the first set and were down 13-6 in the second.
“The true competitor came out in Celina when we were down and she did not want to lose,” Dodge said. “It’s what every coach wants to see in an athlete that, ‘I need to get my team going,’ and she brought that attitude into the game. I just loved seeing that and if she continues to improve like she has this year, what a leader she is going to be on all the athletic teams she’s on — it’s very impressive.”