BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — During practices leading up to her team’s match against McAllen Rowe, McAllen Memorial’s Allie Nitsch repeatedly drilled the ball to certain spots on the floor. After looking at the Lady Warriors’ defense on film, Lady Mustangs coach Lorena Lopez knew where the openings would be.
Come match time Tuesday at Rowe, Nitsch pounded those soft spots again and again and again, racking up 24 kills as Memorial won the season’s first District 30-6A match between two McAllen schools, taking down Rowe 27-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23.
“We worked in practice on hitting specific shots, and I just hit it in the game,” Nitsch said. “That’s what worked.”
Nitsch proved to be Memorial’s hot hand all night. She looked nearly unstoppable for certain stretches, once racking up five kills in a span of seven points during the first set.
Seeing the kind of match Nitsch was having, setter Taylor Marburger said she made special effort to work the ball to her.
“Allie was just on fire,” Marburger said. “I always try to look for the person who’s on. Tonight, she was my go-to, for sure.”
Stuffing the stat sheet is nothing new for Nitsch, who has regularly ranked among the Mustangs kill leaders this season. On Tuesday, she also notched two aces and 12 digs.
Now in her fourth year on varsity, Nitsch said she’s played four different positions with Memorial, giving her confidence and comfort adapting to any type of scenario. That’s one of the reasons Lopez named her a team captain.
“This year, nothing is going to stop her,” Lopez said. “That’s what you saw tonight: No-fear volleyball.”
Other major contributors for the Mustangs included Draik Banks (14 kills), Lanie Nitsch (9 kills, 2 blocks) and Marburger (49 assists, 16 digs).
Lopez said the biggest key to the team’s success was sticking to the game plan.
“We geared our game to beat them. We did everything possible this week,” Lopez said. “The girls executed perfectly. That’s what makes a huge difference in the match: When the kids come out, and they have a game plan, and they stick to the game plan.”
Rowe’s loss negated a dominant effort from reigning All-Valley Player of the Year Mayda Garcia, who had 34 kills, 2 aces, 52 digs and 13 blocks for the Lady Warriors.
Vanessa Lopez (44 assists, 10 digs), Sophia Luna (14 kills, 1 ace), Ryela Rodriguez (5 kills, 9 blocks) and Amanda Martinez (9 kills, 13 digs) also chipped in for Rowe.
Tuesday’s match was the first of six this season that will pit two of McAllen High, Memorial and Rowe against each other.
“These are honestly the best matches,” Allie Nitsch said. “We live for these, and I know all three schools do. They’re so intense, and the teams are so competitive, and they’re just great.”
Memorial jumped ahead 19-13 in Tuesday’s first game before Rowe climbed back to tie the set at 22. At 25-all, Memorial sealed it with a dump shot by Nitsch and an attack error by Rowe.
After Rowe bounced back in Game 2, Memorial once again edged ahead. In a game that neither team led by more than three points, Memorial won three straight after a 22-all tie.
Down 17-14 in Game 4, Memorial ripped off seven consecutive points to take a 21-17 advantage. Rowe pulled back to within one point at 24-23, but the Lady Warriors hit the ball into the net to close the match.
After finishing third in district last year behind second place Rowe and champ McHi, Nitsch knows better than to become overconfident, even after getting a key win on the road.
“Last year, we did win the first game against Rowe, but we didn’t manage to come out on top,” Nitsch said. “It is a big hurdle that we jumped over, and it’s a great accomplishment. But we really have to work the rest of the season to take care of the rest of the games.”