MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — McAllen Memorial’s Allie Nitsch fed teammates all night to the tune of 27 assists, so it was only fitting that she would set up the final blow, finding Brooklyn Santellana for a final kill that capped off a 23-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-19 non-district victory over Sharyland Pioneer on Tuesday.
Nitsch, one of a handful of returning lettermen, shared the distribution load with teammate Taylor Marburger (25 assists). But it was Nitsch who put her imprint on the final stretch of Game 4, when she connected with Draik Banks for a 19-16 lead and then Kailey Caldwell for a 21-17 advantage.
Marburger and Nitsch then set up Marburger, the middle blocker, for the final two kills.
“When my setters connect with my middles, it’s something to watch,” McAllen Memorial coach Lorena Lopez said.
The Lady Mustangs (14-4) bounced back from a runner-up finish at the Mission Tournament, losing to Mission Veterans on Saturday.
Banks led the scoring attack Tuesday, posting 12 kills and two solo blocks. Santellana (three solo blocks) and Helen Kang (15 digs) added 10 kills apiece.
Kang scored off assists from either Marburger or Nitsch on three consecutive possessions to put the Lady Mustangs ahead 19-17 in Game 1. The lead gradually slipped away from there, with Pioneer catching Memorial at 22-all and then going ahead by one following a Lady Mustangs error.
The same happened in Game 2, with the lead changing hands three times before Pioneer’s Mariah Youngblood’s kill tied it at 21. From there, Marburger spotted Nitsch for a kill and 23-21 edge. Banks’ two-handed dump sealed that game, tying it at one piece.
“They came out really strong and it was a pretty even game,” Nitsch said. “But I felt defensively they were doing well, and offensively, we just had to make some adjustments. I felt we played more as a team and we tried to be more consistent with our serves.”
Youngblood (nine digs) and Nora Monie (18 digs, two blocks) finished with 10 kills apiece for Pioneer. Teammate Deandra Garza notched nine kills, nine digs and one ace, while Audrey Smith added 28 assists and eight digs.
“It just came down to who made the least amount of errors,” Pioneer coach Laura Cavazos said. “We hustled on defense but we were too out of system. That was due to their serving. But I thought the girls fought well. We just gave up too many points in critical situations and we didn’t come out on top.”