By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
The final tune-up match leading up to district arrived Tuesday for the Pace volleyball team.
The Lady Vikings played host to Weslaco High and came up short 25-18, 25-16, 25-21.
The Lady Panthers, playing a decidedly more consistent game than Pace, managed to pull away and prevail at the end three straight times despite some deadlocked scores in each game. The two teams were tied 16-16 in the opening game, 8-8 in the second set and 21-21 in the third.
For the most part, the Lady Vikings battled from behind during the entire match. When they did happen to come back and pull even, what followed was usually a serve into the net or a serve or volley sailing beyond the back line that all too often caused their undoing while opening the door for the Lady Panthers.
Pace displayed some strong play at times, but it was still an overall frustrating evening for the home team.
Pace coach Gavin Rudder declined to comment after the match.
The victory gave Weslaco High a three-match winning streak as it opens District 32-6A competition at home against Weslaco East at 2 p.m. Saturday.
“I feel good about this match, although I came into it a little nervous,” Weslaco High coach Axle Valle said. “We were on a two-match winning streak at home coming into tonight and any away match is a little nerve-wracking after a long day of school. Then you’re traveling, so you wonder how the girls will be. But I feel really good with how we did.
“We learned from this match as we do from every match, win or lose,” Valle added. “I told the girls, ‘Let’s get this ‘W’ on the road and it’ll set the pace for district.’”
Meanwhile, Pace has spent the past month since the season opened playing non-district matches against as many Class 6A opponents as possible, such as Weslaco High, in an effort to prepare for District 32-5A competition, which begins Saturday as well. The Lady Vikings play at Brownsville Veterans Memorial, the 32-5A defending champion, at 4 p.m. Saturday.
For the Lady Panthers, Tuesday’s stat leaders included Kim Villarreal, Felicia Ortiz and Geaceli Orive with 11, six and four kills, respectively. Teammate Sofia Espinoza, a setter, led Weslaco High with 12 assists.
Rudder said there were no stats of note to report for Pace.