ALAMO — The Halloween spirit was on full display thanks to the PSJA Memorial Lady Wolverines prior to their Class 6A bi-district volleyball playoff victory at home Tuesday over the Hanna Lady Golden Eagles.
The Lady Wolverines came out and lined up on the court at the PSJA Memorial gym wearing black plastic masks. They then threw candy to the cheering PSJA Memorial crowd as each of the players was introduced.
After that, it was time to get down to business and play volleyball as the District 31-6A champion Lady Wolverines (26-10) prevailed over a determined Hanna squad 25-20, 25-21, 14-25, 25-20 and advanced to the area round of the playoffs later this week against McAllen Memorial.
“It’s very exciting because we’re making history with every match that we play,” Lady Wolverines coach Angie Gonzales said. “I’m just excited for our girls. They came through for us today.
“Brownsville Hanna did a great job also,” Gonzales added. “Their girls played phenomenal defense and did really well (overall). We’re excited to get this win.”
PSJA Memorial had beaten Hanna earlier this season in three straight games in non-district action. The Lady Eagles gave a much better showing of themselves in Tuesday’s rematch, although it wasn’t the best of starts. They fought from behind most of the way in the first two games in losing 25-20 and 25-21.
District 32-6A fourth-place Hanna (24-13) came alive in a big way during the third set to win 25-14. The Lady Eagles carried their momentum into the fourth game, leading by as many as four points twice, 12-8 and 14-10, before the Lady Wolverines came on strong at the end to take the fourth set 25-20 and clinch the match after some untimely hitting errors and lineup miscues by Hanna.
It was tied for the last time in Game 4 at 17-17, and from there, the Lady Wolverines went ahead for good, 18-17, on a serving ace by Kristi Gomez, who led her team with a double-digit total of kills. Teammate Deserey Gomez was also a standout performer at the net.
Before long, PSJA Memorial was up 24-19 when a Hanna serve went out. After a Hanna serving ace to close the gap to 24-20, the Lady Eagles had a serve carry too far, providing the Lady Wolverines with the final point they needed to capture the match victory.
“We came out with momentum in the fourth set, but then we ended up giving it away,” Hanna coach Ansgar Hagemann said. “We should have started off (the match) playing like we did in the third game.
“We were close,” Hagemann added. “It seems we’re always close. We want to have a bi-district win one of these days. We’re going to keep on coming back and trying.”
Odalys Gonzalez, Ryann Wood and Nataly Davila were standouts at the net for Hanna.