McALLEN — Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s District 32-5A championship would mean little if it could not beat a District 31-5A team for the fourth consecutive season. It was the top goal for the Chargers this season.
After losing to McAllen High in Brownsville the past two years, the Chargers went into McAllen on Tuesday night and beat McAllen Rowe in four sets, 25-17, 17-25, 26-24, 25-20, taking back a bi-district playoff win to Brownsville.
“This game was so important, we have been practicing pretty much all year, we knew this was coming,” Chargers head coach Sherry Hoskins said. “They wanted it, and I knew we had the team that could make it to the second round, and they have it. Now, we are going to have to prepare for that second-round team.”
Brownsville Veterans’ defense dug multiple stinging shots from Rowe’s top hitter, and one of the best hitters in the Valley, Mia Mata, with the third set tied at 24 and the match tied at 1. The defense turned into offense, and the Chargers finished the set.
“Unity, communication, the need and the want, they gave it their all. That is all I can say,” Hoskins said.
Chargers senior Elise Fourt echoed Hoskins’ sentiments about the communications, especially in the third set with the match hanging in the balance.
“The difference today was for sure our attitudes, the way we talked to each other and the way we communicated really helped us out to get this win,” Fourt said. “I think the way we pick each other up after a mistake really helped us. We usually get really down and dig ourselves into a hole and we cannot get back out, but through the season we learned how to get out of those holes.”
Fourt and Mata battled at the net for kills most of the match. Next to Fourt trying to block Mata’s hits and also delivering stinging hits of her own was Marifer Solis.
Solis, a senior, stepped up along with Montserrat De Los Santos for the Chargers on the outside.
“I do not know what came over me,” Solis said. “I was honestly in a really bad mood, and if it was not for (Paulina Ramirez) to give me a pep-talk before the game, I would not have played the way I played today.”
Solis’ kill won the first set for the Chargers and De Los Santos came up clutch to win the third set.
In the final set it was all Brownsville Veterans, as it carried that momentum over from the third. The Chargers went up 15-6, but Mata helped bring back the Warriors to within 23-20.
The last-ditch effort was not enough. Mata, a senior, finished the night with 30 kills.
“A lot of ups and downs in volleyball, and a lot of big wins and losses,” Mata said. “This season, I feel I can say, a lot of people did not believe in us and that we were even going to make the playoffs. I feel like it was a big thing that we made it, and the girls gave everything they had in this last game.”
Brownsville Veterans Memorial will take on Victoria West in the area round of the playoffs.