NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — The annual early season battle of RGVSports preseason No. 1 McAllen Memorial and No. 2 Mission Veterans lived up to the hype, but preseason rankings were thrown out the window.
The Patriots played like a team in midseason form to knock off the Mustangs 3-1 via set scores of 25-21, 25-21, 13-25, 25-16.
Mission Veterans senior Jackie Howell, who recorded 515 kills and 77 aces on her way to the All-Valley first team last season, said that her group felt it had something to prove in its first match.
“We saw the preseason rankings and were disappointed to be ranked second, so we knew this was going to be a good game to play. Obviously, they’re a great team,” Howell said. “We’re going to Houston tomorrow against really good competition, so it’s a good game to get the season going.”
The Patriots and Mustangs were often deadlocked in a tight first set during which both teams hammered home points with familiar players making an impact.
Vets winning the first two sets by the same 25-21 total went a long way in a match that took two hours, including a delay. The second set had the same final score but carried a different feel as the visiting Patriots controlled and led most of the way.
The action was so hot that the match was delayed for 31 minutes during the fourth set. That period was enough time for firefighters to investigate a smoky odor and then deem the gym safe for fans and players to return. Firefighters determined that heaters turned on to prevent humidity, but the system was also getting its early season kinks out.
The delay came after Memorial won its first set of the match 25-13, a performance that showed glimpses that the 2017 regional semifinalists still had their mojo.
But after the three fire trucks, the half-hour delay and most of the crowd had cleared out, the Mustangs were unable to keep that energy in the fourth set.
“When we had that break and when we came back, you could tell that we were on dead legs, and a lot of that has to do that they were training hard already the last couple of days,” Memorial coach Lorena Lopez said. “But no excuse, because Veterans was in the same boat.”
Lopez’s counterpart on the Vets sidelines also noticed the fatigue from each side going into the unexpected midgame break.
“I saw both teams. They were huffing and puffing,” Mission Veterans coach Diana Lerma said. “It takes a while before we get in our true fit shape.”
While McAllen Memorial was not easy to block, Veterans’ attack was even harder for the Mustangs to contain.
Behind 25 kills from Howell and 17 from Makenzie Gerlach, plus another 12 from middle hitter Kassy Lerma, Vets held off Memorial in the fourth set and match.
“That’s what I tell them. We cannot just depend on our outside. We have to focus on the middle,” Diana Lerma said about the impact of Kassy. “By the time the playoffs come, our middle will be just as strong as the outside.”
Memorial’s Jocelynn Everage had 13 kills. Valeria Trevino added eight kills and three aces. Sydney Marburger was Memorial’s assist leader with 21.
“Some of the main things I saw is our young ones, they got to learn game speed and be stronger at the block,” Lopez said. “My veterans are playing very well, but we need to get in better condition.”
Memorial will compete in the Poundfest Tournament this weekend. Six pools will compete across the three McAllen ISD high school main and auxiliary gyms.
Veterans will travel to Pearland to compete in the Texas Volleyball Invitational.