By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Turn on the Friday Night Lights, it’s time for some volleyball.
Yes, turn on the lights at the football field and also those at the gym.
While many football teams across Texas will be busy playing their regular-season finales Friday, two Brownsville volleyball teams also will be playing. They’ll be participating in the area round of the state playoffs on a night normally reserved for high school gridiron action.
In a Class 6A area match, District 32-6A runner-up Rivera goes against District 29-6A champion Laredo Alexander at 7 p.m. at Roma.
Also Friday, in the Class 5A area playoffs, District 32-5A champion Brownsville Veterans Memorial plays an area-round match at 6:30 p.m. at District 30-5A third-place Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial.
District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos, also still alive in the volleyball playoffs, has scheduled its area match against 29-6A runner-up Laredo United at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at La Joya Palmview.
Rivera is coming off Tuesday’s hard-fought, five-set bi-district victory at PSJA Memorial. The Lady Raiders rallied to triumph over the Lady Wolverines 25-16, 25-27, 17-25, 25-22, 15-12.
“Our girls did an awesome job (against PSJA Memorial),” Rivera coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra said. “They kept fighting and they were not going to let the match slip through their fingers.
“If we play hard and play together, we can do it,” she added. “Anything is possible.”
The winner of the Rivera-Alexander match will go against McAllen Memorial or Edinburg High in next week’s 6A regional quarterfinals.
Brownsville Veterans is coming off Tuesday’s 25-21, 25-17, 25-14 bi-district sweep of Laredo Nixon at Rio Grande City. The winner of the Brownsville Veterans-Corpus Christi Veterans match faces Mission Veterans or Calallen in next week’s 5A regional quarterfinals.
In its 6A bi-district match on Monday, Los Fresnos dispatched PSJA North 25-15, 25-11, 25-15 in Pharr.
A win against Laredo United on Saturday sends the Lady Falcons back to next week’s regional quarterfinals to play McAllen High or Edinburg Vela.
Los Fresnos’ Giselle Ibarra, a junior outside hitter, likes her squad’s chances.
“We have such great team chemistry, we communicate and we’re just excited to keep playing,” Ibarra said after Monday’s victory. “We want to keep going on as far as we can.
“I thank God for giving us this opportunity and getting us this far,” she added. “We’re also thankful for the support we get from our fans. It’s amazing.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess