ALICE — McAllen Rowe could’ve easily rolled over during Tuesday’s Class 5A UIL area matchup with Victoria West.
Down two sets to none and 8-2 in the third set, however, something clicked.
It just couldn’t keep the momentum long enough, and Victoria West found its timing on the quick middle attacks to claim a 25-18, 25-6, 17-25, 25-21 win over McAllen Rowe to advance to the third round of the state playoffs.
Trailing 8-2 and 10-5 in the third set, Rowe went on a 13-2 run to take an 18-12 lead in front of a small, but loud crowd of McAllen faithful. Senior Anna Honrubia and sophomore Mia Mata led an outside attack, highlighting that run and Alexa Muñoz and Ashley Rodriguez each added a block to bring Rowe back into the match after a slow and not-so-clean start, having problems with West’s attack and difficulties with its serve receive during the first two sets.
“Once we made some adjustments on our blocks, the girls were able to gain some confidence and this is a sport all about momentum,” McAllen Rowe head coach Magda Canales said. “The defense played great and the girls fought; they left it all on the court tonight. I’m proud of them.”
While the Rowe Warriors were able to slow the outside attacks from Victoria West, the biggest difference came from West’s middle attack, led by Erin Reynolds and Carolina Cohen. The duo dominated the match, especially the final set, having their hands in on most of West’s scoring in the fourth set.
It was the fastest middle attack Rowe had seen all year, with sets barely reaching past the top of the net and Reynolds or Cohen there quickly for the attack.
“She (Reynolds) was going over our block a lot of times,” Canales said. “It was difficult to get any block on her. We haven’t faced a quick offense like that and it was one of the biggest adjustments we had to make.”
Victoria West head coach Alysia Hill said the key to their attack is not only being able to “spread the wealth” among a bevy of hitters but, more importantly, to have good defense and passing to give the setter an opportunity to effectively run the offense.
“Without the digs, there is no middle and there is no attack,” Hill said. “We try to take advantage of what the other teams give us and today it was the middle. These girls literally rose to the occasion.”
Victoria West will play the winner of Sharyland Pioneer and Flour Bluff, which was scheduled for Tuesday night. West won its bi-district match with a sweep over Mission Veterans, while Rowe advanced with a sweep over Brownsville Lopez and finished its season at 11-5.