During one rally in the second set of the McAllen Poundfest volleyball championship between Brownsville Veterans and McAllen Rowe, multiple Rowe players charged toward the net.
A ball had rolled along the top of the next and was rapidly sliding down the net, and Brownsville players and fans started cheering for what appeared to be their point.
Somehow, though, Rowe libero Ariana Castro dug the ball out from near the floor. Surrounded by almost the entire team, another Warriors player swung their arm as the ball arose and she popped it up and near the opposite sideline, where setter Vanessa Morales chased it down, reached it and sent it back across the net to a shocked Chargers squad. It was a hair-raising, exciting moment as Rowe eventually won the point and went on to win the championship 25-15, 25-13 over the Chargers.
That play exemplifies what Rowe head coach Magda Canales has preached for years, putting together strong defensive teams with one or two big hitters. The Warriors’ championship path Saturday included a pair of three-set victories over District 31-5A opponents McAllen Memorial and McAllen High to reach the final.
“We are working hard toward that type of defense,” Canales said. “We’re emphasizing defense first of all. We aren’t there yet. We’re trying to build chemistry and that takes a while. But I’m very pleased at where they are now.”
After going 3-0 during the first day of pool play Thursday, Veterans star middle hitter/blocker junior Elise Fourt injured her ankle and had to sit out the remainder of the tournament. With her out, no one expected Veterans to reach the final. However, it defeated Brownsville Rivera in the quarterfinal and Sharyland High in the semifinal.
Rowe, though, brought a whole lot of defense and the offensive firepower of junior Mia Mata and senior Jill Pantillano to pull off the championship sweep.
“I celebrate defense and give them lots of compliments when they are getting after the ball,” Canales said. “I tell them even if you don’t get to the ball, pursue it, go after it. Sooner or later muscle memory will get them there.
Castro, one of nine seniors on the team, spent her younger years wanting to be a hitter. Once she agreed to work as a libero, she embraced it and her hustle on the court exemplifies what Canales wants to see and is contagious among her teammates. Veterans struggled throughout the match to find an open space on the floor to drop the ball with any sort of attack.
“I go out there and hustle and do everything I can to pick up the ball and I know when I do, my teammates will be there to pick it up to get it over the net,” Castro said. “If we do our part, move to the ballI and pick it up, – we should be fine. We’re trying our best to do the best we can with what we have and it’s been working for us.”
It takes more than just scrambling to keep balls alive for Canales to be content. Understanding the sport at a deeper level is another component.
“I want them to be students of the game,” she said. “Don’t just play for your side of the net. Read the server, read the hitter, what’s the approach? All those things are what well-rounded players should have.”
The Warriors have some offense too, led by Mata and Pantillano. During one stretch in the first set, Rowe turned an 11-8 lead into a 15-8 advantage as Krystal De La Rosa, Mata, Natalia Higareda and Pantillano collected back-to-back-to-back-to back kills and blow the first set wide open.
“We’re still finding the right combos and the right spots, and we’re getting there,” Canales said. “I told the kids that this is the fruit of all the hard work they have put in. This is (the) payoff.
“It’s very gratifying.”
volleyball championship between Brownsville Veterans and McAllen Rowe, multiple Rowe players charged toward the net.
A ball had rolled along the top of the next and was rapidly sliding down the net, and Brownsville players and fans started cheering for what appeared to be their point.
Somehow, though, Rowe libero Ariana Castro dug the ball out from near the floor. Surrounded by almost the entire team, another Warriors player swung their arm as the ball arose and she popped it up and near the opposite sideline, where setter Vanessa Morales chased it down, reached it and sent it back across the net to a shocked Chargers squad. It was a hair-raising, exciting moment as Rowe eventually won the point and went on to win the championship 25-15, 25-13 over the Chargers.
That play exemplifies what Rowe head coach Magda Canales has preached for years, putting together strong defensive teams with one or two big hitters. The Warriors’ championship path Saturday included a pair of three-set victories over District 31-5A opponents McAllen Memorial and McAllen High to reach the final.
“We are working hard toward that type of defense,” Canales said. “We’re emphasizing defense first of all. We aren’t there yet. We’re trying to build chemistry and that takes a while. But I’m very pleased at where they are now.”
After going 3-0 during the first day of pool play Thursday, Veterans star middle hitter/blocker junior Elise Fourt injured her ankle and had to sit out the remainder of the tournament. With her out, no one expected Veterans to reach the final. However, it defeated Brownsville Rivera in the quarterfinal and Sharyland High in the semifinal.
Rowe, though, brought a whole lot of defense and the offensive firepower of junior Mia Mata and senior Jill Pantillano to pull off the championship sweep.
“I celebrate defense and give them lots of compliments when they are getting after the ball,” Canales said. “I tell them even if you don’t get to the ball, pursue it, go after it. Sooner or later muscle memory will get them there.
Castro, one of nine seniors on the team, spent her younger years wanting to be a hitter. Once she agreed to work as a libero, she embraced it and her hustle on the court exemplifies what Canales wants to see and is contagious among her teammates. Veterans struggled throughout the match to find an open space on the floor to drop the ball with any sort of attack.
“I go out there and hustle and do everything I can to pick up the ball and I know when I do, my teammates will be there to pick it up to get it over the net,” Castro said. “If we do our part, move to the ballI and pick it up, – we should be fine. We’re trying our best to do the best we can with what we have and it’s been working for us.”
It takes more than just scrambling to keep balls alive for Canales to be content. Understanding the sport at a deeper level is another component.
“I want them to be students of the game,” she said. “Don’t just play for your side of the net. Read the server, read the hitter, what’s the approach? All those things are what well-rounded players should have.”
The Warriors have some offense too, led by Mata and Pantillano. During one stretch in the first set, Rowe turned an 11-8 lead into a 15-8 advantage as Krystal De La Rosa, Mata, Natalia Higareda and Pantillano collected back-to-back-to-back-to back kills and blow the first set wide open.
“We’re still finding the right combos and the right spots, and we’re getting there,” Canales said. “I told the kids that this is the fruit of all the hard work they have put in. This is (the) payoff.
“It’s very gratifying.”