By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
BEEVILLE — San Perlita and San Isidro both earned area round sweeps Saturday in Beeville to advance to the Class 1A regional quarterfinals.
The Lady Trojans got the afternoon started with a 25-12, 25-9, 25-19 sweep over Medina 25-12. They leaned on their experience to control the match from start to finish and used dynamite serving to rattle the Lady Cats, clinching a trip to the third round for the third straight season.
“We have a really good bunch of seniors, and they’ve led the team really well,” San Perlita coach Criselda Rubalcaba said. “They know the pressure that comes with win or go home, and they came out here and did what they needed to do.
“I always tell them, ‘Serving is going to win us the game or lose us the game.’ We spend at least half of our practice serving. They did come through today with the serves.”
Senior middle blocker Aliyah Garcia was a force to be reckoned with to lead San Perlita. She put down sharp kills and recorded several blocks as she patrolled the net and showcased her abilities from multiple pins.
San Perlita kept Medina out of system with solid serving throughout the match. The Lady Trojans recorded more than 10 aces and forced several shanked passes, including a handful that went straight to the net and allowed Garcia to pound down a kill on the overpass.
“I’m so proud. I was a little worried coming in, but I came in here strong, my team came in strong, and we worked together and pulled through. It was awesome,” Garcia said. “That’s my favorite thing to do, block and hit and be up at the net. … There’s time when we get a little bit frustrated, but we really came together today. We were like glue.”
The serving execution played a big role in the opening set, putting San Perlita on top from the first whistle to the last. But during the second set, the Lady Trojans committed unforced errors and found themselves in a 5-0 hole.
Senior Jasmine Rodriguez notched a kill to get San Perlita going, then a block by Garcia gave the Lady Trojans their first lead at 8-7. Great defense from senior libero Yazmine Rincon and Co., along with back-to-back aces and strong serving from senior setter Elyssa Nieto, sparked a 13-0 run to help San Perlita cruise to a 2-0 advantage.
Junior Arabella Rodriguez notched hard kills and sophomore Summer Terry recorded a string of clutch digs with precise passing to put San Perlita in control during the clinching set. With its season hanging in the balance, Medina played its best volleyball in the third frame, but the Lady Trojans stayed composed and answered every blow.
Junior middle blocker Daniella Ramos was solid in the front row, and San Perlita’s passing was efficient as the back row took advantage of an abundance of free balls from Medina. Nieto did a great job mixing up the offensive attack and delivering on-point sets to keep the Lady Trojans in control. San Perlita will face Utopia in Round 3.
“I have to give credit to my setter. (Nieto) was doing everything she could to give Aliyah the opportunity to knock it down,” Rubalcaba said.
The San Isidro Lady Tigers earned a quick and dominant 25-6, 25-15, 25-13 sweep over Leakey. Senior outside hitter Mia Alvarado played a key role in the victory with her powerful swing and solid defense.
“It feels really good that we got to come out here and win,” Alvarado said. “I’ve been playing varsity since freshman year, and every year we wanted to take it further. We’re taking it game by game to hopefully get to the state championship. We want to take everyone down along the way.”
Alvarado said the team was feeling “iffy” coming into the match because they’re a humble group. But after a convincing performance during the first set, the mentality changed. Alvarado was tremendous hitting and blocking, and senior setter Nicole Delgado was a rock at the service line. She served San Isidro from trailing 3-1 to leading 22-3.
“Nicole (has) always been my consistent server. She’s always given us at least 10 to 15 points every match,” Lady Tigers coach Elva Smith said. “(The first set) pretty much told us where we were going to be and what we needed to do. When we move it fast, we know we’ve got control of the whole thing.”
Delgado ran a dynamic offense and got a number of hitters involved. Fatima Perez teamed up with Alvarado to form an unstoppable 1-2 punch, and Melissa Machuca and Alex Garcia were among the top contributors.
Libero Emma Garcia anchored a sound Lady Tigers defense and aided their attack by reading Leakey’s defense. Delgado’s serving continued to be a huge advantage for San Isidro throughout the sweep. Next up, it will play D’Hanis in Round 3.
“The communication that I asked my libero to do (was a key). She let them know where the open holes were so the hitters could target that area,” Smith said. “They worked really hard all season. They perform well, and they have this sisterhood bond. I’m very proud of them, and I think we’re ready to take it as far as we can.”