By Kristian Limas | Special to The Monitor
SAN JUAN — The Sharyland Pioneer Lady Diamondbacks looked as if they were in trouble early in their Class 5A bi-district match against the PSJA Lady Lady Bears on Tuesday.
Pioneer trailed 21-13 before rallying to win the first set and then would go on to sweep PSJA 26-24, 28-26, 25-21 to advance. It was the first playoff win for the school, which is in its first year.
Senior Nora Monie, who transferred from Sharyland to join the new school, was in the middle of everything for the Lady Diamondbacks and was key in their early rally.
After the match, Pioneer admitted it didn’t get off to the best start.
“We came off to a really bad start and missed some serves,” Lady Diamondbacks coach Laura Cavazos said. “I think we just had the jitters we were down 13-21 when I called my last timeout then we came out and the girls didn’t stop pushing. Taking that first match just said a lot about our tenacity.”
That second timeout of the set was the turning point for Pioneer. They outscored the Lady Bears 12-4 to take a 25-24 lead before winning the match.
The second set was just as hotly contested as there were nine ties. Te Lady Diamondbacks controlled most of the third set and took the final frame 25-21.
“I guess we were a little unfocused in the first set,” Monie said. “We came out and just thought we could dominate but things happen. It took a lot of trust to come back the way we did.”
Pioneer improves to 30-10 overall.
“It’s exciting, we set some high goals this season,” Cavazos said. “We wanted to set a standard for Pioneer Volleyball for years to come.”