McALLEN — With a 19-10 lead in the fourth set of the UIL Class 5A regional quarterfinal, McAllen High’s Aleah Saenz served a ball that hit the top of the net, and for a brief moment time seemed to stop and no one moved. The ball bounced up, hit the top of the net and rolled quickly along the top before dropping on the McAllen Memorial side.
That point was one of many big scores during the biggest match of the season for both teams as McHi advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year with a 25-18, 30-28, 21-25, 25-20 victory over Memorial on Friday at the McAllen High School gymnasium.
The win also ended Memorial’s streak of going to the regional semifinals at five straight years.
McHi will face Dripping Springs its next match with the winner being one of the final eight Class 5A teams remaining in the state. Dripping Springs, like McHi, defeated a district rival in Alamo Heights. The time, day and place have yet to be determined. The match will be played Monday or Tuesday.
Celina Saenz, who has had a golden touch as of late, led the Bulldogs with 18 kills, while Olivia Tite added 11 and the Bulldogs executed a game plan that senior setter Madison Helmcamp said head coach Paula Dodge put together. The Bulldogs didn’t go power for power with the offensive artillery of the Mustangs, instead concerning themselves with placement and focusing on keeping the Memorial defense off balance.
“Since the playoffs we have been changing from more of a powerhouse team to a mental and smarter team,” said Helmcamp, who had 32 assists, 12 digs, 3 kills and three of the team’s 10 service aces. “Coach tells us if we get a point, we get a point, even if we have to tip the whole game. We’re not playing as individual players and are not worried about the stats. It shows we are coming together as a team.”
Playing perfect ball behind the service line also helped. Dodge spoke repeatedly throughout the season about too many serves being missed all year. On Friday, the Bulldogs were spot on, while McAllen Memorial collected 13 service errors.
“We needed to focus on making our serves,” Helmcamp said. “We weren’t doing it well in season and Coach had us practice a lot of serving and told us to get going from the start. It helped us to stay on top today.”
“They know they need to make their serves, they’ve known that since they started playing when they were 8 years old,” Dodge said. “They knew tonight it would be crucial and they executed.”
It was the third matchup between the crosstown rivals this season, with each team winning on their home court during District 31-5A play. But the most recent matchup during the regular season — a five-set win for Memorial — helped Dodge and the Bulldogs prepare for Friday’s match.
“We watched the tape from the last game, and knew some of the areas we were going to need to attack,” Dodge said. “Obviously they are an awesome team and a great blocking team and that gave us a lot of trouble, but we knew what they were going to possibly leave open and felt we knew what was going to happen but we needed to execute and get the ball in those spots.”
After McHi won the first set, Memorial jumped out to an 11-6 lead in the second set, led by kills from seniors Jocelyn Fernandez and Natalie Silva. The Mustangs kept the lead until late in the set. Aleah Saenz, who has been one of the team’s most prolific and effective servers during the Bulldogs’ recent nine-match win streak, served up five straight points, including one of her three aces as McHi led 24-23.
But it was far from over.
The two squads tied again at 25, 26, 27 and 28, before a Memorial attack error and ace from Haidee Moore put the Bulldogs up two sets to none.
After losing the third, McHi once again jumped out early, leading 13-5 en route to the victory. Aleah Saenz again served up five points, and McHi went on to win the set and match. It’s the sixth time under Dodge that the Bulldogs advance this far in the state tournament and fourth time in the past seven years.
“I’m just super proud of these girls and the hard work and effort they’ve put in, especially in the past five or six games we’ve played,” Dodge said. “They just keep working ‘til the end.”