Lady Rattlers rout Lady Mustangs in Castillo’s return
The Sharyland Lady Rattlers volleyball team demolished the McAllen Memorial Lady Mustangs in straight sets, 25-17, 25-15, 25-21, at Sharyland High School to secure their first district win of the 24-25 season. The win comes after the Lady Mustangs, led by former Sharyland head coach Raul Castillo, defeated the Lady Rattlers two sets to none earlier this year at McAllen ISD’s annual Poundfest Tournament.
Sharyland Rattlers win all 3 sets in the match up against McAllen Memorial Mustangs. Progress Times Photo by Joe Vela.
The Lady Rattlers entered this season as the runaway favorite to win the District 31-5A crown for the third consecutive year. Still, a brutal playoff loss, a mass exodus of seniors, and a pair of losses to start the year created some uneasiness.
“Being able to show everybody that we’re still at the top feels really good,” sophomore outside hitter Pamela Pena said after Tuesday night’s victory.
Every night, the Lady Rattlers enter gyms against teams looking to spoil their campaign for a three-peat. To combat that, the Lady Rattlers have leaned on their senior captains, Kassandra De La Garza and Kenisha Martinez, for guidance and consistency, as they’ve always done. One new dimension to their success is the emergence of role players to complement the Valley’s top volleyball duo.
“We know what we’re capable of…each and every one of our players on that court. We know where we stand. And I think we’re all just really excited to stand up for ourselves, especially when we’re doubted,” Pena said after her stellar performance against the Memorial front line.
Sharyland Rattlers’ Kenisha Martínez digs the ball during last Tuesday’s win against McAllen Memorial Mustangs. Progress Times Photo by Joe Vela.
“I know we’re well known for two players, but we have a good, solid six that really help those two players,” head coach Lydia De Leon said when highlighting her team’s depth postgame.
The first set of Tuesday night’s match started slow. Both teams struggled to find their footing. Errors and miscommunication plagued both. After giving up several easy points and drawing even at 7-7, the Lady Rattlers hit another gear and never looked back.
They learned from their mistakes and adjusted by playing methodically and relying on finesse to offset Memorial’s tough middle blocker, Karly Bazan. The game plan worked as the Lady Rattlers attacked the outside and dotted the Mustang defense.
“We needed to go pin to pin and, most importantly, get the defense on the other side of the net moving. What got the best of us last time was we weren’t really sharing the ball, so that was something we kept re-iterating,” De Leon said when describing her team’s winning strategy.
De Leon, who took over for her long-time mentor after his departure at season’s end, deflected the notion that this game meant more because of who was gracing the opposing sideline.
“It’s never going to be a thing where I see him as an enemy just because I’ve learned so much from him. If anything, it keeps me on my toes because I know how much he knows and how much I’ve learned from him,” De Leon said when asked about facing her mentor Castillo.
Sharyland Rattlers’ Maria Rodriguez bumps during last Tuesday’s win against McAllen Memorial Mustangs. Progress Times Photo by Joe Vela.
Her players took a similar position but were not as deferential in their commentary.
“Well, of course, it feels exciting. No mercy. That’s how it’s supposed to go. It’s district. You can’t show mercy to anyone,” De La Garza jokingly said after the win.
“It feels good to get a victory. It’s sad because he was our coach, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to win. A win is a win. Everyone wants to win in the end,” Martinez said when asked about facing her former coach.
After one month, the Lady Rattlers have again positioned themselves as the best team in The Valley and one of the premier teams in the state. They’ve won tournament championships on consecutive weekends, at PoundFest earlier this month and in Sinton last weekend. They’ve won 10 straight matches and show no signs of faltering anytime soon. With their district campaign in full swing, a three-peat could very well be next.
“We’re trying to play the best we can out of the whole district. This is just the start of it,” De La Garza said.
With tonight’s win, the Lady Rattlers move to 15-2 on the season and 1-0 in district play. This weekend, they will look to build on their hot start in the Sharyland ISD Invitational Tournament which kicks off at noon today and runs through tomorrow, with games being played both at Sharyland High and at Pioneer.