Lady Patriots dominate Lady Eagles on the road
Mission Veterans’ freshman outside hitter Mady Perez and the Lady Patriots were dominant in their straight sets win over the Lady Eagles Tuesday night. Progress Times photo by Joe Vela Photography.
Tuesday night at Neuhaus Gym in Mission, The Mission Veterans Lady Patriots volleyball team dismantled the Mission High Lady Eagles in straight sets, 25-15, 27-25, 25-16. The victory over their crosstown rival improves their district record to 4-0, animating the belief that the Lady Patriots are back to their dominant ways.
“It feels good that we came prepared. I think we’re getting stronger by the game,” Lady Patriots head coach Diana Lerma said when asked her initial thoughts after Tuesday’s win.
The Lady Patriots dominated the first set of their highly anticipated match against their bitter rivals. To start the game, the Lady Patriots pounced on the Lady Eagles. Star underclassmen Deliah Cantu and Mady Perez scored or assisted on the game’s first six points to silence the crowd early. The Lady Patriots’ size and athleticism frustrated the Lady Eagles’ front line with Cantu’s stalwart middle blocking and Perez’s knack for attacking open space.
Perez, a first-year starter for the Patriots, dominated the entire game. When she wasn’t racking up kills, she threw her body all over the court and set her teammates up for easy attacks. Yet, her impressive MVP performance was simply par for the course. She has not only blossomed into the Lady Patriots’ best player in her short tenure with the team, but she appears to be developing into the best player in the district with the potential to be a top player in the state.
“They [the team] really pushed me to work harder. I feel like I’ve been doing very well because of them, especially Coach Lerma and the seniors. They have been pushing me to be the best I can be,” Perez said when asked what it was like to join the powerhouse Lady Patriots.
When it appeared that the Lady Patriots would capture the set unencumbered, Senior setter and captain Joslyn Rodriguez rallied the Lady Eagles and shook the gym with rally-saving plays and consecutive aces when she was up to serve.
Her efforts inspired the crowd and pushed her teammates to resist Lady Patriots’ onslaught. But after falling behind 8-4, the Lady Eagles couldn’t recover and lost the set.
The second set was a nail-biting, anxiety-inducing masterpiece. The Lady Eagles began the set with a 3-0 lead before their opponents roared back to even the score at 6. The Lady Patriots pulled away and established a 23-18 lead, two points away from ending the set. But the Lady Eagles dug deep and fought tooth and nail to extend the set. They stormed back and tied the game at 23, 24, and 25 thanks to stellar play from violent outside hitter Kayla Alaniz. Unfortunately, they couldn’t seize the advantage and lost the second set by two.
The final set was a formality. The Lady Patriots seemed unstoppable. Every time the Lady Eagles would draw closer, they’d pull away. Every rally, every loose ball, every line call seemed to go their way. Seniors Heather Flores and Sophia Pacheco continued their second-set dominance into the third. When combined with Cantu and Perez, the Patriots’ attack appeared insurmountable. They easily won the final set by 9.
“We haven’t played them in a long time, so it gave us a lot of motivation. We are such a good team this year and have so much potential. We just had a different mentality and motivation coming into the game,” Pacheco said after her dominant performance.
The Lady Patriots are now (19-4, 4-0) heading into tomorrow afternoon’s home game versus the Laredo Nixon Lady Mustangs. Only the Palmview Lady Lobos, the team that dethroned them as district champions one year ago, has a similar undefeated record. If they both win on Saturday, they will face off in what figures to be the game of the week next Tuesday at Mission Veterans Memorial. The Lady Patriots are ready for the challenge and ready to reclaim their spot atop District 30-5A.
“We’re still planning to stay undefeated. I think unity and teamwork will help us shine through,” Lerma said when asked about her expectations heading into the remainder of their district schedule.
The Mission High Lady Eagles are now 2-1 in district play ahead of tomorrow’s game against the dangerous Juarez-Lincoln Lady Huskies, who are coming off their first win since 2021.
Other notable Big 7 volleyball games tomorrow:
Sharyland Pioneer:
Despite losing their top two setters to start the year, the Lady Diamondbacks haven’t missed a beat. Hailey Botello has been a godsend for a team desperately needing a playmaker. Meanwhile, defensive specialist and team captain Florenica Curiel has the Diamondbacks’ defense in sync. They haven’t dropped during their current four-game win streak. Tomorrow, they will face their most formidable opponent in a few weeks as they face the McAllen High Lady Bulldogs at home for sole possession of first place in one of South Texas’s toughest volleyball districts, District 31-5A.
La Joya Palmview:
The Lady Lobos are 4-0 in district and six games above .500 overall, not exactly where they were last year, but first place is first place. Their excellent play has been due in large part to their cohesiveness, intelligence and aggression. These traits are embodied by their cerebral head coach Margo-Iglesias Cantu and their core players including Miley Zieske, Arizona Gauna, Kylie Cantu, Jessica Arevalo, Kahlia Trevino, and Camila Hinostrosa. The Lady Lobos are on a collision course with the Mission Veterans Lady Patriots for District 30-5A supremacy. Still, before they get there, they’ll have to face the 6A giants PSJA High Lady Bears tomorrow afternoon. The Bears have a similar record but are coming off two road losses to Harlingen High and Sharyland High, so they’re not lacking motivation. They’ll be looking to bounce back in front of their home crowd. If there’s one thing the Lady Lobos love, it’s competition. Hostile environments are just the cherry on top.