Lady Patriots on verge of taking back title
Lady Eagles #4, Joslyn Rodriguez, gets the ball past the Lady Patriot opponent #6, Caylie Montalvo. Progress Times photo by Mario Magallon
Winning is difficult. It might be the most challenging thing to do in sports. It’s even more challenging to win consistently. That’s why we love to hate dynasties. The immense audacity it takes for anyone or any group of people to decide they want to be better than you or your team every day is soul-crushing.
Tuesday night in Mission, the Mission Veterans Lady Patriots volleyball team strengthened their grip on the District 30-5A lead and gave its detractors another reason to hate as they inched one step closer to winning their 11th district championship in 12 years by defeating the Mission Lady Eagles in four sets (25-21, 24-26, 25-20, 25-18). The impressive home win brings the Lady Patriots record to 27-4. They are now 11-0 in district play and 17-3 in their last 20 games. With a two-game lead and only five district games remaining, their coronation seems inevitable.
Before Tuesday night, the Lady Patriots had won 30 straight sets in district play. Since August, the Lady Eagles have been the only team to take a set from the Lady Patriots.
“They gave us a run for our money. They were very fast; they were quick to the ball, and they were playing consistently. They did a very good job,” Lady Patriots’ head coach Diana Lerma said about the Lady Eagles after Tuesday’s win.
The Lady Patriots outlasted the Lady Eagles behind the brilliant play of senior hitter Sophia Pacheco, senior setter Heather Flores, junior libero Evoria Garcia, sophomore middle blocker Delilah Cantu, and freshman phenom Mady Perez.
Pacheco and Cantu each posted an above .40 kill percentage and combined for 33 total kills. Flores finished with an average of 14 assists per set and posted an astonishing 56 assists on 98 attempts. Garcia led the Lady Patriots defense with 26 digs and 40 serves returned. Perez, the all-world freshman who makes the machine go, put on a show. She finished the night with a team-high 23 kills, 19 defensive digs, and scored 15 points off serves.
“I’ve been doing very well because of my teammates and my seniors. This is just an amazing season,” Perez said when asked about the progression of her first year.
The game’s first three sets were ultra-competitive. All three were well within grasp of the Lady Eagles. The team’s leading trio of Joslyn Rodriguez, Vanessa Espinoza, and Kayla Alaniz kept the Lady Eagles afloat in sets 1-3. Rodriguez’s focus, determination, and constant communication settled the Lady Eagles in tough moments, even powering them to a close victory in set two. Alaniz’s confidence, aggression, and violent hitting kept the Lady Patriots defense honest. And Espinoza’s resilience and accountability inspired her teammates to mirror the same.
For one set, the trio’s collective power was stronger than the imperial prowess of their opponents. But the winning high was short-lived. The Lady Eagles couldn’t match their late-game intensity from set two in the following set and faltered too far in the finale.
Lady Eagle #1, Madison L. Garcia, goes up to block against Lady Patriot #1 Sophia Pacheco. Progress Times photo by Mario Magallon
With a loss, the Lady Eagles (22-7, 7-2) are now third in the district with only three weeks remaining.
The Lady Eagles now have five games left to leave no doubt in the minds of their opponents–five games to etch their names into the Lady Patriots lore. The Lady Patriots host the Rio Grande City Lady Rattlers tomorrow and will travel to second place La Joya Palmview next Tuesday night. Four of their final five games will be on the road.
“We gotta stay focused and keep a straight mindset. We have to be positive throughout the game and stay locked in,” Garcia, the Patriots junior libero, said about their final district slate.
For the Lady Patriots, winning might seem easy, but it isn’t. It just means more. And this year, they’re playing for more than just a trophy. They’re playing for history.
“We’ve had district titles, I think, ten years straight. Last year was the first time [we lost] … they said they’re bringing it back home, and I think they’re working hard to make that happen,” Lerma said before she left the court Tuesday night.
Here’s a quick update on what you need to know about the other most competitive Big 7 Volleyball district volleyball race:
District 31-5A:
Last Saturday, the Sharyland Lady Rattlers kept their three-peat dream alive as they defeated the McAllen High Lady Bulldogs in a thrilling five-set brawl. Seniors Kenisha Martinez and Kassandra De La Garza and sophomore Pamela Pena led the Lady Rattlers to victory and are now tied for first place with the Lady Bulldogs. They have now assured themselves at least a share of the district championship, assuming both teams win. With six games left, there’s still an opportunity for the Lady Bulldogs to slip up, allowing for an outright championship. Matchups with McAllen Rowe, Edinburg Vela, and their now third-place rival, Sharyland Pioneer (8-3), could derail their championship aspirations, but that seems highly unlikely.