MISSION — Up by just one during the fifth and decisive set, Sharyland Pioneer was searching for someone to make a play to put the game away.
Outside hitter Mariana Treviño was that someone. Following a timeout by McAllen High, the Diamondbacks senior delivered back-to-back kills to extend the lead to three.
Treviño’s kills put the Diamondbacks within one point of victory, with freshman setter Aleena Zuniga sealing the win with a kill of her own, and Sharyland Pioneer defeated McAllen High 23-25, 25-13, 20-25, 25-21, 15-12 on Saturday at the Sharyland Pioneer gym in Mission.
“Mariana is our returning senior, so we’re just looking for her in those big moments,” Sharyland Pioneer head coach Laura Cavazos said. “That’s what we want. If we’re in Game 5, we want the ball to go to her and be in her hands. I’m just super proud of how big she came up for us today.”
After dropping the second set, McAllen High entered the third set motivated, taking a seven-point lead before forcing a Diamondbacks timeout.
The timeout sparked a run by Pioneer, cutting the deficit to three. Kills by junior Katherine Williamson helped the Bulldogs hold off the Diamondbacks and take a 2-1 advantage going into the fourth.
Williamson carried her momentum into the fourth set, with freshman Gabriela Estringel joining in during a tight set. Estringel’s and Williamson’s offensive efforts came up short, with Pioneer pulling away late for wins during the fourth and fifth sets.
Williamson finished with a team-high 22 kills and two blocks, while Estringel added 17 kills and three blocks.
“I told the girls to just stay focused and play point for point,” Cavazos said. “As long as we had a little cushion, I felt like we looked more comfortable on the floor. … It was just about making sure we finished on the block, played defense and went for everything. We kept hesitating on defense a little bit. It came down to refocusing and making sure we stepped it up and took care of the balls we needed to.”
The victory gives Sharyland Pioneer breathing room in the race for the postseason in District 31-5A, improving to 10-3 in district and keeping sole possession of third.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs move to the outside looking in with the loss, falling to 8-5 and into fifth place behind McAllen Rowe (9-4). The top four teams from each district advance to the postseason.
The Diamondbacks (10-3) return to action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, taking on second-place McAllen Memorial (11-2) at the McAllen Memorial gym. The Bulldogs (8-5) host PSJA Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
“This district is a really tough district. Everybody knows that,” Cavazos said. “I think every time we come on the court it is a battle. We came in preparing for McHi. Now we have (McAllen) Memorial on Tuesday. We don’t get any breaks. The girls know that, so we must come in and be ready to play. Sometimes we’re fatigued or tired from starting district early. But these girls keep fighting and preparing for each match.”
