McALLEN — McAllen High held off Sharyland Pioneer’s comeback attempt, defeating the Diamondbacks 26-24, 26-24, 23-25, 25-16 during a pivotal District 31-5A match Saturday at McAllen High.
The Bulldogs jumped on the Diamondbacks early, winning the first two contests by a combined four points. Senior outside hitter Katherine Williamson and sophomore middle hitter Gabby Estringel came up with big kills during the first two sets.
Down two sets, the Diamondbacks turned the tide during the third, with big plays from outside hitter Hailey Botello and setter Tera Schumacher leading the charge during a 25-23 set win.
McHi didn’t let the set phase them, however, with Estringel and Williamson combining for an unofficial four kills during the fourth to secure the match victory.
The playoff race is heating up with only five games remaining in the regular season, with District 31-5A’s top four teams all sitting within one or two games of each other.
The victory moves the Bulldogs into sole possession of third place in the district standings, sitting one game ahead of McAllen Memorial and one behind the Diamondbacks.
Sharyland High defeated the Mustangs in five sets Saturday to take a two-game lead for first over the Diamondbacks. Pioneer, McHi and Memorial all sit within one game of each other for second, third and fourth, respectively.
The Bulldogs (31-8, 10-3) will continue to trend upwards in the standings when they take on PSJA Memorial at 7 p.m. Tuesday at PSJA Memorial. The Diamondbacks (33-5, 11-2) face another tough match Tuesday, hosting fourth-place McAllen Memorial (26-15, 9-4).
