McAllen Memorial, Sharyland, Pioneer win, have sights on Sweet 16

It’s just like the way it should be – like an award-winning script for a sports movie where arguably the two best teams over the past two years will battle it out with one advancing to the Sweet 16 and the other putting a good, maybe great, season to rest.

Sharlyand High’s win over Corpus Christi Veterans coupled with McAllen Memorial’s victory over Gregory-Portland sets up an all-District 31-5A regional quarterfinal matchup between two teams with a heavy history of success especially the past two seasons.

Sharyland Pioneer, another District 31-5A power, also has a shot to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons after defeating Victoria West on Friday. The Diamondbacks finished second in District 31-5A this season and won the district title two seasons ago, advancing to the Sweet 16. They will play District 29-5A champion Flour Bluff, who swept McHi on Friday. Information for that game will be announced later.

Sophomore standout Aleena Zuniga led Pioneer with 22 digs, 15 assists, 12 kills and four aces while Tera Schumacher added 18 digs, 19 assists, three kills and ace and 1.5 blocks for the 38-6 Diamondbacks.

Itzel Hernandez and Scarlet Verjel added 11 and 10 kills respectively and 2.5 bocks apiece in the 23-25, 25-19, 25-12, 25-14 victory.

Sharyland High, which went undefeated in district play this year and has a state-best 44 match win streak, defeated Corpus Christi Veterans 25-19, 25-23 26-24 on Friday to advance to the Class 5A Regional Quarterfinals against McAllen Memorial on Tuesday with time and site to be announced.

Kassandra De La Garza paced the Rattlers with 13 kills while teammates Kenisha Martinez and Pamela Pena each had 11. De La Garza and Kaitlin Rodriguez also had 15 assists apiece.

Sharyland has defeated McAllen Memorial all three times this year, sweeping the Mustangs in a tournament and in the first district matchup, then winning a thrilling 3-2 matchup just three weeks ago.

Memorial last defeated Sharyland last season when the Rattlers were riding a 30-match win streak. The Memorial win was the catalyst for them to put together a win streak of their own that sent them to the Sweet 16, along with Sharyland. This year, only one of those teams will go.

“This just shows what we’ve been talking about and I love that our district is getting the recognition it deserves,” Memorial head coach Ashley Doffing said after her team defeated Gregory-Portland for the third straight year in the Area Round, this time 25-14, 25-19, 25-16. “These girls have been doing this, many of them since their freshman year. They know the drill and it’s time to work and I told them it’s time to enjoy all their hard work but it’s back to business.

Amare Hernandez paced the Mustangs with 12 kills and three aces while Leah Garcia added six kills and a block and Madisyn Sosa contributed five kills, and a block. Karly Bazan had a pair of kills and blocks and Ana Davila added three kills and one block.

“We were able to distribute the ball around and today we worked on being unbreakable,” said Doffing, whose team has undergone several injuries this year. “It’s about being mentally tough, but not just on the court. You’re going to miss a block or a pass and you’re going to get blocked but that can’t break you. You have to join together and six is way stronger than one.”