BROWNSVILLE — Donna High’s bid for a ninth straight playoff appearance is off to a rough start.
The Bravettes were outclassed in three sets by the Brownsville Lopez Lobos 25-14, 25-21, 25-13 in the District 32-5A opening match.
There were some positives to take away from the loss to the Lobos. There was some fight in the second set after going down 23-15, some good movements to set up kills and there are still 17 matches to be played in district.
“Our passing, setting and getting our hits out were working well, but we need to get better at that,” assistant coach Amanda Ybarra said. Ybarra was filling in for Cynthia Viesca. “It is the beginning of the season, and we are trying to put all of that together.”
Lopez finished the match with a fake set by Chalene Granado. The point was coming, the Lobos were rolling and their bid for a playoff spot in the district looks strong after a great team performance.
“They came out and did an excellent job, but I think there is still a lot we need to work on,” Lopez coach Cynthia Wareham said. “Especially closing the gap, we were up high, but we let them come back little by little.”
The Lobos capitalized on their strengths, Wareham said. The Lobos’ coach highlighted serving and the defense as some of their strengths.
Big serves in the first set from senior libero Kayla Aguilar opened a big lead for the Lobos. Aguilar helped them win nine straight points to take an 11-2 lead, including three straight aces.
“I think I have a great serve,” she said. “I have been practicing my serve every practice, and I try to score as many points as I can.”
If they were not aces, Aguilar’s serves kept the Bravettes off-balance, resulting into easy returns. The Lobos capitalized with their outside hitters.
Senior Kassandra Aguirre led the team with 13 kills. Freshman Hailey Cano was second with nine, and fellow freshman Jasmine Cortinas and sophomore Jenny Shank pitched in with kills as well.
“That is always how you want to want to start district, with that first win,” Wareham said.
Brownsville Lopez will hope to keep the momentum going next week at Weslaco East. The Lobos could be 2-0 in district when they play host to Brownsville Veterans Memorial in early September.
Donna High will face city rival Donna North next Tuesday at home in their next district match. After that, the Bravettes will face Weslaco East.
