By Edward Severn, Special to RGVSports.com
BROWNSVILLE — The energetic Brownsville Rivera Lady Raiders easily defeated the Harlingen South Lady Hawks 25-12, 25-11, 25-17 in a District 32-6A matchup Tuesday night.
The gym was rocking early thanks to a student section decked out in pajamas for the game. The energy from the fans and the great play from the Lady Raiders created a raucous atmosphere.
Rivera started the first set strong, opening an 8-2 lead. A kill from Emily Morales put Rivera up 14-6, and it did not look back in the set. A huge kill from Kimberly Chavez to win the set 25-12 sent the crowd and her teammates wild.
Kenya Ibarra had powerful kills all night and was routinely set up by Clarissa Olivares, who had some nice fake setups that fooled the opposition for crucial points. Ibarra was amazing during the first and second sets, and her kills were met with loud “booms” by the crowd.
“Honestly, I think when we work together we look really good, and it feels good. My performance stems from my team. Without them being hype and supporting me, I would not be anywhere,” Ibarra said.
Rivera easily took the second set 25-11. The Lady Hawks found some offense when they went to Malloree Mireles. It just was not enough, as the hard-hitting Lady Raiders did not let the Lady Hawks get into a groove offensively.
Ibarra and the Lady Raiders traded points with Harlingen South early in the third set. More hard kills from Ibarra and some good serving gave Rivera a nice 17-7 lead.
The Lady Hawks fought back and cut the lead to 24-17. A nice kill from libero Richelle Guerra finished the set and the match.
“They played together, they were communicating, they were great today,” Rivera coach Mary Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra said. “It feels good to get back on track and get some wins in there. The girls are starting to jell more. It is awesome to win back-to-back district games.
“It was great, it was great to get a lot of support today,” she continued. “It helps the girls, it gets them all pumped up. It is awesome to have all the support coming from our football players, students and parents. It was great.”
Rivera is now 3-2 in district and will face San Benito during its next outing. Harlingen South will play host to Weslaco High on Saturday.
