HARLINGEN — Led by Kenya Ibarra and Christina Garza, Rivera completed a season sweep of Harlingen High in four sets 26-24, 26-24, 17-25, 25-21 on Tuesday to move to 7-3 in District 32-6A.
The Lady Cardinals (3-7) squandered an opportunity to boost their playoff prospects, as Brownsville Hanna (3-7) lost to Harlingen South (7-3).
Rivera coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra said she and Lady Hawks coach Anissa Lucio will have a conversation to discuss whether the two teams will have a coin flip or play an extra game to decide the second playoff seed in the district. Rivera and South split their regular-season meetings this season.
“They’re in the same situation as we are, that we had to win,” Avelar-Guerra said. “So we’ll see what happens.”
The match featured several swings and lead changes, as Harlingen High got out ahead in the first game thanks to a pair of kills by Elaine Coronado. But the Lady Cardinals let a 17-10 lead slip away, and Laisha Izaguirre and Christian Garza helped the Lady Raiders rally to take the first game.
Avelar-Guerra said the match was significant in that it had several teachable moments for the Lady Raiders to benefit from, including learning how her players responded after building up leads and rallying after trailing.
“It was very important,” Avelar-Guerra said. “Now we’re getting ready to go into the playoffs. The girls need to have a compass for the way they play.”
