EDINBURG — Los Fresnos hitters Dakota Martinez and Shiloh Jones have served as the team’s go-to players on offense all season.
It came as no surprise when the duo took control during the fifth set of a bi-district matchup against Edinburg High on Tuesday. Led by Martinez and Jones, who combined for eight kills during the final set, the Falcons held off the Bobcats 25-19, 15-25, 25-22,19-25, 15-12, securing a spot in the second round of the postseason.
“They’ve been our power all season long,” Los Fresnos head coach Anissa Lucio said. “They’ve really shown they can carry the team and be smart as well. They’re the humblest players you’ll ever meet, too. That’s what I commend them for. They’re just so hard-working, and they’ve done wonders for us.”
Facing elimination, the Bobcats roared to life during the fourth set behind timely kills from Emily Carranco and Mia Dominguez. A quick 3-0 run by the Falcons cut the Bobcats’ lead to 23-19 late during the set.
Carranco answered with a kill to end the set just moments later, sending it to a decisive set. Carranco finished with four kills during the set, and Dominguez added five of her own.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Lucio said. “Every time we’ve played them it has been a difficult match. They have great defense and smart hitters. We knew in playoffs it was going to be a much bigger stage. They did really well, but I’m just glad about the way my team executed.”’
The Falcons executed to near perfection during the final set, flexing their size with timely blocks and power on demoralizing kills by Jones and Martinez to come up with the win and move on to the next round.
“I feel very excited and rewarded,” Martinez said. “Our coach said we had already won two other sets, so might as well push for one more. I saw a lot of fight and drive to win and go to the second round from this team during the final set. We’re just ready to keep working.”
The Falcons advance to the Class 6A area round. They’ll take on San Antonio Connor at a date, time and location to be determined. The Bobcats end their season with a 25-12 overall record, including a third-place finish in District 31-6A.
