Perfect Pioneer
Diamondbacks don’t MISSION — The Sharyland Pioneer volleyball team is blessed with great hitters, blockers and defenders.
Add setter Natalie Reyes to the mix and the team plays at a different level - a much higher one.
The Diamondbacks flexed their muscles all weekend en route to winning the Sharyland Volleyball Tourname the with a convincing 25-18, 25-20 victory over McAllen High on Saturday at Sharyland Pioneer High School.
The D-backs didn’t drop a set in their eight matches over the three days, and capped off the event with impressive wins over powerful District 31-5A foes Sharyland High in the semifinals and McHi in the finals.
Reyes, the tournament MVP, was as dominant as a setter could be. During the match against the Bulldogs, she collected 25 assists, 13 digs, four kills and one ace. However, maybe even more important than her stats was the way she controlled the game, making sure blockers didn’t leave her too early, pushing the ball deep to keep the defense off balance and, most importantly, having pinpoint accuracy and timing as she ran the offense as smooth as silk and connected with her variety of hitters over and over.
“She is just so much more comfortable and confident now,” Pioneer head coach Laura Cavazos said. “She’s on another level.”
According to stats provided by both teams, Pioneer finished the match against McHi with 33 kills compared to just 14 for the Bulldogs.
Reyes found Thalia Ochoa for seven kills, Mariana Treviño with six, Katie Salazar with five, Jordan Bravo for four and Lorelai Hill with seven, including two quick sets down the stretch, making the Bulldogs pay for three service errors near the end of the match. Reyes also had four kills.
“We attribute our success to everyone taking part of it. That’s a huge factor,” Cavazos said. “Nat puts the ball where it needs to go and they execute. They played well, strong on the outside and actually all over the place. Whoever she set, they were able to execute.”
Cavazos and the Diamondbacks have been gifted with eight years of standout setters. Reyes started as a freshman and is a senior. She stepped in for Audrey Smith, who started all four years and signed her senior year to play for Texas Tech.
Pioneer improved to 21-2 on the season, winning its past two tournaments, the last one being the Mission High Tournament. McHi dropped to 24-2, its only other loss coming to district rival McAllen Rowe. Sharyland High finished fourth at the weekend event and also crossed the 20-win threshold, now at 23-5.
Defensively, Lizzy Fina was a human backboard, getting touches on nearly everything that came her way, often lurching after McHi attacks and saving them for Reyes to work her magic.
“Sometimes you can lose your patience when you’re playing a team that’s very good defensively like them,” Cavazos said. “Lizzy has done a great job for us and has been a leader in that back... Click here to read full article
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