She was referring to arguably the two biggest points of the match as Sharyland Pioneer overcame a 21-16 deficit in the fourth to deny McAllen Memorial a fifth set during a 25-11, 22-25, 25-18, 27-25 victory over the Mustangs on Saturday at Pioneer High School.
The match, which marks the halfway point of district play, leaves Sharyland Pioneer (28-3, 6-1) and the defending district champions McAllen Memorial (29-11, 6-1) atop the district standings. The two will play each other again Tuesday, Oct. 26, at Memorial for the final regular-season match for both squads.
Memorial had set point, trying to force a fifth and deciding match, leading 25-24 when Ochoa and fellow senior Lorelai Hill combined for back-to-back blocks (thus the “two” reference) against Memorial hitters Madisyn Sosa and Amare Hernandez to grab a 26-25 lead. Ochoa then put the set, and match, away with a kill to send a loud crowd into a frenzy after what, at times, was a ferociously intense match.
“The way we run our defense, we try to get ourselves to the line so our back row can work outside of it and we’re talking all the time,” Ochoa said. “We’re trying to make it a little easier for our back row, and we got a little lucky there at the end to get our hands on both of them.”
Facing a taller Memorial team known best for its powerful attacks, the Diamondbacks put their full arsenal of skills on display from an offense that runs the gamut of various attacks to a stellar team defense, overly aggressive serving and a high volleyball IQ, led by setter Natalie Reyes, as they kept the Mustangs from finding any rhythm for most of the day.
Many of Memorial’s attacks came from near the 10-foot line, limiting both the angles and power of those attacks. When the ball was closer to the net, Hernandez, Sosa and Leah Garcia were hard to contain. However, aggressive serves pinpoint precision when it came to where to attack and a slide attack by Jordan Bravo and Hill that was nearly unstoppable when used, was too much for the visiting Mustangs.
Following Pioneer and Memorial at the top of the district standings are McAllen Rowe (5-2) and McAllen High (3-3) and Sharyland High (3-3) fighting for four playoffs spots. The district, widely considered the best in the Valley with its Power 5 squads, has already seen each of those teams ranked in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A poll.
“It was huge,” Pioneer head coach Laura Cavazos said, adding the win was the best birthday present she could ask for. “We told the girls they we had to come up being on defense and they converted those two attacks into blocks. It got our fans going, our student section going and our team going.”
Overall the Diamondbacks tallied 10 aces and 47 kills. Bravo led the team with 13 kills and two blocks, but a host of other Diamondbacks were racking up stats in the four-set win including Ochoa with 10 kills and five blocks, Hill with eight kills and seven blocks, and Katie Salazar along with Mariana Treviño with six kills apiece. Reyes added 37 assists, 22 digs, three aces and three kills for the Diamondbacks.
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