Volleyball: Down 9-3 in the Fifth, McAllen Memorial Finds a Way Past Pioneer

By Diamond DITV | Fan Perspective

There were a few different times Tuesday night when we thought we knew where this match was going.

We were wrong pretty much every time.

McAllen Memorial controlled the first set. Sharyland Pioneer adjusted and took the next two. Memorial answered in the fourth.

Then Pioneer went up 9-3 in the fifth.

In a race to 15, that felt like it.

It wasn’t.

Memorial somehow erased the six-point deficit, took its first lead of the deciding set at 14-13 and completed a wild comeback to beat Pioneer in five sets in the Diamond DITV956 Volleyball Game of the Week.

25-17, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13.

What a volleyball match.

Nothing Came Easy

That was probably our biggest takeaway from watching these two teams in person.

Both could play above the net. There was height and legitimate power on each side, but as the match went along, the defense became even more impressive.

Balls that looked finished kept coming back. Both teams challenged attacks at the net, covered behind the block and forced each other into long rallies.

The numbers tell part of that story.

Memorial finished with 107 digs.

Larae Jones had 25. Jozlin Rodriguez added 23, Lylah Lopez-Castillo had 21 and Danara Cardenas finished with 18.

Four Mustangs with at least 18 digs.

If you were in the gym Tuesday night, that number makes perfect sense.

Memorial was finding open floor early and pulled away late to win the opening set 25-17.

Then Pioneer changed the match.

The Diamondbacks became increasingly difficult to beat at the net. The open spaces Memorial had found early started disappearing, and Pioneer began winning more of those long rallies.

Pioneer took the next two sets, 25-20 and 25-22.

It didn’t feel like Memorial had suddenly started playing poorly.

Pioneer had adjusted.

Now Memorial needed an answer of its own.

Jones, Cardenas Lead the Response

Jones was one of those players who kept grabbing our attention throughout the night.

Her power was obvious, including a huge back-row kill early in the fourth that she followed with an ace. But she wasn’t just affecting the match at the net. Her back-row defense stood out too.

Then we saw the final numbers.

17 kills, 25 digs, two aces and a block.

Yeah. That checked out.

Cardenas was just as important. She matched Jones with 17 kills and committed only three attack errors on 49 attempts, finishing with a team-best .286 hitting percentage. She also added 18 digs.

Lopez-Castillo put together a huge night of her own with 40 assists and 21 digs, while Ellie Trevino added nine kills, two aces and a block.

Memorial took the fourth 25-18.

We were going five.

Of course we were.

From 9-3 Down

Pioneer came out looking ready to finish it.

The Diamondbacks jumped ahead 4-1, then 7-3 and eventually 9-3.

For the first time all night, it felt like one team had completely taken control.

Then Memorial won a point.

Then another.

Then the Mustangs won one of those long rallies that had defined the match.

At 9-6, Cardenas stepped to the service line and delivered an ace.

9-7.

Now things were getting interesting.

Memorial eventually tied it 11-11, only for Pioneer to answer with two straight points.

13-11.

Again, Pioneer looked like it had weathered the comeback.

Again, Memorial responded.

13-12.

13-13.

Then Memorial took its first lead of the entire fifth set.

14-13.

Pioneer called timeout.

One point later, it was over.

15-13.

Memorial had closed the deciding set on a 12-4 run.

This Was a Game of the Week

The comeback will understandably be what people remember, but we walked out of the gym impressed with both teams.

Pioneer took Memorial’s best shot in the opening set, adjusted and completely changed the match. Memorial then had to find another way to win.

That’s good volleyball.

There were little moments that stood out too. During one Pioneer timeout, Izabella Cano took a teammate by the hands, looked her directly in the eyes and talked to her.

It lasted only a few seconds, but it was a great example of the communication and teamwork we saw from both sides all night.

And then there was the atmosphere.

Both teams had plenty of fans in the gym. Pioneer had its Diamondback student section and cheerleaders. Memorial brought students of its own. Between sets, the student sections were going back and forth across the court.

The crowd got louder as the rallies got longer and the match got tighter.

By the fifth set, every point felt huge.

That’s exactly what we want from a Diamond DITV956 Game of the Week.

Two good teams. Great volleyball. A great crowd.

And a 9-3 fifth-set deficit that somehow turned into a Memorial win.

Yeah, we picked the right game.

Final: McAllen Memorial 3, Sharyland Pioneer 2, 25-17, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-13