McCollum upsets Harlandale for fourth win in five matches

TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, East Central, Fox Tech, Harlandale, Highlands, Holy Cross, Jefferson, Kennedy, McCollum, Memorial, Providence, South San, Southwest.

Highlands (18-19, 11-2) won its third-consecutive match and ended a three-match winning streak for Brackenridge (12-23, 8-4) Tuesday at Highlands.

The Owls won the first two games 25-16 and 25-20, but the Eagles rallied. Brackenridge stormed back to win 25-14 and 25-22. In the decisive fifth game, Highlands prevailed 15-8.

“The key to pulling off the fifth game was to regain our composure and play together as a team,” Highlands coach Jaci Barrientes said. “We were able to also minimize our own mistakes and focus better from the serving line.”

The victory put Highlands one win away from clinching a playoff berth in addition to cementing its second-place status in District 28-4A. If Brackenridge had won, there would have been a three-way tie for second.

“In both Games 3 and 4 we missed to many serves and just couldn’t really get anything going,” Barrientes said. “We got a tad too complacent after winning Games 1 and 2, but I’m glad to see that these girls have the fight and heart to battle till the end. A lot was riding on this game for both teams, so emotions were high in the gym, which makes for a competitive match.

“My girls have been working extremely hard this season and its paying off, so that in itself makes me happy.”

Analisa Garza led Highlands with 43 assists. Jessica Alvarez provided 24 digs. Jazmine Jackson finished with 14 kills. Emily Pearce added two blocks and two service aces.

Brackenridge received 15 digs from Kathy Sifuentes. Ana DeLeon made five blocks. Miranda Flores distributed 23 assists. Flores and Jacklynn Nevarez each served four aces. Jolicia Shelton-Brown had eight kills.

McCollum d. Harlandale

The fifth-place Cowboys (10-20, 5-5) upset archrival Harlandale (21-10, 7-3) for their fourth victory in the last matches Tuesday at McCollum.The host team won the District 29-4A match 25-16, 25-19, 25-18 (Sorry KSAT-12, they played three games (as usual), not two).

Harlandale began the evening in a three-way tie for second place, but dropped to a third-place tie with Uvalde (18-18, 7-3), which lost a five-game match to Medina Valley (20-16, 8-2) Tuesday.

McCollum moved within two matches of a potential playoff spot with four matches remaining. They will play host to Medina Valley at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Indians lost for the third time in four matches. They’ll try to stop the skid Friday in a 7 p.m. match against Memorial (11-22, 2-8) at Edgewood Gym.

McCollum was led by 13 kills and three blocks from Neyda Sanchez. Amanda Huron also contributed three blocks. Jasmine Cordova and Caterina Gonzales each made 13 digs. Senior Erin Stinnett dealt 12 assists. Savannah Borjas added two blocks.

Katie Neira finished with 11 kills and two aces for Harlandale. Sierra Sandoval made nine digs. Catherine Silva had nine assists. Yolanda Garcia chipped in with four blocks.

East Central d. Corpus Christi Carroll

The Hornets (17-14, 4-1) swept Corpus Christi Carroll (12-15, 1-4) for the second time in the District 29-5A  Tuesday in Corpus Christi. East Central won 28-26, 25-19, 25-15.

The victory put East Central solidly in second place, behind undefeated Steele (22-15, 6-0), after the opening game of the district’s second round.

Madison Simon led the Hornets with 12 digs and six kills. Brandi Campos produced a team-high 20 digs. Danny Alvarez dealt eight assists and Alex Pena had seven. Kaylin Mills served three aces.

Providence d. Corpus Christi John Paul II

The Provets (24-11, 4-4) were in a dogfight with Corpus Christi John Paul II, playing five closely-contested games.

Providence lost the first 25-21 but gained the upper hand by winning the next two 25-21 and 27-25. John Paul rebounded to win Game 4 30-28 before the home team was able to close out the TAPPS District 2-5A match,

Sabrina Casares led Providence with 32 set assists. Logan Glick provided 24 kills. Senor Davion Turella made four blocks. Gabby Mitchell contributed 35 digs. Juliet Alanis served two aces. Jefferson d. Fox Tech

The Mustangs (20-10, 8-4) moved into a third-place tie in District 28-4A with a 25-9, 25-22, 25-13 victory over Fox Tech (10-30, 2-11) Tuesday at Jefferson. The Mustangs are tied with Brackenridge for the last playoff spot with little more than a week remaining in the district season.

Senior Selena Garcia led the Mustangs with 11 assists and seven digs. Gabby Vasquez contributed nine kills and three aces. Five-8 senior Melanie Sheppard made two blocks.

Senior Valerie Villarreal led Fox Tech with 21 digs.  Ruby Chapa distributed 22 assists. Elisabeth Crane added 15 kills. Ruby Zavala finished with two aces.

Southwest d. South San

The Dragons (14-22, 3-3) strengthened their playoff position in 28-5A with a 22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 27-25 win over a South San team (12-15, 0-6) hungry for its first district win Tuesday at Southwest. The win elevated the host team into a third-place tie with Corpus Christi Carroll, which lost to East Central Tuesday.

Senior Kamerie Vidales led Southwest with 21 kills. Freshman Aashlyn Sulaica chipped in with 19 digs and two aces. Melissa Garza four blocks. Angie Aguilar dished 18 assists.

Giselle Mata made 10 kills. Kimberly Tobias picked up 29 digs. Rebekah Rodriguez served two aces. Brittany Martinez pounded two blocks. Erica Jimenez finished with 19 assists.

Memorial d. Kennedy

The Minutemen (11-22, 2-8) bolted into third place in District 29-4A with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 victory over archrival Kennedy (6-21, 1-9) Tuesday at Edgewood Gym.

Senior Bridget Gomez led Memorial with 13 assists. Jatziry Duarte recorded eight digs. Sophomore Mirande Puente added three blocks. Susan Vasquez contributed five kills. 

The Rockets received five kills from Ashley Garza. Amalee Ramos and Omni Garcia each finished with two aces. Taylor Martinez supplied eight digs.