Jefferson bumps Brackenridge out of third place in 28-4A

TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, Burbank, East Central, Edison, Harlandale, Jefferson, Memorial, Providence, Sam Houston, Southside.

When Harlandale lost three of four matches in a stretch that began Oct. 3, its chances for a District 29-4A championship seemed to have vanished. They resurfaced Tuesday when the Indians (23-10, 9-3) defeated Medina Valley (21-17, 9-3) 25-22, 25-13, 25-17.

The win lifted Harlandale into a three-way tie for second place with the Panthers and Uvalde (23-10, 9-3), which defeated Kennedy 25-7, 25-13, 25-14. It also clinched a playoff spot for the Indians.

Floresville (23-15, 10-2) leads the district. The Tigers defeated McCollum 25-20, 25-22, 26-24 Tuesday at McCollum. The loss eliminated the Cowboys from playoff consideration.

For Harlandale,senior Katie Neira led a platoon of effective frontline players with 18 kills and two blocks. Sabrina Esparza chipped in with 10 kills, 10 digs and four blocks. Madaline Mendez had five kills and two blocks. Erika Arredondo (2.5 blocks), Jackie Espinoza (4 digs, 1.5 blocks) and Yolanda Garcia (4 blocks) all finished with four kills.

Catherine Silva tallied 15 assists and seven digs. Kelly Landin finished with 10 digs and Sierra Sandoval made nine.

Each 29-4A team has just two remaining games, but there still could be plenty of jockeying for position in the time remaining.

Floresville plays at Medina Valley Friday, then plays host to Harlandale to conclude the regular season at 6 p.m. next Tuesday.

Harlandale will play host to Southside (6-25, 2-10) at 6 p.m. Friday.

Jefferson d. Brackenridge

The Mustangs (22-10, 10-4) wrested third place in District 28-4A away from Brackenridge (13-24, 9-5) Tuesday at Jefferson. The host team split the first two games with the Eagles, but pulled away over the last two for the victory.

Jefferson won Game 1 26-24, but Brackenridge recovered to take the second game, 25-23. The Mustangs put the match away by winning 25-15 and 25-19.

The Mustangs were led by junior Gabby Vasquez with 20 digs, nine kills and three aces. Melanie Sheppard slammed seven blocks. Courtney Garcia finished with 17 assists.

Brackenridge received 15 kills from Jolicia Shelton-Brown and 32 assists from Miranda Flores. Kathy Sifuentes produced 27 digs. Ana DeLeon made two blocks. Skyler Reyna contributed two aces.

Southside d, Memorial

The Cardinals (6-25, 2-10) outlasted Memorial (11-24, 2-10) for a 25-22, 25-12, 22-25, 21-25, 15-13 win at Southside Tuesday. The win forced a three-way tie for sixth place in District 29-4A between the two teams and Kennedy (7-22, 2-10).

Southside had three players with 10 or more kills and four with double-digit digs.

Ariana Cisneros led the Cardinals with 18 digs, 17 assists, 12 kills and seven aces. Alyssa Gallardo dealt 21 assists, made 16 digs and served five aces. Amber Munoz provided 13 kills and 10 digs. Cristina Guerra finished with 10 kills and two aces.

Defensively, Selena Raudales recorded 15 digs, Lisa Casarez added six and Briana Martinez had five.

The Minutemen received an outstanding game from Miranda Puente, featuring 14 blocks, nine kills and three aces. Larissa Lopez also served three aces. Bridget Gomez distributed 19 assists.

Edison d. Burbank

The Golden Bears (12-24, 8-6) swept Burbank (8-23, 3-11) 26-24, 25-22, 25-16 in a District 28-4A match Tuesday at Burbank.

Senior Karen Guerrero led Edison with 15 kills. Marissa Cortinas was credited with 18 assists. Joanna Benavidez hustled for nine digs. Liann Mayen and Destiny McCarty added 1.5 blocks apiece.

Senior Jenna Villanueva had team highs of nine blocks and nine kills for Burbank. Alejandra Martinez supplied 17 digs. Bekah Valma added 12 assists.

Steele d. East Central

Host Steele (24-15, 8-0) defeated the Hornets (19-15, 6-2) in a battle for first place Tuesday in Cibolo. The Knights won 29-27, 27-25, 19-25, 25-22 in a long District 28-5A match.

East Central was led by Nichole West with 16 kills, 13 digs and 1.5 blocks. Madison Simon added 14 kills and 14 digs. Brandi Campos led the Hornets with 41 digs. Dani Alvarez provided 26 assists and Alex Pena dished 14. Lindsey Lubianski added six blocks. 

Pleasanton d. Sam Houston

The Eagles (20-11, 5-3) broke a third-place tie in District 28-3A by defeating Sam Houston (20-12, 4-4) 25-15, 25-13, 25-16 Tuesday in Pleasanton.

Tashonna Williams led the Hurricanes with 12 digs and two blocks. Karisma Mitchell added 11 kills. Tiria Mackey provided 11 assists. Kanika Evans served two aces.