Freshmen stepping up for Dragons in 28-5A play

Game planning is an essential part of any sport, but sometimes nothing goes as anticipated.

Tuesday was one of those nights at Southwest. First, Corpus Christi Carroll’s bus was late, putting the Dragons off their normal pre-match routine. Then, when Carroll came out for warmups, Southwest coach Erin Dorgal found out that the focal point of her game plan, the Tigers’ Katherine Garza, wouldn’t be playing in the District 28-5A match.

The injured Garza had spearheaded Carroll’s middle attack in their first match against Southwest Oct. 4, which the Tigers won in five games.

“The entire week we worked on defending the middle, because that’s how they beat us last time,” Morgal said. “Then when they came out for warmups, I noticed (Garza) was on crutches. She’s the one that killed us.

“Once our kids got out there, they started believing they could beat them.”

The Dragons (15-23, 4-4) adjusted their focus defensively to Tigers middle blocker Cassie Valent. Offensively, that helped to open up their outside hitters which kept Carroll (16-14, 4-4) out of sync after Game 1. Southwest won 14-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14.

“We tried to keep the ball away from (Cassie Valent) as much as possible,” Morgal said. “We were concerned a lot about matchups and court communication.”

The win enabled Southwest to tie Carroll for third place with two matches remaining.

In the first game, Carroll bolted to a 16-8 lead. Southwest closed to 19-11 with a kill from senior middle blocker Kassandra Cruz  in the first game. Valent got a sideout that put the Tigers at game point and Annisa Trevino finished it with a crosscourt kill.

“We definitely got off to a slow start,” Southwest senior defensive specialist/setter Elizabeth Phillips said. “I think, because their bus broke down and they got here later, it took us a little longer to get going. We didn’t have that (spark) when we were warming up. But we came out and did a good job after the first game.”

Game 2 developed point-by-point until Cruz put down a block and Carroll was charged with a net violation, giving Southwest a 9-7 advantage. Two kills from Valent in a three-point span swung the momentum back to the Tigers, which established a 14-11.

Southwest’s solid defense, however, led to Carroll errors and helped the Dragons catch up to tie it 18-18. After another tie, the Dragons took control, thanks to a long point which was extended by a dig from Phillips. Freshman Aashlyn Sulaica (11 kills) finished that point with a kill and Felisha Maldonado added another in the three-point run.

“Normally, we rely on our seniors,” Morgal said, “but it’s nice to know that the younger kids are able to rise to that role. That’s good to know, looking forward. That’s exciting.”

Senior middle blocker Kamarie Vidales ended the set with a kill and the teams were tied at a game apiece. Vidales also put the finishing touches on the match with consecutive kills for the last two points in Game 3.

Morgal pointed to effective hitting on the outside from Sulaica, junior Megan Hernandez, freshman Lindsey Calderon and Maldonado among others, which added up to a varied Southwest attack.

“That took pressure of Kamerie,” she said. “She could start swinging a little more freely. She had nine kills in 15 attempts, so her hitting percentage went up.”

Each of those players is new to the Dragons varsity.

“We have a lot of first-year (varsity) players and they’ve been learning since the beginning of the year,” Morgal said. “They’ve been working and improving. Now, we’re a confident team. Things are coming around.”

Hernandez, who went from junior varsity to a starting role, supplied two consecutive kills that lifted   Southwest to a 12-11 lead in Game 3. The junior then put the Dragons at game point (24-19) with third kill of the game.

In the decisive Game 4, Hernandez produced kills that increased Southwest’s lead to 6-1, 13-3 and 20-10. The latter resulted from a pancake dig by Phillips.

“She’s been bringing focus to the position,” Morgal said. “I never worry about her effort or execution. It’s great to see Megan step up and be one of the big people for us. It’s been great.”

Hernandez and Phillips are among four players who also compete for the Dragons’ three-time defending champion softball team. Phillips is the Dragons’ starting center fielder. Hernandez at second base and  Brandy Martinez at shortstop form the double play combination. Vidales probably needs no introduction. She’s not only Southwest’s ace pitcher, but one of the best in the region.

“If I didn’t come out (for volleyball), I don’t know what I’d do,” Phillips said. “They’re very different sports, but playing volleyball puts us in good position for softball.”

“Softball is definitely my passion, but I love volleyball.”

The most distinctive trait about the group is that they’re key players in both sports. Vidales has been the Dragons’ kill leader. Phillips contributed 23 digs in a recent match. The group’s diamond experience clearly translates well to the volleyball court.

“We share a lot of players,” Morgal said. “Miranda Medina last year was one of our top outside hitters. What I like about them is that, although they play softball too, when they’re here they give their all to volleyball. I never have to worry about (their commitment).”

Southwest took command of the last two games with extended service runs.

The Dragons ran off eight unanswered points which broke a 12-12 tie in Game 3.  The stretch included two kills from Sulaica and one from Vidales. It was reinforced by a pair of back-to-back aces from libero Zoe Marin (17 digs) that made it 20-15.

Southwest never trailed in Game 4 after the first point. A six-point spurt that included two kills and a block from Vidales, as well as a block from Calderon, manufactured a 14-3 advantage. Carroll’s comeback efforts were frustrated by a long rally that ended with a four-hits call against the Tigers and gave Southwest a 22-13 lead. “Coming into this match, since we lost at Carroll,” the third-year Southwest coach said, “we needed to win. I don’t want to come in fourth. I’m not going to be OK with just going to the playoffs. We need to come in second or third, or first.

“Last year we were fourth. This year, we have a pretty good shot at third. We’re going in the right direction.”

Yasmin Garcia led the Dragons with 20 assists.

Southwest finishes the 28-5A season with a home match against Corpus Christi (12-15, 0-6) King Friday at 7 p.m. and a  match against first-place Steele (24-15, 8-0) Tuesday in Cibolo. The Dragons defeated King in five games Oct. 8 in Corpus Christi and lost to the Knights Oct. 11 in three in the first round.

“Our district is a little strong,” Phillips said. “We needed to get this win. We did our best.”

Southwest will hope to avoid a slow start Friday against the Mustangs.

“(King) was up 2-0 last time,” Morgal said. “So, obviously, we needed to be ready when we hit the floor. For Steele, we’ll put our big hitters up on boxes in practice and tell the girls to go after it.”