LADY FALCONS FALL IN SWEET 16, SEASON ENDS IN SAN ANTONIO

SAN ANTONIO—Taking on San Antonio Churchill, the defending Region 4 Champion and the UIL State Runner-Up from 2013, was always going to be a difficult task for the Lady Falcon volleyball team. Facing the experienced Lady Charger program, one with numerous regional and state tournament appearances under their belt, was going to be challenging for this young team from Los Fresnos. That lack of Regional Tournament experience, combined with stellar play from Churchill, left little doubt in the final outcome. The Lady Falcons succumbed to the Lady Chargers of Churchill, 25-8, 25-15, 25-15 in a hard-fought exhibition of great volleyball and team play by both sides.

Churchill had the size, the speed, and the experience advantage over the Lady Falcons, but Los Fresnos came into the match riding high after their magical 5-set victory over their regular-season nemesis, McAllen Rowe. Riding that wave of emotion, the Lady Falcons entered into the Regional Tournament match with hopes of surprising the home team with some more magic of their own. Seniors Peyton Sales, Alex Moya, Jordan Martinez, Alex Cano, and Cristen Lumbreras had a combined total of 16 years of Varsity experience behind them, and underclassmen Sam Ibarra, Joseline Caraveo, Jackie Kingsbury, and Miranda Gonzales contributed greatly throughout this season, giving the squad a good balance of youth, experience, and hope for a victory. But, foreshadowing the match to come, Churchill stormed out of the gate to a huge 13-0 lead behind strong serving and dominating play at the net in the first set. The Lady Falcons back row had a tough time returning the serve and passing into an attack position. Churchill took advantage of these Los Fresnos miscues and made no mistakes for the first 13 victorious points of the match. Los Fresnos burned both of their time outs during this early run, but started to settle into a groove midway through the first set. Sales contributed 5 assists in the first set, with Joseline Caraveo and Jackie Kingsbury each burying two kills during the tough, first set loss, 25-8.

The Lady Falcons started out stronger in Set 2, with Moya playing wonderful defense across the back line. Ibarra was able to contribute 3 kills in the early portion of the set as the Lady Falcons drew to within three points of Churchill, 13-10. But, the Lady Chargers were simply too strong, too quick, and took advantage of the Lady Falcon defense by slamming balls into the back corners time and time again. The Lady Falcons have had a height advantage over most of their Valley opponents, but the Lady Chargers were able to hit over and around the blocks of the Lady Falcons all night. With nothing slowing the attack at the net, the Lady Falcon back row had little chance to stem the tide. Churchill attacked and swept to a 25-15 second set victory. It was more of the same in the third set, with Sales adding another 5 assists, spread between Martinez, Cano, and Caraveo. The teams traded points for much of the third set, until late defensive errors and hitting mistakes doomed the Lady Falcons to another 25-15 set defeat.

Sales, a senior, finished her career adding another 12 assists to her season total, taking her over 800 assists for the season, ranking near the top of the charts in Region 4 for all setters. Juniors, Ibarra (7 kills) and Caraveo (6 kills) both finished the season with over 400 kills, ranking them second and third in District 32-6A and setting themselves up to be dominant forces for the Lady Falcons next year. Sophomore Jackie Kingsbury contributed another 275 high-flying kills from the outside hitter position, and looks to be the dominant outside hitter force returning for 2015. Senior Alex Moya finished up a stellar, unsung campaign as the team’s leading defender and emotional leader, adding another 13 amazing digs to her season total of nearly 400 digs.

The Churchill Lady Chargers went on to defeat the team from San Antonio Clark the following day to qualify for the State Tournament semifinals for the second year in a row. The Lady Falcons end their season with an overall record of 37-11, and bring home the trophies for a District 32-6A Championship, a Bi-District Championship, an Area Championship, and a victory in the Region IV Quarterfinals. This team took its place in the Los Fresnos High School record books as a “Sweet 16” qualifier, and were ranked the #1 team in the Rio Grande Valley for the season. While the team was disappointed with the finish, the Lady Falcons of 2014 have provided this community with a huge amount of pride in our volleyball program and in these young ladies. The Seniors on this team will be missed for their leadership, but the returning players will continue to make this school and community proud. Congratulations, Ladies, on a fine 2014 season!