By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
The Del Rio High School Queens have already accomplished something they could not do during the entire 2025 volleyball season and that is win more than 10 matches.
Del Rio improved to 11-3 Tuesday night by sweeping the Crystal City Javelinas, 3-0, one week before the start of district play.
The Queens finished 5-28 in 2024 before doubling their victory total and finishing 10-20 last season. With Tuesday’s victory, they surpassed last year’s total after only 14 matches.
The improvement is the latest step in a rebuilding process under head coach Angelica Rivera, who took over the program in May 2022.
The Queens entered Tuesday’s match as the clear favorite. Del Rio competes in Class 6A, the UIL’s classification for its largest schools, while Crystal City competes in Class 3A.
Crystal City stayed close early in the opening set, which was tied 3-3 before the Queens began to pull away behind a combination of hustle, energy and aggressive play at the net.
The Javelinas later cut Del Rio’s lead to 17-12 and appeared ready to make a run. Aleksa Mireles quickly ended that possibility, rising at the net and hammering home a spike that restored the Queens’ momentum as they rolled to win the set 25-14
Del Rio dominated the second set, winning 25-9. Even with the outcome never seriously in doubt, the Queens continued diving for loose balls, pursuing every point and playing with an intensity Crystal City could not match.
The Queens eased off the accelerator slightly in the third set but remained firmly in control, closing out the sweep with a 25-17 victory.
Rivera said Del Rio’s dramatic turnaround has been fueled by experience, effort and a shared sense of purpose.
“We have a lot of returners and a lot of experienced players,” Rivera said. “We only lost two seniors last year, so we have almost everyone coming back, along with a few new players. Their motivation, hustle and effort — they all want the same thing. It’s a different vibe.”
The Queens have already tested themselves in two tournaments, finishing third at the Edgewood Tournament and seventh at the Johnson City Tournament.
Rivera said the Johnson City field presented Del Rio with the kind of height and power the Queens expect to encounter during district competition.
“That one was a whole different breed,” Rivera said. “They had height and power, so it was closer to what I feel our district games will be like. We go there because we want to compete against those tough teams. The girls are up for the challenge, and they mentally prepare for it.”
The tournament also showed Rivera where the Queens must improve before district play. Del Rio is working to transition from primarily using a single block to putting two players at the net, a change that also places greater responsibility on the four players covering the rest of the court.
“Coverage and blocking are our two big focuses,” Rivera said.
Against Crystal City, Rivera was especially pleased that her players maintained their energy, embraced different roles and used the lopsided match as an opportunity to expand their game.
“All the players were getting to go in, and everybody was asking for the ball, wanting the ball and wanting to try different types of hits,” Rivera said. “In previous years, we’ve struggled with that a little bit. Tonight, they stayed up. The bench was happy, the players on the court were happy, and I think the crowd was happy.”
