By Clara Sandoval
Special to The 830 Times
LAREDO — The Del Rio Queens hit the road to South Texas looking to break into the win column in District 30-6A action.
The Queens battled back from a 2-0 deficit and rallied late in the fifth set before falling to Laredo LBJ in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (15-25, 20-25, 27-25, 25-17, 13-15).
The Queens fell to 0-2 in district play, while Laredo LBJ improved to 1-1.
From the opening serve, Laredo LBJ had all the momentum on its side as the Lady Wolves took control early and rolled to a 25-15 victory in the first set.
Del Rio settled down in the second set, matching Laredo LBJ point for point and putting together a much stronger effort. In the end, however, the Lady Wolves had a little more firepower and pulled away for a 25-20 victory to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
With their backs against the wall, the Queens displayed plenty of grit and heart in the third set.
Del Rio played its best volleyball of the night as Laredo LBJ had a difficult time shaking off the Queens’ surge. Del Rio continued to battle and eventually knotted the score at 25-all.
Needing two points to extend the match, the Queens delivered. Del Rio took a 26-25 advantage before picking up the final point to win the set 27-25 and stay alive.
The momentum carried over into the fourth set as Del Rio continued to fight for its district life while Laredo LBJ attempted to close out the match.
The Queens matched the Lady Wolves’ intensity and battled through a loud and boisterous Wolf Den crowd. Del Rio eventually took control of the set and rolled to a 25-17 victory, completing the comeback from a 2-0 deficit and forcing a decisive fifth set.
With the match hanging in the balance, neither team was willing to give an inch.
Del Rio threw everything it had at Laredo LBJ and nearly completed the comeback, but the Lady Wolves had just enough firepower down the stretch. LBJ held off the Queens 15-13 in the fifth set to secure the hard-fought district victory.
Despite the loss, Del Rio showed its resiliency by battling back from two sets down and pushing LBJ to the final points of the fifth set.
The Queens return to the court Tuesday when they welcome Laredo United South for a 7 p.m. District 30-6A matchup.
