By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
The Del Rio High School Queens battled point for point with San Antonio Southwest in Tuesday night’s district opener, but the Dragons pulled away late to claim a 3-1 victory.
Del Rio entered the match with an 11-3 record, while Southwest came in at 8-16.
The match unfolded like a race between two seasoned distance runners matching each other stride for stride. Neither team could create much separation, with most of the night played within a margin of two to five points.
Southwest captured the opening set, 25-23, but the Queens made the Dragons fight for every point.
Afterwards, when Angela Rivera, Del Rio High High School volleyball coach, was asked what she learned about her team, “They never stopped fighting,” she said.
They showed their fight in the next set as they appeared to regain their winning form, building an 18-11 advantage. Southwest gradually chipped away at the lead, but the Queens held on for a 25-23 victory to even the match.
The third set was closer than its final score indicated. The teams played to several ties before Southwest finally created some distance and won, 25-20, to take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set followed the same pattern, with only two points separating the teams through much of the battle. Southwest, however, closed strongly and ended Del Rio’s comeback hopes with a 25-18 victory.
The loss dropped the Queens to 11-4 overall while Southwest climbed to 9-16.
Del Rio’s junior varsity team also fell to Southwest, 25-10 and 25-17.
The good news for the evening was the Freshman team won 25-21 and 25-9.
Del Rio will square off in a midday away game at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11 against Laredo LBJ.
