HS VOLLEYBALL

High School Volleyball Rewind: Carroll hopes to keep momentum after comeback win

Len Hayward
Corpus Christi Caller Times

Mia Delgado sees the potential in the 2020 version of the Carroll volleyball team.

But she also knows there will be times when they will be tested and have to work through those times to accomplish their goals of returning to the playoffs and making a run. Tuesday night, the Tigers rallied from an early second-set deficit to win against King and then went on to win the match in four sets.

Carroll’s volleyball program has been through plenty the last calendar year, including its head coach passing away, the longest playoff run for the team in years and heading into this season dealing with the protocols surrounding COVID-19.

Now that the Tigers (2-1, 2-1 in 29-5A) have reached the upper echelon of the district, Delgado said the goal is to stay there.

“This team has the potential to be really great … we may not know it yet but we have the potential,” Delgado said after Tuesday’s win against King. “We know we started out on top and we have to stay on top. During practice we have to run the extra mile, do the extra blocking steps and we need to stay on top like we were last year.”

Carroll's Mia Delgado hits the ball at the game against King, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, at King High School. Carroll won the match.

Carroll coach Rebecca Valenzuela, who took over the team last fall as interim coach, said the team continues to improve on its communication without the benefit of multiple non-district matches and tournaments.

Valenzuela said the team showed better communication in the second set and later in the match against King, and it is part of building team chemistry at the same time jumping into district schedule.

Carroll’s start to the season should help them gain momentum with key matches remaining in the first half of district against Gregory-Portland, Veterans Memorial and district favorite Flour Bluff.

“We are not where we want to be that’s for sure, but everybody is in the same boat,” Valenzuela said. “We try to do as much team stuff as we can in practice to get to where we need to be.”

Sinton faces Tuloso-Midway in a volleyball game, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, at Sinton High School. This is the first week of volleyball games for the season.

OFF AND RUNNING

• District 31-4A opened play on Tuesday as Tuloso-Midway, Robstown and Kingsville opened with victories. Kingsville, along with Alice and Zapata have recently started their seasons after being delayed because of either local or district restrictions.

• Orange Grove is 6-0 in District 29-3A after its win against Odem on Friday. The district’s schedule has been impacted by Mathis’ late start and Skidmore-Tynan has had some games rescheduled until October. The Bulldogs, though, are on a collision course with district favorite Goliad and the two will play on Sept. 29.

• Sinton continues its stranglehold on District 26-4A as it is a win away from finishing the first half of district play undefeated. The Pirates are 5-0 in league play and have defeated Rockport-Fulton and Port Lavaca Calhoun in the first half.

Veterans Memorial faces Flour Bluff in a volleyball game, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, at Veterans Memorial High School. The game is a District 15-5A Division I game.

POWER RANKINGS

CLASS 5A

1. Flour Bluff (3-0) — The Hornets return to action on Friday, taking on Ray.

2. Carroll (2-1) — The Tigers rallied for a win against King on Tuesday and have a bye on Friday before a three-game stretch against Veterans Memorial, Gregory-Portland and Flour Bluff.

3. Veterans Memorial (2-1) — The Eagles are among three teams tied for second in District 29-5A and have won two straight.

4. Gregory-Portland (1-1) — The Ladycats rebounded from a loss to Flour Bluff with a three-set win over Ray on Tuesday.

5. King (1-1) — The Mustangs were poised for an upset on Tuesday and look to rebound against Victoria East on Friday.

6. Ray (1-2) — The Texans will work to come back after Tuesday’s loss to G-P.

7. Moody (1-2) — The Trojans won a five-set thriller on Tuesday against Victoria East.

4A AND BELOW

1. Sinton (13-2) — The Pirates keep rolling as they are 5-0 in 26-4A play.

2. London (11-2) — London continues is long non-district schedule as 30-3A play is scheduled to begin on Oct. 2.

3. Tuloso-Midway (7-5) — The Cherokees opened District 31-4A play with a win against rival Calallen on Tuesday.

4. Orange Grove (9-3) — The Bulldogs are 6-0 in District 29-3A and have a date with Goliad next week.

5. Calallen (3-6) — The Wildcats hope to rebound against Kingsville on Friday.

High School Volleyball:Carroll rally in 2nd set leads to match win against rival King

High School Volleyball:Class 5A teams back in action plus area power rankings

Len Hayward is a USA Today Sports Network Region sports director and the Caller-Times sports editor. Support more coverage like this by checking out our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe