Focused Rage: Revenge motivates Lady Rattlers tonight

MISSION — Love or dislike volleyball, fans cannot ignore this match.

Sharyland (28-5) takes on Brownsville Rivera (27-5) in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal at 7 tonight at Harlingen High. It will be a rematch of last season’s controversial five-game thriller that Rivera won to advance to the Region IV tournament in San Antonio.

After the match, Sharyland filed incident reports with the University Interscholastic League and the Texas Association of Sports Officials when former coach Nelly Garza became aware the match’s top official coached the Lady Raiders in a summer league. It was conflict of which Garza was not made aware by Brownsville Rivera coach Elizabeth Avelar-Guerra.

The official, Mario Blanco, was suspended, but it left a sour taste in Sharyland’s mouth.

“It will be redemption for us,” said Sharyland coach Lizzette Torres, who took over for Garza during the offseason. “The girls are ready to play. They feel cheated. They feel like something was taken away from them. If I was Brownsville Rivera, I would be afraid of that factor alone.”

Avelar-Guerra is adamant last season’s Sharyland coaches knew about the conflict.

“I was upset about it because Sharyland knew who Mario was,” Avelar-Guerra said. “I think the coach was trying just to save herself. Mario was the best official I had down here. He was the only one that went to the state officials meeting.

“I know they are going to go into the match playing with a chip on their shoulder. But sometimes that can work against you. You might come in so fired up for match that it hurts you.”

Torres wanted to make sure each team had a fair shot of winning, and asked for a neutral site and officials from outside the Valley.

“(Rivera athletic coordinator Jim Helms) asked me why we didn’t want to go home-and-home, and I said, ‘Because we didn’t have a good experience last year,’” said Torres, who coached at San Antonio Fox Tech last season.

Avelar-Guerra said her team has never played a Valley playoff match at a neutral site.

“This is the first time anyone has asked for a neutral site,” Avelar-Guerra said. “That’s fine. I don’t care where we play.”

Let the accusations fly. Tonight’s match has the making of another classic, as the teams haven’t lost in more than two months and are not intimidated by each other.

Rivera boasts one of the most dominating players in the Valley, senior Laura Ochoa.

“I know Laura Ochoa is their go-to hitter,” Torres said. “They go to her every time she is in there.

“She is probably going to be one of the most powerful hitters we have seen since the last time we played them.”

Sharyland beat Rivera in a Mission Tournament match in August.

Rivera will have to contend with Sharyland’s well-balanced approach, as the Lady Ratters have a bevy of hitters.

“We are going to try and keep the ball alive,” Avelar-Guerra said. “I think my libero, Anayeli (Torres), will have to have a good time. I think my middle blockers will have to be ready for all their hitter.

“(The Lady Rattlers) are a good team, but they are beatable.”

Also tonight, Harlingen South (30-2) will compete in another Class 5A regional quarterfinal match when it takes on Laredo Nixon at 7 in Roma.

Mission Veterans (31-2) is the only remaining sub-5A squad left in the playoffs and takes on New Braunfels Canyon (34-7) at 7 tonight at Tuloso Midway in a Class 4A regional semifinal match.

A win will give the Lady Patriots their first berth in the regional final.

“I think anybody can win,” Lady Patriots coach Diana Lerma said. “It is going to be up to my team. I tell them they have to be selfish for every point.”

Lerma said this is the best she has seen her team play, especially after sweeping Beeville in a regional quarterfinal Saturday.

“I was looking at (Beeville), and I was thinking they are a good team,” Lerma said. “But I would look up at the score, and we were winning.”

Peter Rasmussen covers high school volleyball for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448.