Antonian still perfect in district
Antonian hopes the benefits of playing in a larger and more competitive volleyball district will reap big rewards in the playoffs.
Long bus rides are the norm now for the seven teams in TAPPS 2-6A, which has two teams from San Antonio and five from the Houston area.
“That's a lot of travel,” junior outside hitter Kalina Calvillo said. “It's hard to get out of the bus after three hours and then right away play a game. I think we do a real good job of staying focused. Also, we play against harder teams. That's great for us going to state.”
There wasn't long trip Wednesday as Antonian defeated rival Incarnate Word 25-22, 25-13, 25-18.
Playing before a raucous crowd, Antonian was in control for most of the match. Calvillo had 19 kills. Senior middle blocker Sydney Barber added eight kills.
“The biggest thing was focusing on what we had to do and finishing our game and not letting what they do get into our heads,” Barber said of the crowd. “It says a lot about our team chemistry and our ability to just – even when they score a good point – to recover and move on and focus on the next ball.”
Antonian improved to 27-11 overall and 4-0 in district. The Apaches are now the league's only undefeated team.
Calvillo was precise on her attacks. She finished with four straight kills in the third set to seal the win.
“You get one kill, and you got that momentum, and it keeps building up,” Calvillo said.
Desiree Camargo had 22 assists, while teammate Jaiden Lavanway added 17. Hailey Grcia had 19 digs. Suljeli Mermella recorded three aces and influenced play on the other end with a tremendous jump serve.
She also had 13 digs.
Incarnate Word, which dropped to 24-11 and 3-1, was led by Giana Hilliard's eight kills. Houston St. Agnes is also 3-1 and plays at Antonian on Saturday afternoon.
A victory on Saturday will be a major step for Antonian as the halfway point in district play approaches. That gives the Apaches victories against the closest teams chasing them in the standings.
Along with the travel challenges, the Apaches are playing against tougher competition in district play this year.
Antonian went 6-0 in a four-team district that included Incarnate Word, San Antonio Christian and Austin St. Dominic Savio. SACS and Savio, which were a combined 2-10 in district last year, are now in 5A following TAPPS realignment.
Class 6A, the largest classification, was condensed to 15 teams in two districts. Last year, 22 Class 6A teams were spread across four districts.
“In years past, the first time we really played really good opponents was in regionals, and now I think this new district will let us meet the challenge and we can play good teams all throughout the season,” Barber said. “I think will help us in the long run going into state.”
Although all seven district teams qualify for the postseason, the top two teams receive playoff byes into the quarterfinals.
Antonian prepared well for district with a strong showing in non-district play. The Apaches won the Kerrville Tivy tournament by going 6-0. They went 6-3 in the Round Rock Westwood tournament and 4-5 in the New Braunfels Fraulein tournament. Antonian also had victories against UIL Class 6A schools New Braunfels, Brandeis (last year's state champion), Round Rock Cedar Ridge, Judson and Steele.
On Sept. 24, Antonian defeated Tomball Concordia Lutheran, the team that eliminated the Apaches in the state quarterfinals last year, for one of their district victories.