As Antonian volleyball coach Samantha McLure stood before her players during a timeout midway through the fourth set, she fully understood the gravity of the moment.

The Apaches had lost the previous two sets after winning the first frame and now trailed by five points in the fourth set. Little was going right for them vs. their archrival Incarnate Word.

“I told them you’ve got to decide that you want this, and you’ve got to decide you’re going to play,” McLure said. “They’re so young that they’re still doubting themselves. I told them, ‘This is your time to prove yourselves. I can’t do it for you. I can’t want it more than you can. You’ve got to go out there and want this because Incarnate Word, they’re jumping over the backboard to get a ball.’ “

The Apaches took their coach’s appeal to heart, rallying for a 25-16, 27-29, 23-25, 25-20, 15-6 win on Thursday in a TAPPS District 3-6A match at Recko Gym.

It was Antonian’s 17th straight win vs. the Shamrocks and 31st consecutive district triumph.

“It was a really fun match to play in,” said Antonian senior libero Anna Arceneaux, who had 38 digs. “I feel like us getting down like that really just gave us some momentum to pick ourselves back up, and we all really wanted it in the end.”

Paced by the attacking of Helen Guajardo, Chloe Hawkins, Maya Wright, Veida Rodriguez and Olivia Heins and the serving of Ceci Trevino, Incarnate Word (20-12 overall, 1-1 in district) fought off a set point in the second frame and rallied from a 21-18 deficit in the third set to move a step closer to its first win vs. Antonian since 2016.

The prospect appeared promising halfway through the fourth set as Guajardo’s three kills highlighted a run that gave the Shamrocks a 13-6 lead. Antonian (25-14, 1-0), though, chipped away at the deficit as sophomore defensive specialist Ivy Waclawczyk served for two aces and freshman outside hitter Abby Ibarra recorded four of her team-high 23 kills to spark an 11-1 run that put Antonian in the lead for good, turning a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead on an ace from Emily LaHood. Olivia Hernandez added 12 kills, 12 digs and 3 1/2 blocks for the Apaches.

“I saw maturity that I haven’t seen at all this season before from all of our younger players,” Arceneaux said. “They really gave me the confidence by putting balls away. Their play really affected me in a good way, and really helped me to go out and dive for and dig balls that I didn’t know I could dig.”

In the decisive fifth set, Antonian continued to capitalize on an in-match adjustment by McLure to insert Sydney Bryant, a transfer from Virginia, to run a two-setter formation with senior Danielle Seabern, jumped to a 10-4 margin behind three kills from Maci Cantu and the net play of Lucy Rote.

Incarnate Word got within five points, but that was as close as it would get.

“I feel like it’s really easy to get wrapped up, especially in the crowd, so it’s kind of expecting the unexpected and I feel like everyone showed up and did their job, especially when we needed it,” said Seabern, who had 44 assists and 18 digs.

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