Harlan volleyball coach Monica Gonzales could’ve called a timeout. She could’ve gathered her players together along a sideline and encouraged them to cut down on their errors.

But doing so would’ve stated the obvious. Plus, her players already knew the culprit behind their struggles.

“I’m not going to call a timeout to insult (my players’) intelligence about ‘serve better,’ ‘pass better,’ ” Gonzales said. “We’ve got a lot of leaders on our team.”

The leadership quality was at its best when the Hawks needed it the most. Having lost the second set and on the verge of dropping the third in a tied contest, defending Region IV-6A champion Harlan rebounded to top Brennan 25-16, 11-25, 25-23, 25-18 on Tuesday in a District 28-6A match at Taylor Fieldhouse.

“The pressure’s there, but I feel like pressure motivates us to be 10 times better,” said Harlan senior setter Isabella De La Rosa, one of her handful of key players returning from last year’s squad that advanced to the UIL Class 6A state tournament. “I think if we come out and play every game, and improve every game, we should be OK. We love to play, we love to work hard, we love to show what we have.”

Harlan (22-4 overall, 1-0 in district) was forced to go deep into its arsenal on Tuesday. Brennan, with Giana Brown, Maylin Ortega, Mia Nunez and Angel Osteguin leading the way, tied the match at 1-1 after never trailing in capturing the second set.

The Bears continued their momentum into the third frame by controlling the net and capitalizing on Harlan’s service and passing woes, building a 17-9 advantage.

“We all needed to calm down and get our energy, and run our offense,” Harlan junior outside hitter Jaci Hall said. “We weren’t getting a pass so that we could run our offense. I think going to state gave us a lot of experience of pressure, and just knowing how to come back and fight and win.”

Hall had five kills to spark a 12-4 run that turned the eight-point deficit into a 21-21 tie. Brennan (23-5, 1-1) reclaimed the lead at 23-22 on a kill from setter Aviana Contreras, but Harlan reeled off the final three points on a kill from Thalia Yancey and two Brennan errors to prevail.

The Hawks closed out the contest by soaring a seven-point margin midway through the fourth set and fending off a late surge by Brennan, which a year ago came within one win of advancing to the regional tournament.

Gonzales credits a rigorous preseason schedule that included playing at the Turner Classic in Pearland, Volleypalooza in Leander and the Pieper Showcase and facing the likes of Dripping Springs, Fort Bend Ridge Point, Cy Ranch, Mount St. Mary from Oklahoma and Keller for helping forge her team’s resolve.

“Playing in the tournaments that we did, playing against some of those teams, just kind of prepares you to push back and just kind of get a little bit better every single time,” Gonzales said.

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