Eastlake, El Paso High aim to continue volleyball playoff success
Two El Paso high school volleyball teams remain in the UIL playoffs and will play regional quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Eastlake faces Southlake Carroll at 4:30 p.m. CST at Lubbock Cooper High School in Class 6A and Eastlake battles Amarillo Tascosa at 6 p.m. CST at Denver City High School in a Class 5A battle.
How Eastlake got to this point
The Falcons finished third in District 1-6A, but had wins against co-district champs Coronado and Franklin in the regular season.
The Falcons defeated Midland Legacy and Fossil Ridge in the bi-district and area rounds, respectively. Eastlake won an area title for the first time in school history and it was also the first time coach Roel De Anda has won a bi-district title in his coaching career.
One of the key players in Eastlake's success in the playoffs has been the defensive standout, Ceci Bustamante. Bustamante had 29 digs in the win against Fossil Ridge and had 31 in the win against Midland Legacy.
"I moved over to defense when I started high school and it's a good fit for me," she said. "Against Fossil Ridge, I settled down and played better as the match went on. I've just tried to be solid in the back row and be a leader."
Bustamante is following in the footsteps of her sister, Kaitlyn, who played college volleyball at UT-Permian Basin as a defensive specialist.
"I learned a great deal from my sister and she's been a great supporter of mine," Bustamante said. "It's been great to be a part of this team, our goal all season has been to make history in this program. We did a good job against Fossil Ridge, we want to keep it going in the next round."
How El Paso High got here
The Tigers defeated Horizon in the bi-district round, then took care of Abilene Wylie in the area round in four sets.
The Tigers, who won the District 1-5A title, are powerful at the hitter position, led by Diana Wong, Angelique Delahoussaye and Angelina Castro. Setter Hannah Garcia has been steady in getting them the ball all season.
El Paso High has become a fixture in the regional quarterfinals and will be making its third appearance in this round in the last four years. El Paso High has never made a regional tournament appearance.
"We have great leadership on this team," El Paso High coach Yesenia Alarcon-Ortega said. "They are very committed to one another and it started after last season. The kids worked and our core group of players have done a great job this season. Against Wylie, we struggled in some parts of the game and we are capable of playing better. We've gotten to this round before and we're hopeful of getting to the regional tournament."
More: Volleyball news Eastlake, El Paso High advance to regional quarterfinals in UIL volleyball playoffs
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X (Formerly Twitter)
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Eastlake, El Paso High aim to continue volleyball playoff success
