Marble Falls volleyball has new head coach

The Marble Falls High School volleyball team found its new head coach.

It’s Zoey Hanrahan-Beard, who has been an assistant coach with the Highland Lakes Aces volleyball club founded by Erin Sawyer, who is the Faith Academy of Marble Falls volleyball head coach.

Beard noted she had her eyes on this job when it came open last year. But the timing wasn’t right for her. That changed this time around.

“When it came open again, I thought I can’t pass on the opportunity again,” she said.

Beard loves the sport. So much so that she excelled at it while playing for and graduating from Pflugerville Hendrickson where she was the Offensive Most Valuable Player for three years.

From there, she played volleyball for Angelo State University for four years, graduating in 2017. In all, she has played or been around a volleyball team for more than two decades.

“Twenty-three years of my life have been dedicated to it,” she said. “I was an animal on the court as a middle blocker. I love being part of a team. That’s why I stuck with it for so long.”

She gave private lessons and joined the Aces shortly after she and her husband, Dean, moved to Marble Falls in 2020.

“I was asked to coach Marble Falls youth,” she said. “(Sawyer) started the club here. I coached two teams. We want to invest in this community. I’m young and I can build a program that works and lasts. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I want Marble Falls to be a force to be reckoned with.”

The Lady Mustangs have been playing in the Llano May League on Thursdays and Beard has been in attendance.

“The girls are very good,” she said. “I see the fundamentals and it looks like the team has been learning them. They look like they’ve been learning some fast-paced offenses. We’re talented enough to run a fast offense and run the offensive sets. Making quick decisions – it’s having the confidence to lead to the offense.”

Beard is the third head coach of the volleyball program in three years. Christopher Pace left after one year. The program was led by Kait Goertz for four years.

Sawyer said Beard has plenty of attributes that will help and the program be successful

“She’s nice, she cares for the kids,” Sawyer said. “When it came to club stuff, she was a team player. She has that level of competitiveness that I do. She wants the girls to do well. She’s competitive and tenacious. You have to be willing to do the extra things it takes. I push for whatever is best for them. I’m happy for her. I’m going to miss her. She’s supportive and knowledgeable in volleyball. I wish her the best. I hope she does well with Marble Falls.”

Beard said she wants to hear better communication and help the players become better passers on serve-receive. Being better in those areas will help develop more trust among the athletes. She’ll spend more time with the Lady Mustangs, especially during the summer strength-and-conditioning program that begins shortly after the school year ends. The University Interscholastic League allows athletes to attend those sessions where they are putting in the sweat equity in the weight room and on the artificial turf to get faster and stronger.

After those sessions end, athletes can work with their sport-specific coaches on drills.

“I’m hoping I bring a culture that will bring more fighters,” Beard said. “We’re building that culture where you want to build together. I’m going to hold everybody accountable to make this program the program it should have always been.”

CAPTION: Zoey Hanrahan-Beard says she was “an animal at the net” and wants to help her Lady Mustangs be that way, too. Photo courtesy of Angelo State Athletics