Marble Falls volleyball beats Lehman in season opener

CAPTION: Marble Falls Lady Mustangs Brighton Bernard (left) and Amaris Mitchell-Ochoa force the Kyle Lehman hitter to adjust to their block during win Aug. 11. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School volleyball team defeated Kyle Lehman 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 Aug. 11 in the Lady Mustangs’ season opener.

“It feels good,” said new head coach Zoey Beard-Hanrahan after her debut. “Our girls have a different mentality. I’ve been talking about the fight. I think that’s a huge component of it.”

Throughout the match, neither team allowed the opponent to build more than a four-point lead in each set. That happened twice when Marble Falls led 12-8 in the second and third games only for Lehman to respond.

The Lady Mustangs were usually the first to get to 20 points in each set and had a slight lead as they worked their way to 25. But the Lady Lobos called timeouts to regroup. It didn’t matter, however, as Marble Falls found ways to win each set.

One of the biggest was being consistent in serving thanks to Katie Terrell, Hannah Welch and Kenadi Dalton. The trio served several points in a row, which also is a testament to their teammates for earning those points to keep them behind the service line.

“I can get that consistency from Katie,” the coach said. “I need her to get that ball in. She’s someone we can rely on. I’m relying on her in the back row. They dug us out of a hole and put us in a one- or two-point lead. They took us home in the set second.”

Another was the contributions of different outside hitters including Brighton Bernard, Tessie Bowen, Payton Dunk and Kate McCary. Setters Welch and Bowen distributed the ball to different teammates all in an effort to line up hitters to single blockers. Beard-Hanrahan pointed out those events don’t happen without defensive specialists passing the ball to setters. Defensive specialists include Dalton and McCary.

“We were pretty solid when it came to passing,” Beard-Hanrahan said.

But perhaps the most impressive part of the match was when Marble Falls needed two more points to close out the victory. And the Lady Mustangs got those points from middle blockers Amaris Mitchell-Ochoa and Dunk in the center of the line.

Dunk got the 24th point by slamming a bad Lehman set right back to its side of the court, while Mitchell-Ochoa was a solid wall for the final point.

Beard-Hanrahan, a former middle blocker, has let it be known she wants to see more production from the middle and has emphasized a desire to see activity there both offensively and defensively.

She added that not every point has to come from a kill. She’s equally happy with aces, blocks, dinks and other methods to earn points.

“I don’t care how we get there,” the coach said.

While she was satisfied with the victory, Beard-Hanrahan said she was hoping to “see a more cleaner game.”

“At the next tournament, we’ll minimize mistakes, minimize errors,” she said. “All together, they pulled it out. They know how to play hard and minimize errors. Those unforced errors are things we know we have to clean up. We minimize those, you’ll see a solid win.”

Marble Falls will compete in the Jason Lander Invitational hosted by the Austin Independent School District. The Lady Mustangs face Stevens at 11 a.m., Anderson at noon and Brownsville Rivera at 2 p.m. all on Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Toney Burger Center. Pool records will determine who the Lady Mustangs play next Friday, Aug. 15. The tournament ends with bracket play Saturday, Aug. 16.

“I’m excited,” Beard-Hanrahan said. “I’m hoping to see a more together offense, better serve-receive and communication. I know they have it in them. That’s what I’m looking for. It’s got to be a dog fight.”

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior Kate McCary ends a rally with a down-the-line kill in the third set against Kyle Lehman. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro