Faith Academy volleyball beats Concordia
CAPTION: The Faith Academy volleyball team has many players able to score points for the team including junior hitter Reese Ramsey (front) and senior middle blocker Miley Fessler. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls volleyball team crushed Round Rock Concordia 25-10, 25-9, 25-7 Aug. 19 in the Lady Flames’ first road trip of the season.
The Lady Flames simply dominated in every way.
Next up is a home match against Fredericksburg Heritage at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, then the Hill Country Christian Tournament Friday and Saturday, Aug. 21-22. They face Boerne Area Christian Home Schoolers at 9 a.m., Bulverde Bracken at 11 a.m. and Galveston O’Connell at 1 p.m. on the first day.
“I think it will give us a better challenge,” head coach Erin Sawyer said. “I like that we’re playing three matches in a day. A lot of my girls play club ball and that’s more like a club tournament. I think they’ll be fine.”
She noted playing that many matches will help her players as they continue to prepare for District 4-3A of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
“We need to get more court time together,” the coach said. “We need those games to prepare us.”
Sawyer said she and her players have been talking about playing with more tenacity and working together to have more offensive and defensive floor on the court.
“I want to be able to see that – having these girls get challenged,” she said. “Once you get out there, you put the pedal to the metal and don’t let up. I’m curious to see how they approach it.”
Sophomore Ella Claiborne continues to be a big part of the offense, though Sawyer pointed out the squad has more contributors, too. They include senior middle blockers Natalie Weems and Miley Fessler, junior hitters Ella Chavira, Reese Ramsey and Kerrington Silvers and sophomore setter Olivia Kraenzel.
If needed, could Claiborne take over a set and be the focal point for the Lady Flames?
“She can do it,” the coach said. “She has the ability. She’s a sophomore, she’s young. It is a big ask. I know she can do it. I can depend on her to do it. We have other girls who can help with that – we have good girls. Ella’s junior and senior years will be a testament to how far she can go. She’s up for the challenge. She has people around her who love and support her, and it’s not just her family. We’re there for her.”
Before the match against Concordia, Sawyer “tweaked” with the line-up but didn’t get the results she was looking for. So she may continue to move players to different spots with the aim of finding what works best for the team.
“We have all the pieces,” she said. “It’s a puzzle. We’ll get it figured out. We’ll go and see how they fit together.”
