Marble Falls volleyball sweeps Llano
CAPTION: Marble Falls senior Kate McCary records a down-the-line kill to help the Lady Mustangs beat Llano Sept. 2. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School volleyball team swept Llano 25-17, 25-15, 25-23 Sept. 2 in the Lady Mustangs’ final match before starting District 24-4A play.
The Lady Jackets gave the Lady Mustang a preview of what they’ll be facing the rest of the season.
Each set started with both teams answering each other’s runs with Marble Falls creating enough of a gap to win sets one and two thanks to a mix of points from different players.
But Llano, which is the defending District 5-3A champion, showed why.
After the Lady Mustangs took an 8-4 lead, the Lady Jackets went on a 6-0 run that ended with a service error, a hitting error and a passing error.
Junior Katie Terrell hit a cross-court kill and Llano hit into the net that forced the Lady Jackets into a timeout. Another hitting error and a spike off the block by Marble Falls’ Breanna Wilde, who was moved up to the varsity days earlier, gave the Lady Mustangs a 15-11 advantage.
But Llano won the next three points highlighted by a kill down the middle from senior middle blocker Peyton Parrish to trim the deficit to 14-15. Junior hitter Addison Priem added another Llano kill and errors tied the set at 16-16.
But Marble Falls sophomore Brighton Bernard scored off a dink over the block and senior outside hitter Kate McCary recorded a kill to for an 18-17 advantage.
Llano junior Hailey Lucas tied the set with a cross-court kill added another kill to trim the deficit to 19-20 after Wilde ran a curl for a kill.
“I knew I needed big hands and big arms at outside hitter,” Marble Falls head coach Zoey Beard-Hanrahan said of Wilde. “I needed to bring somebody up.”
The next four points were errors with two going to each team. Priem added a kill to give Llano a 22-21 advantage that forced Marble Falls into a timeout.
Terrell recorded a kill down the line and junior middle blocker Amaris Mitchell-Ochoa had a block to give the Lady Mustangs a 23-22 lead that compelled Llano to call a timeout.
A hitting error tied the set at 23-23. Mitchell-Ochoa’s block gave Marble Falls a match point and the contest was won on a hitting error.
“I want her to keep being fed the ball when you have a hot hitter like that,” Beard-Hanrahan said. “Please keep feeding her the ball.”
The coach noted that while most fans will remember the third set, the other sets revealed what she has witnessed from her players at other venues including at San Marcos where the Lady Mustangs prevailed 25-18, 24-26, 25-19, 25-17 Aug. 29.
Those games showed the diversity on the team where each player has a role and is embracing her opportunity when it comes.
“Kate McCary was on fire,” Beard-Hanrahan said. “She’s a solid leader on the court – that’s why she’s my captain. If we need someone to jump out of the gym and whack that ball, she’s your player.”
Junior setter Hannah Welch kept opponents off balance by setting different teammates all over the floor.
“Hannah is so solid on defense,” the coach said. “She has such a good connection with my middle blockers.”
Beard-Hanrahan has watched her team lose seven sets by four points or fewer during the season. She was thrilled to see her players stare down a one-point deficit and find a way to win.
“I don’t want to see us back slack again,” she said. “After coaching a few hard practices and laying into the them, they came and did a solid job against San Marcos. That is the team we are – it’s the team I expect to show up on the court. They have to show up and do the same job every time.”
Marble Falls begins district play at Burnet Tuesday, Sept. 9, with the subvarsitites playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity to follow. The Lady Dawgs (14-5) beat Fredericksburg 25-19, 25-15, 18-25, 25-22 Sept. 2.
CAPTION: Marble Falls outside hitter Breanna Wilde is giving the Lady Mustangs another valuable weapon. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
