Marble Falls volleyball announces postseason awards
CAPTION: Senior athlete Kate McCary rarely sat during matches this season. Her all-around play earned her the respect of District 24-4A coaches. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
After finishing the most successful season in program history, the Marble Falls High School volleyball program announced postseason honors for the 2025 team.
Named first team all-District 24-4A are senior athlete Kate McCary and junior middle blocker Amaris Mitchell-Ochoa.
“McCary and Amaris totally deserved it,” head coach Zoey Beard-Hanrahan said. “Obviously the coaches that are in district agreed. It goes on a vote and they were all voted into it.”
It seemed that any time the Lady Mustangs needed to end a rally, McCary got the set. She delivered the match-winning kill against Rosharon Almeta Crawford in the Class 4A Division I area round that helped the most successful season in program history continue.
When opponents focused on the outside, Mitchell-Ochoa delivered in the middle. Few teams knew how to handle her strength and quickness as she slid from side to side to help set up double blocks and then ended rallies with so much power that defenders often ducked to protect themselves.
Senior libero Kenadi Dalton is a second team all-district member and honorable mention went to senior middle blocker Payton Dunk, junior hitter Katie Terrell and junior setter Hannah Welch.
Dalton was the steady anchor on the back row who frustrated hitters because of her willingness to dig kills that may have been sent her way at 100 mph.
While most fans will remember McCary’s spike to end the match against Almeta Crawford, four of her teammates that are on the all-district teams were on the court as that final point played out. Terrell served the final point and Dunk and sophomore hitter Breanna Wilde combined to form a double block that forced the hitter to send the spike to their right to avoid Dalton. But Terrell made a diving dig to get the ball to Welch. Welch had the match-winning assist to McCary.
Welch ended the season as the team’s assists leader.
“They were very deserving,” the coach said of all her all-district members.
And just about every Lady Mustang made the academic all-district team.
In addition Beard-Hanrahan was the recipient of the Spotlight on Excellence Award at Marble Falls High School, which is a Marble Falls Independent School District honor. Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway noted the award wasn’t the result of the volleyball season. Rather it was because of the way the coach has built relationships with her students, her athletes and her colleagues.
The 2025 Lady Mustangs finished fourth in District 24-4A to advance to the postseason for the first time in two decades. They beat Gatesville 3-2 Oct. 30 for a bi-district title then traveled almost three hours one way to defeat Almeta Crawford in the area round before losing to Bullard 0-3 in the regional semifinals with a 17-14 overall record and 6-6 in district play.
CAPTION: In general hitters did all they could to avoid senior libero Kenadi Dalton, who made them pay for sending kills her way. Photo by Martelle Luedecke Photography
