Marble Falls volleyball to start two-a-days
CAPTION: Senior Delilah Guzman (right) is one of several returning lettermen who plans on contributing in multiple ways during the 2026 season. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls Independent School District volleyball program was back inside Max Copeland Gym July 27 for camp.
Head coach Zoey Beard-Hanrahan, who is beginning her second year at the helm, observed as Austin Performance Volleyball coach Sarah O’Neal, who served as the camp instructor, taught skills to the younger players during the morning session. The second session was for the advanced group or the high school and middle school athletes.
In Beard-Hanrahan’s first season, she guided the Lady Mustangs into the history books with two play-off victories, advancing to the postseason by sweeping Jarrell, Lampasas and Taylor.
The preparations for the 2026 season began months earlier. Some Lady Mustangs played on club teams and attended Forge 26, the athletic department’s summer strength-and-conditioning program.
Now it’s about to all come together at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, for the start of two-a-days.
“I’m going to use that first day to make it more of a competitive part of my two-a-days,” the coach said. “We’ll have small scrimmages, stuff like that. It’s going to definitely be different from last year.”
Indeed. The first drill the Lady Mustangs performed on the first day a year ago was running lines because the coach wanted to see how in shape her players were. This summer she saw quite a few of her athletes, particularly the freshmen and senior Delilah Guzman, at Forge. And several others participated in the skills sessions.
“Since it’s on a Saturday, I want them to get excited for it,” Beard-Hanrahan said. “So I’m going to make the first day a little bit more fun. But then, when we’re back on Monday, and that’s when we’re going to do the tough stuff.”
She said she knows her players and their strengths much better after a year on the job. And while she indicated the program graduated “some studs” in May, she believes the returners are set on building on the accomplishments of last season.
And those athletes, she emphasized, are pretty good, too. Guzman is one of several seniors. Others include middle blocker Amaris Mitchell-Ochoa, athlete Katie Terrell and defensive specialists Adrianna Dekay and Britney Guevara. Juniors Brighton Bernard and Brianna Wilde played outside hitter.
“I think a huge component to making a successful volleyball team is having not only physically capable girls, but mentally capable girls and mentality definitely comes with age,” Beard-Hanrahan said. “That’s not to say that I can’t find that token freshman or sophomore, but the girls who have put the work in and have been able to stay in this program for that long deserve to come up and be those people that get it done for me. They’re a great crew.”
