Marble Falls volleyball finishes second at own tourney

CAPTION: Junior Katie Terrell (left), senior Payton Dunk and junior Delilah Guzman get ready to set up the block as the Lady Mustangs serve. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School volleyball team is the runner-up of its first Hill Country Takeover tournament Aug. 22-23.

The Lady Mustangs beat Copperas Cove, Thrall and Blanco and lost to Brenham twice.

The championship game against Brenham was hard fought with the Cubettes prevailing 25-21, 27-25 Aug. 23.

“We did great for our first tournament,” junior hitter Delilah Guzman said. “We saw some teams that match our pace. I think we did great.”

“The girls fought really hard,” head coach Zoey Beard-Hanrahan said. “I’m proud of how they performed.”

They agree the defense paved the way for the tournament outcome.

“I think our blocking was incredible this weekend,” Guzman said. “I saw a lot of growth.”

Blocking in volleyball isn’t so much about hitting the ball right back to the hitter. It’s about redirecting the hitter to send the ball to a waiting defensive specialist, and the Lady Mustangs did that effectively led by senior libero Kenadi Dalton.

“Kenadi was working back there,” Guzman said. “We showed a lot. Defensively, we were there.”

The flip side of that is the defensive specialists’ ability to dig the ball and pass it to the setter or to target to get the offense going. Both the coach and the player noted that happened, too.

“Blocking and serve-receive are things I’ve been driving in practice,” Beard-Hanrahan said. “We have to make sure we have a clean ball that we can set and kill. Our defensive players stayed in our base and were able to get us playable balls. Our blockers were there. We’re getting better and better at that.”

“The ability to get a dig to target is hard,” the hitter said. “Our defensive specialists work every day. We want options and we want something that’s going to break the other team’s block. I give credit to Kenadi and Kate McCary and Katie Terrell. It does open up to get the ball to our setters and hitters.”

Another bright spot was the play of junior middle blocker Amaris Mitchell-Ochoa. During the tournament, she rarely exited the floor. Her kills from quick sets in the middle leave her forearm in a hurry, which puts the defense on its heels because of the strength behind it.

“She’s great as a teammate, she’s great on her kills,” Guzman said. “She’s there to dominate.”

Beard-Hanrahan coached Mitchell-Ochoa two years ago in club volleyball and “got a little glimpse” of the player’s talent and ability. She saw firsthand all the tools the junior has and believes she’s only scratching the surface of how good she can be.

“I played that position, I see myself in her,” she said. “I know what it takes to be better and grind. Amaris has it and knows what we need to focus on. She’s very coachable and makes the adjustments. She’s unstoppable when we get the ball to her. She’s a competent middle, and that’s so important in our (scheme).”

Above all, the coach and player credited the team for not giving up throughout the weekend.

“I really think the fight I’m starting to look for is shining through,” Beard-Hanrahan said. “The girls have the talent to rise up to it. They never gave up – that’s what I’m looking for.”

“We’re going to be fighters,” Guzman said. “We have to be this season.”

Marble Falls is on the road this week. The Lady Mustangs visit Georgetown East View Tuesday, Aug. 26, and San Marcos High School Friday, Aug. 29. Subvarsities play at 5 p.m., while the varsity match at East View is at 6 p.m. and at San Marcos at 6:30 p.m.

CAPTION: Marble Falls junior Amaris Mitchell-Ochoa is a force in the middle, on the outside and all over the court, which makes her defensive matchup nightmare. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro