Mustang volleyball teams opens season at home
MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School volleyball team opens its season Aug. 9 at home.
The Mustangs will play Cornerstone and Burnet at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Max Copeland Gym, 2101 Mustang Drive, after four days of two-a-days and scrimmages Aug. 6 against Hyde Park, Fredericksburg and Llano at Liberty Hill.
IN PHOTO: Marble Falls High School volleyball players Hailey Coulter (front) and Kiara Etheridge move after the ball is served at an Aug. 6 scrimmage in Liberty Hill. Staff photos by Jennifer Fierro
The Lady Mustangs used the scrimmage to take a look at their setters. Sophomore Hailey Coulter was with junior hitters Kiara Etheridge and Hayley Fishbeck and junior libero Stephanie Garcia.
The four performed well against Llano, outscoring the Lady Jackets during the 60-minute event.
The two teams also had two long rallies in which each side had about eight digs. Marble Falls won one of the rallies thanks to kills.
Lady Mustangs head coach Julie Downs said she was pleased with her squad’s performance.
“I thought we played tough, and I thought we hit tough,” she said. “I thought the girls did a good job of recognizing errors when we made errors, recognizing the need for correction, and I’m excited.”
Marble Falls is looking for other hitters to complement Etheridge and Fishbeck. Downs said coaches still are evaluating players.
“Hitters are good. We still have some slow transition off the net,” she said. “Our middle hitters, we need to get that area going on the court. Right-side hitters, we know we got to make some blocking corrections, and we’re going to diversify our outside game a little more.”
In addition, the Lady Mustangs are looking for a starting setter. But Downs said that group is moving in the right direction.
“I’m pleased with the setters, their defense is good,” she said. “And their diversity of sets, I really like the way they chose certain hitters at certain times. So it was good.”
Downs hadn’t incorporated the playbook yet, allowing the athletes to go on their instinct during the scrimmages.
But that will change this week now the season is starting, she said.
Marble Falls will end the week at the annual Tex-Fest Tournament hosted by powerhouse Wimberley on Aug. 12-13.