Lady Mustangs volleyball squad wins at home for the first time since 2018
The Marble Falls High School volleyball team’s first home win in almost four years is a credit to seniors (front row, from left) Rocio Pinales, Savannah Harris, Haylee Whiteside, Emily Mata, and Alizae Rojas; and (back, left) manager Taylor Ashbaugh, Isabelle Mills, Alex Eyeman, Molly Tays, and Karis Cotton. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The last time the Marble Falls High School volleyball team won at home was Sept. 21, 2018. But that changed when the Lady Mustangs defeated Florence on Friday, Aug. 20, in Max Copeland Gym.
“(This) was huge,” said head coach Kaitlyn Goertz about the victory. “I had some of (my players) almost crying. It meant a lot to our seniors and to our program. It meant everything. What we’re doing is paying off and coming together. It wasn’t an easy win over Florence.”
Earlier this season, the Lady Mustangs snapped a 34-match losing streak by beating Manor New Tech in a tournament.
Against Florence, the Lady Mustangs won the second, fourth, and fifth sets.
In the fifth set, Marble Falls raced to a 7-0 lead but faced familiar struggles, Goertz said.
“We were letting them creep in little by little,” she said. “ … One of the things we’re learning this year is how to win, just finish the game and win it.”
As a team Marble Falls, recorded eight aces, 38 kills, and 79 digs. Senior captain Molly Tays had two aces, eight kills, 11 assists, and 12 digs. Senior captain Haylee Whiteside added 11 kills and six digs, while senior captain Alizae Rojas contributed 16 digs. Senior middle blocker Emily Mata recorded three aces.
As she reflected on the weekend’s successes, including the Marble Falls freshmen winning their own tournament Aug. 20-21, Goertz felt something shift in her program.
“It really has energized us,” the coach said.
Marble Falls is at Lampasas, 2716 U.S. 281 South, on Tuesday, Aug. 24. The sub-varsity squads play at 5 p.m., and varsity squares off at 6 p.m.
Marble Falls’ next home match is Friday, Sept. 3, when Llano comes to Max Copeland Gym, 2101 Mustang Drive. Varsity takes the floor at 5:30 p.m., and the sub-varsity teams play at 6:30 p.m.