Lady Stangs back to winning ways

By Jennifer Fierro

Daily Tribune Staff

MARBLE FALLS — With their backs against the wall, the Lady Mustangs responded.

Needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Marble Falls High School volleyball team beat Lampasas, 25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 25-13, to sweep the season series against the Lady Badgers.

Now Marble Falls must beat Pflugerville Hendrickson tonight to qualify for the postseason.

“Our big obstacle is not the physical part of it, it’s the mental part of the game,” head coach Mich Robertson said. “One of the things we talked to them about is shouldering the burden together. Once you shoulder it together, it makes it easier to accomplish your goal.”

After the three-set loss to Killeen High School last week, Robertson said the players told coaches they felt pressure to win. 

So Robertson found a story about coffee and read it to the players, which emphasized that when coffee is added to hot water, it changes.

“Change the circumstances around you,” she said. “That adversity brings out the best.” 

It certainly appeared that way when the Lady Badgers won game two to tie the match at a set apiece. 

Robertson gave credit to Lampasas for challenging her squad, especially in game two.

“Lampasas played well, and my kids didn’t,” she said. “We tend to play better on the road. Lampasas did a good job. Defensively and offensively, they did a better job.”

Marble Falls served well, Robertson said.

“Our attack percentage was .150, which we need to be close to .300,” she said. “In game four, it was .360. In game two, the one we gave to them, we hit a minus .120.”

Setter Kelly Hacker had 30 assists. 

“As a team we had 42 kills,” the coach said. “We had other kids with assists.”

Lauren Persyn had nine kills, while Taylor Cameron added seven. Allison Bendas recorded six and had a kill percentage of .370.

Chelby Lusinger had 25 digs, while Morgan Wellinghoff recorded five aces. 

“Our passing percentage was a 2.0,” Robertson said. “We really did pass well.”

She also was happy with how the ball was distributed to set up a different hitter.

While the Lady Mustangs had nine blocks, which is high for them, Bendas had 3.5 blocks.

The coach noted Bendas has played well in back-to-back matches.

“Allison is not real vocal, but she works hard and takes constructive criticism,” she said. “She’s never offended by it.”

Bendas just turned 15 a month ago, Robertson added, and is a middle blocker on the varsity team.

“She’s coming into her own,” she said. 

Now the regular season comes down to one match against a Hendrickson squad that beat Marble Falls in three games. The match is set for 6:30 p.m. today at Max Copeland Gym, 2101 Mustang Drive.

“I need for them to believe they can win,” Robertson said. “I need for them to play like it’s the last match they’re going to play and go for it.”

If Marble Falls loses to Hendrickson, the Lady Mustangs will face Killeen High School in a play-in with a site yet to be determined.

jfierro@thepicayune.com

Photo by Virgil Belk/Hill Country Sports Images