Lady Stangs fall to the Tigers
JOHNSON CITY — The Lady Mustang volleyball players made their first appearance in the Class 4A playoffs Tuesday.
But they had to do so against an old foe. The match tested the mettle of the squad, made up mostly of first-year varsity players.
Marble Falls lost to Dripping Springs, 18-25, 3-25, 9-25.
Head coach Mich Robertson said she was proud of the way her team competed.
“We had the opportunity to do this,” she said. “We played with Dripping Springs.”
After Dripping Springs took a 3-0 lead, Marble Falls got on the board thanks to a receiving error. The two teams exchanged errors, then Lauren Persyn recorded a kill. After more errors from both teams, Persyn added another kill to cut the deficit, 7-10.
The Lady Mustangs took a timeout after Dripping Springs took a 14-9 lead. Marble Falls went on a 3-1 run highlighted by a Persyn tip. Persyn added a spike off the block and Kimberlin Ackerman had a kill to trim the lead, 15-18.
Dripping Springs answered with a 3-0 run and reached set point. Corinne Coffey saved one point on a kill, but the Lady Tigers still took the set on the next point.
Robertson said Marble Falls just about played with the Lady Tigers point for point, serve for serve.
“We talked about don’t think of the set or match,” the coach said. “Focus on the point. Let the set take care of itself. We surprised Dripping Springs for sure. We played well.”
Persyn tied the second game at 1 and a hitting error gave Marble Falls its second point, but by then Dripping Springs led, 8-2, and never turned back.
The Lady Mustangs received their third point on a service error.
“We had a little mental lapse,” Robertson said. “In game two, all (Dripping Springs) had to do was serve. You can’t play like that.”
Persyn hit a ball off a block for a 1-0 lead to begin the final set. The two squads exchanged errors and were tied at 4.
Allison Bendas angled a hit off the block to cut the lead, 6-8. Kelly Hacker won a tip at the net to trim the deficit, 7-11. Chelby Lusinger followed with an ace.
But Dripping Springs went on a 10-0 run that forced Marble Falls into a timeout. The Lady Tigers, however, never slowed in winning the match.
“Game three was better,” Robertson said. “But by then our confidence had been (taken).”
Persyn ended the match with six kills. Hacker added 11 assists and a block, while Lusinger had an ace. Morgan Wellinghoff and Lusinger each had six digs.
Now that the Lady Mustangs have been to the playoffs, Robertson said she believes they have a foundation to build on.
“They’re motivated,” she said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
Lauren Persyn beats the block and scores a point for the Lady Mustangs against Dripping Springs Tuesday. Photo by Virgil Belk/Hill Country Sports Images