Marble Falls volleyball learns more about itself against Fredericksburg, in tourneys

CAPTION: Marble Falls junior libero Sandra Gonzales digs a ball for a pass to get the Lady Mustang offense going. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

A 0-3 loss to powerhouse Fredericksburg Sept. 6 won’t dishearten the Marble Falls High School volleyball team, according to head coach Kait Goertz.

That’s because she saw some positives in the 20-25 second set loss she believes will help her squad.

“We followed the game plan,” she said. “We made a couple of adjustments to our defensive structure to try to negatively affect the Fredericksburg offense. There were some big rallies, and we started to make plays and be in position to get the digs and blocks.”

Head coach Jason Roemer has guided the Lady Billies to back-to-back playoff appearances. Last year Fredericksburg reached the regional quarterfinals where it lost to Wimberley 1-3.

That success is one reason Goertz put Fredericksburg on the Marble Falls schedule.

“They are one of the strongest Class 4As in Region IV,” she said. “Coach Roemer and I wanted to bring the Marble Falls-Fredericksburg match back to life. These two communities are close, the kids know each other. Their success raises the intensity of the match. Fredericksburg has kids who can put the ball away. Fredericksburg has a very fast offense, which is great for us to play as a defense. We want to speed up our offense and Fredericksburg does a great job of running their girls. They are an established program. They are what we’re trying to grow into.”

The Lady Mustangs hosted Fredericksburg on the heels of losing 0-3 to Llano Sept. 2.

“We were not at 100 percent,” the coach said. “I think we have to do a better job of adjusting to the new varsity district schedule. In district play, varsity plays first. That’s a mental aspect that will be big for us. It is mental. It breaks the rhythm of a normal game day. We’re trying to get them comfortable with playing early.”

That’s the reason why the Lady Mustangs are playing at Florence at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9.

Marble Falls earned a valuable win at the Johnson City tournament Aug. 26-27 against District 24-4A foe Jarrell. Senior setter Ava Carter tied a school record for the most aces in a match when she had six against Comfort.

“We did some really good things,” Goertz said. “We got to the consolation final and lost to Comfort in three sets. We saw a lot of growth during that tournament. We saw some players step up and take control. We had some players in that Jarrell match who wanted to win more than anything. We limited our unforced errors and kept balls alive. When you get some big digs and big plays, it gets the crowd excited. Our energy during that tournament was huge. When our bench brings that type of energy, there’s no doubt they can be the loudest in the gym.”

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