Marble Falls volleyball ready for home opener after scrimmages

The Marble Falls High School volleyball team begins the 2024 season by welcoming Austin Northeast Monday, Aug. 13.

The subvarsities play at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity follows.

These Lady Mustangs make their debut under the direction of new head coach Christopher Pace, who has been working with the players since July 8 during Marble Falls Forge ’24, the department’s summer strength and conditioning program. Once that finished, they went into the gym for 45 minutes of sport-specific skills work.

Last week was the first time Pace has had longer than 45 minutes of court time with the players. Therefore, he was still in the midst of evaluations to determine a varsity squad.

“We’re feeling some things out with the girls who are on the bubble,” he said.

To say Pace is optimistic is an understatement. That’s because of the squad’s performances during scrimmages against Bastrop Cedar Creek Aug. 9 and Faith Academy of Marble Falls Aug. 10.

“We haven’t lost a scrimmage yet,” he said.

After losing the first set to Cedar Creek, Pace was curious to see how the Lady Mustangs would respond. They came back with a 25-14 win. But what encouraged him the most was how quickly the players made adjustments when they chatted between sets. They kept that momentum as time expired with Marble Falls leading 12-8 in the final set.

“I was able to tell them what I’m expecting,” he said. “They played as a team. We played really well. They’re learning on the fly in the middle of a match.”

Against Faith Academy, sophomore Maddie Cuplin’s thunderous end to a rally illustrated the “give it to me, I want it” attitude coaches want to see.

“Every girl was excited to see her bang the ball off the block,” Pace said.

Marble Falls trailed 3-10 in the second set, so Pace called a timeout.

“You know what to do,” he recalled saying. “They all answered the question. ‘Go do that, and we have a chance.'”

The Lady Mustangs tied the set at 23-23 before losing 23-25.

He noted youth was served during the set, and he was pleased to see they “fought back.”

Their performances exemplified another important trait, the coach said.

“They’re very receptive to everything we’ve told them,” he said. “There’s no backtalk. I’m hearing the girls take responsibility and be held accountable. They pick each other up when a mistake is made. You can tell how excited the girls are.”

Marble Falls also hosts Kyle Lehman Tuesday, Aug. 12, with the sub varsities playing at 5;30 p.m. and the varsity to follow.

Watch videos on Highland Lakes sports by going to Fierro’s YouTube channel and searching for The Broad Podcaster. Please like, subscribe and share.