Is Third Time the Charm for Friendswood?

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Third Time is the Charm

By Matt Malatesta

The Friendswood Mustang volleyball team has always been a bridesmaid, never a bride.

This year, Friendswood could be the belle of the Class 4A ball as first-year head coach Kelly Beck and company could be fitting for state championship rings a month from now.

As the hottest Class 4A team in the city, the Mustangs have trampled their district-mates thus far and are prepping for the playoffs. The past two seasons, the clock has struck midnight in the regional finals as the Brenham Cubs have ended Friendswood’s back-to-back dream seasons.

“We are better than last year and the girls’ theme is ‘Third Time is the Charm,’” coach Beck said of their hopes of knocking off Brenham in the playoffs. “We are like a spread offense in football because we can score from a lot of different places. We are fundamentally sound, athletic and have some good height.”

Not wanting to put the cart before the Mustang, Friendswood is checking off their goals one by one, to include a district championship and a state final appearance. Anchoring that effort include outside-hitter Jill Bergeson (Stanford-bound), Shawna Spozio, Harley Kelly and Maddy Landon.

Beck knows what it is like having a championship within her grasp. She once starred at Friendswood and reached the state tournament three times only to come up short in the semis all three times. She went on to play for Texas A&M before getting into coaching at the high school level. Beck was the Mustang freshman coach last year, but when long-time varsity coach Jerry Linch decided to focus more on his select AVA program, Beck switched places with him. Linch now coaches the freshman as well as the elite AVA teams.

“Kelly knows the game at a high level because she played here and had success in college,” Linch said. “The kids know that, which has made the transition very smooth. She’s done a great job as a first-year varsity coach and they are going to be very tough to beat in the region.”

While Beck is leading the charge from the sidelines, superstar Annie Mitchum is back after taking her junior year off of the high school circuit. The 6-foot-3 middle-blocker is a bit of an enigma, as she is one of the most dominant players in the city and is as laid back as they come.

“Annie is just so naturally gifted and a huge plus for us,” she said. “She can completely dominate games, but it can get frustrating during practices to get her maximum effort. Maybe her laid back attitude works for her, because she doesn’t take a bad play or a loss too seriously.”

Mitchum is also non-committal about her upcoming plans as it relates to her volleyball career. She’s good enough to potentially go right into international play, and at the same time she has no college offers.

“I’m really happy to be back playing with the girls for my senior year of high school,” she said. “I’m still sort of confused about what I will be doing next year, but right now I’m just concerned about making it to state.”

With Mitchum back in the fold, it gives Friendswood the fire-power to knock off the regional powers, before a much anticipated match-up against Lake Travis – the No. 2 team in the country.

“They are a tremendous team that has played with each other for so long,” Beck said. “They are the favorites right now, but we’d love to face them in the finals.”