New leadership
Orman takes over Kofa volleyball program
The area’s most successful high school volleyball program is under new leadership.
Makyla Orman, 23, has taken over as Kofa’s new head coach in place of Brittany Garcia, who guided the Kings to state in all six of her seasons in charge.
The recently married Garcia moved to California earlier this year, and the Kings were slow to fill the opening, with Orman
not coming aboard until last month.
“I think it’s an awesome opportunity,” Orman said. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know the girls and to the season. It’s been a slow start, because (players) are used to (training) all summer long, but people have slowly gotten to know each other. They’re putting in the work, and I’m really excited to see how the season turns out.”
Orman was alluding to the fact that without a coach in place much of the summer, workouts weren’t as organized. She called the summer “a weird transition period” for the program.
Perhaps that has allowed some of the other programs in the area to gain a bit of ground on the Kings, but judging by last year, a whole lot of ground will have needed to be gained if anybody wants to supplant Kofa as the area’s volleyball power.
The Kings are coming off one of their best-ever seasons, which saw them post a 17-1 regular-season record and earn the No. 12 seed in the 6A state tournament — though they lost in the playin round.
Kofa, which opens the 2018 campaign Monday at Imperial (Calif.), dropped just one set all last season to a local opponent.
Though 2017 Yuma Sun Player of the Year Laura Sanderson and all-region libero Chloe Garcia are no longer around, three key contributors off last year’s Kofa team are back — including two-time all-region selections Keiley Sharp, a senior right-side/outside hitter, and Isabel Ponce, a senior setter.
Sharp led the area in both kills (198) and aces (79) last year.
“I love her energy,” Orman said of Sharp, the reigning Yuma Sun Female Athlete of the Year. “She’s our captain, and she’s awesome. She’s very helpful with me. Having a new coach is a struggle, and she’s handled it so well.”
Ponce ranked top-10 in 6A in assists last year with 640.
Also back for Kofa is senior outside hitter Pam Aguilar, who contributed 74 kills and 68 digs last season.
Senior libero Karen Rivas and senior middle blocker Jocelyn Weber also saw varsity action a year ago.
“We have six returners (including senior Jyannell Guerrero), and they’ve been awesome, and then I have five (players) who are sophomores and juniors and another senior who’s not a returner, and they look really good,” Orman said. “They’re practicing really, really hard, and they’re improving every single day.
“It’s definitely going to be an interesting year. I’m excited to see what happens.”
Orman is very familiar with the program’s expectations, as she herself is a Kofa graduate (Class of 2013) and played volleyball under Brittany Garcia in 2012.
Orman has had a coaching role the previous two years at Yuma High, where she worked with the Criminals’ volleyball and girls basketball programs. She’s currently a student at ASU-Yuma studying to become a teacher, and initially wasn’t planning to coach this year because she wasn’t sure she could handle both it and school.
That changed when Kofa’s job came open, and it was actually Sharp, Orman said, who encouraged her to apply.
Orman said that Garcia, from afar, has helped her here and there with her transition into her new role, as far as tips on what drill exercises to run and what works and what doesn’t.
“She was a really great coach,” Orman said, “so I’m hoping she coaches me enough where I can continue her legacy.”