In addition to coaching the women’s volleyball team at Monroe University-Bronx, Odaly Aponte-Orta coaches high school (IN-Tech Academy) and club volleyball (Legacy Volleyball) in the Bronx, which gives her a bird’s-eye view of the best talent in New York City. This is especially valuable in assembling a highly competitive team, which is evident in the success the Express have had, including three straight district championships, including a Region 15 title in 2023.
“The key to everything is recruiting, finding the right kids,” Aponte-Orta said. “Since I coach in high school, I’m able to recruit kids that play for me in high school and also other kids in the city that I’m exposed to. I currently have on my team, three kids who played with me in the club.”
Volleyball is a fall sport, so the team needs to be focused on teamwork right from the start because the season is over before the fall semester ends. As of now, Aponte-Orta said they are finding their rhythm. “They need to find common ground, and the most important thing is that everybody has to be on the same page,” she said. “With my program, I tend to have the girls very busy. That way, they don’t lose focus on what they need to be doing.”
Aponte-Orta hopes to impact the culture of volleyball, bringing more girls and women of color into the sport. “It’s so important to recruit inner city kids,” she said. “Schools that are Division I and Division II…are looking for kids already developed in their game. There is so much talent hidden in the city that we can find, polish, and take them to the level that they can go to a Division I program.”
Monroe University-Bronx is a four-year institution, but sports compete for two years in National Junior College Athletic Association competition. Attention for Monroe volleyball has increased since Aponte-Orta became head coach. Nine players have gone on to four-year programs. The increased national attention to volleyball, such as pro leagues and college teams that draw huge crowds, is motivating.
“This season, our goal, like always, is to make it to the national tournament,” Aponte-Orta said. “It is something that is very big for our school because…it was something a school from the Bronx with Black and brown kids had never accomplished before. … We want to bring these kids’ skills to a level that they can go to a four-year school with a scholarship.”