Odaly Aponte-Orta is adept at multitasking. In addition to being the head women’s volleyball coach at Monroe University-Bronx, she is a high school physical education teacher and coach at IN-Tech Academy in the Bronx, and a club coach. Growing up in Puerto Rico, she loved volleyball and played wherever she could. After moving to New York City, she started coaching, searching for young women who shared her love of the sport and a desire to compete.
“If you love what you do, you are super committed to doing it,” Aponte-Orta said. “Some of the kids are immigrants. They’re trying to accomplish some of the dreams I had as a kid. That’s enough to give you the drive to try to make sure that these kids accomplish what they want.”
Under Aponte-Orta’s leadership, the team has seen considerable success. Last year, the Express earned a trip to the NJCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball National Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They started this season 6–2 (Saturday’s match was cancelled due to the weather), asserting a dominant presence in Region 15.
“These kids want to fulfill their dreams when it comes to education and at the same time play,” said Aponte-Orta. “Me working as a coach also in high school, you come around a lot of kids…who want to play. There are two girls on the team who used to play against each other in high school. Some of these are kids who played for me in high school or kids I saw when we go to play at their schools. I also go to Puerto Rico to recruit.”
In addition to on-court success, Monroe University-Bronx volleyball has been developing a following on social media, much of it focused on sophomore middle blocker Sarai Hernandez (#1), who has excellent court skills and an impressive head of hair. “She went viral on social media,” said Aponte-Orta. “People are going crazy over her.”
Monroe is a four-year university, but the sports compete against two-year programs. Despite constant turnover, there have been several returning student-athletes this year, which helps team chemistry. In addition, some of the first-years are friends with the sophomores. “We do a lot of team bonding at the beginning to make sure that everybody connects, not only in volleyball but in their everyday lives,” Aponte-Orta said. “Once they have that connection, it translates to the court.”
Next up for the Express are two matches on Saturday — first up is Fashion Institute of Technology and then Borough of Manhattan Community College.
