MORO – In their first three seasons as varsity volleyball players, incoming seniors Brittney Orendorff and Emily Hill have been part of a Sherman volleyball program that has won 15 of 62 matches.
With new head coach Amy Huffman back at the helm, the standout duo is looking forward to finishing their high school careers with a playoff berth and possibly more.
All-in-all, Hill is happy to have a fresh start.
“This upcoming season is going to be a lot of fun but, at the same time, challenging, which will be a good change,” Hill said. “We’re all really excited to have coach Huffman back. We saw a lot of great things happen for the team a couple years back when she was coaching and I’m excited to see everyone want to work hard and play for such a great coach.”
In her two seasons as coach in 2011 and 2012, Huffman led the Huskies to 21 wins, eight in league action, and back-to-back second-place finishes in the Big Sky Conference.
Once coach Carrie Danchok resigned from her post as Husky head coach earlier this summer, Huffman had the itch to get back into the coaching mix at her high school alma mater.
“I am excited to step into coaching again and know that my players need clear, high expectations from the start of the season,” Huffman said. “It’s my job to motivate and push these girls and encourage them to do things on the volleyball court they didn’t think they could do. Some of my best memories come from high school team sports and I want to have my players experience that as well.”
Huffman graduated from Sherman High School in 2000 and played volleyball, basketball and tennis, and helped her team to the 2A state tournament in all sports.
In her time at Sherman, Huffman received all-league and all-state awards for her play on the volleyball court.
After high school, Huffman received a scholarship to play volleyball at Chaminade University in Honolulu, HI.
She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in marketing and sociology, and later earned a Master’s degree from Eastern Oregon University in early childhood development and elementary education.
From her playing and coaching experience, Huffman soaked in years of knowledge and learned what it takes to run practices, devise game plans and develop high-level players.
“When I think back to successful coaches that I had and coaches of successful teams, they all hold players to very high expectations and players have to commit 100 percent to the team mentality,” Huffman said. “Players need to take responsibly for their actions, as well as the actions of their team. A solid foundation and good old fundamentals are key at this level.”
Last season, the Huskies had 20 players show up for preseason camp and tryouts and only graduated three seniors off that roster.
There is a good core of veteran leaders and up-and-coming underclassmen returning.
“We will have a younger team once again, but I believe the great coaching and senior leadership is what will make us so successful this season,” Orendorff said. “Also, every single person, whether they are on or off the bench, will play a key part in setting the tone of how we will work together and what kind of energy we will bring to each game. The upcoming players, with their eagerness, excitement, hard work ethic and willingness to learn new things, is what will keep our team going.”
When building her roster, Huffman is looking for a certain skill set that will help the team post more wins and make a deeper run into the postseason.
She wants players who buy into the team mentality, put the team first, and who have the desire to be the best that they can be.
Huffman will also rely on her seniors to play more of prominent role in the leadership category.
“I am excited to work with all of the players,” Huffman said. “It’s exciting to come into a season with a fresh start for both the players and coaches and I hope they are as excited about the upcoming season as I am.”
After an injury-plagued 2015 sport season, Orendorff is healthy, fired up and ready to hit the ground running for 2016.
The senior and her teammates are moving full speed ahead, looking for a chance at redemption, to finish strong and show what they are made of.
“Our girls train hard, during the season and in the offseason, so it’s great that we have a coach that can put our hard work to good use,” Orendorff said. “I believe you’ll see a completely different team than you’ve seen the last few seasons. After knowing that coach Huffman will be coaching us, it’s definitely brought a lot of hope and excitement to everyone.”
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