SMHS VOLLEYBALL
The Rattlers will be under new leadership as former Texas State setter Ryann Torres will take over the program following the departure of former head coach Megann Ollett.
After leading Texas State to a conference championship and earning conference tournament MVP, Torres is excited to start.
“It means a lot,” Torres said. “I was grateful that the opportunity and the door was open for me, and I’m just excited to get started and just create relationships with these athletes.”
On the hiring of Torres, Athletic Director John Walsh was impressed with the former Texas State’s setter ability to handle adversity.
“One of the biggest things that drew me to trying to get Ryann to be our volleyball coach was how she handled her career,” Walsh said. “She’s one of the best setters to come out of high school in her class, and she goes to Texas State with one of the best setters in college with Emily Dewalt sitting there in front of her. ... To me, that says a whole lot. She understands what it’s like to be the superstar, and she understands what it’s like to be behind a superstar.
“The way she handled herself and then, when it was her turn, the way she took advantage of those opportunities and led them to the conference championship [was outstanding].”
Former Texas State setter Ryann Torres was named the new head volleyball coach for the San Marcos Rattlers. Torres takes over the program, which looks to snap their one-year playoff drought. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
Walsh also felt it was important to hire someone who is familiar with San Marcos and the area in general, which made Torres a perfect choice as a graduate of Hays High School.
“When you’re just familiar with the city of San Marcos in general and you’ve been in this area for so long, the learning curve is smaller,” Walsh said. “If you hire someone that’s from another part of the state, there’s a whole other learning curve. They have to learn the city and the people. Ryann is [from] the city and [one] the people, so we’re in good shape.”
Despite graduating from Texas State this past semester, Torres is experienced in coaching volleyball, having coached club volleyball for the past three years.
“It’s definitely a grind, but it’s great,” Torres said. “Every season you are assigned a new team and you get to connect with a lot of different players. You learn a lot about yourself as a coach as well and what your purpose is.”
In fact, Torres has been working towards becoming a head coach throughout her volleyball career.
“I wanted to do coaching in the middle of my sophomore year at college,” Torres said. “I changed my major over that Christmas Break. I think how much of the culture shock going into college was for me, in a good way, and I just wanted to pursue that on the other side of it.
“Just realizing what the game has brought me going all the way up until that point throughout my sophomore season. I just wanted to be a part of it for sure.”
Now taking over the Rattler program, Torres hopes to bring out the team’s love for volleyball and allow them to embrace the grind of the sport.
“Obviously as a 23-yearold going into this role, it’s gonna be hard,” Torres said. “It’s gonna be a grind, but the goals I have for the program is for these girls to love volleyball and love the grind of it. That’s something that I’ve learned throughout my college experience. High school is pretty challenging but just … just for them loving volleyball, creating relationships with them and just having a strong community is my biggest priority going into this.”
The Rattlers will take the court this August for two-a-days.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
