Montezuma has hired its new head volleyball coach, and it’s a person Activities Director Tim Burgess is genuinely excited about.
Her name will soon be Rylie Little. She’s 22 years old, and has a lot of BGM and a little bit of Albia in her background.
That should be a hint . . .her name is Rylie Rohrer now, but if all goes as planned, it’ll by Rylie Little in about a month, after she is adopted by her stepdad, Keith Little.
And Keith Little, you’ll recall, is a former Montezuma teacher and coach who went on to Albia.
More about that later . . .
Burgess is the volleyball coach that Little will replace at Montezuma. “I am very excited to have her leading our program,” Burgess said.
Mackenzie James, a former Bravette, will be her assistant coach.
“Coach James and her will make a great staff and I expect them to have a positive impact on the Bravettes,” Burgess said.
This will be Rylie’s first head coaching job. She was an assistant girls basketball coach at BGM two years ago, and was a junior high volleyball coach there, also.
She also served as a junior high girls basketball coach at Red Oak, a junior high volleyball coach, and as a volunteer assistant in track.
Little played in a strong BGM program coached by Gary Schroeder until after her junior volleyball season. “Then, I went to Albia to be with Keith, and mom. I missed mom,” Rylie said.
She graduated from Albia in 2017.
There is no teaching job connected with this coaching position. Rylie works at Jeld-Wen, Inc., in Grinnell, as a warranty assistant.
Asked why Burgess might have chosen her, Rylie said, “I have a go-getter attitude. I’m a driven person. I’m passionate about helping girls become young women and helping them contribute to society.”
“I’m young,” Rylie said, “and I want to learn.”
Coach Little is aware of Montezuma’s recent history of volleyball success. “I think it (the program) can be compared with Belle Plaine’s,” she said. “We will be fighting with them.”
“With all of the changes last year, Montezuma’s girls did a good job holding themselves together. It’s a strong group,” she said.
Regarding playing style, “I have an open mindset,” Little said. “I want to see where the girls are at first.”
“I was a setter my entire playing career,” Little said, “until I got to Albia, where I became a libero. “That was a shock to my mind.”
About Mackenzie James, Coach Little noted “we played each other in sports. I’m excited to see what we can do.”
That last statement includes the Montezuma players. “I’m here for them,” Coach Little said.