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Rodeo champ ready to revive Indians
JAMES PARRISH
North Platte Bulletin
A decade after moving out-of-state to begin college and her coaching career in volleyball, Hershey High School graduate Hayley Kobza has returned to her home state to become the new head coach of volleyball at McCook Community College.
Kobza graduated in 2006 from Hershey High School, where she competed in volleyball and basketball as well as high school rodeo.
Kobza said it is an exciting opportunity to coach the Indians and be closer to her family.
"I'm ecstatic," she said. "I love getting to see my family every week," she said. "Having lived down south for 10 years, it really has made me realize how much I have missed seeing someone of relation to me more than twice a year."
Kobza went on to say, "As for the coaching, that is an added bonus. I love coaching and the fact that is so close to home, I feel like it was meant to be."
Despite coming in on short notice, Kobza said she is prepared for the season.
"As a coach, I don't make my girls do anything I couldn't do. I remember doing conditioning stations at Hershey and our coach at the time, Amy Beyer, joining in. She would rock, especially doing push-ups," Kobza recalled.
"She was a great role model, which is one of the most important things I learned from her.
After graduating from Hershey High School, Kobza didn't intend to play volleyball competitively.
As a two-time state rodeo champion in high school, she earned a rodeo scholarship to Southwestern Oklahoma State University, a NCAA Division II school in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Even so, Kobza didn't leave volleyball completely behind.
While playing intramural volleyball, she was spotted by an assistant coach, who encouraged her to try out for the school's official, inter-collegiate volleyball team.
Kobza made the team and played for a year with the Southwest Oklahoma Bulldogs.
After that season of play, Kobza was encouraged by Southwest Oklahoma Coach Bo Pagliasotti to become a volleyball coach.
Following his advice, Hayley became a graduate assistant for Southwest Oklahoma State, and -- two years later -- landed a head coaching job at Weatherford High School.
Kobza coached the Weatherford Eagles for a year, then she coached club volleyball in suburban Oklahoma City before becoming the head coach at Ranger College, a junior college in Texas.
Her stay in Ranger was short, as Hayley and her husband, Clay, decided they wanted to return to Nebraska.
Fortunately -- at about the same time -- the McCook Community College job came open and Hayley applied and was chosen for the job.
For Hayley, that was a godsend.
"I know that coaching is where my heart is. I was just waiting for something to open up and what are the chances one opened up just a little one an hour from my hometown," she said.
At McCook, Hayley Kobza has a challenge to make a moribund program competitive.
There's an old saying that, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going."
The only problem is that, when it comes to MCC volleyball, when the going got rough, it's was the coaches who got going ... away. Because of that, Kobza is the fourth McCook College volleyball coach in just four years.
In May of 2015, Scott Weston resigned after a year as coach and a former Indian player, Jasmine Pritchett was named interim coach. McCook had two wins and 40 losses last season under Pritchett and the school announced that Jon Froelich, the school's women's basketball coach, would become the new head volleyball coach.
But, in April, shortly before the 2015-16 college term ended, Froelich resigned from both positions, leaving MCC scrambling for coaches again.
The hope is that Kobza will be the one who ends that cycle and brings stability to the program.
Even so, Kobza doesn't hide the fact that it will be a challenge to create some positive momentum for the program.
"I think it will be rough for the first year or two," Kobza said. "While we are recruiting athletes, they need to understand that I believe in making this a great program and I want to put McCook Community College Lady Indian volleyball on the map."
Next, she emphasizes, "When the athletes realize that, they come for you as a coach and for the program. I am committed to McCook Community College. I would be perfectly content to stay here as long as they let me."
For Kobza and the Indians, the upside is the home gym.
The Peter and Delores Graff Event Center, which opened in 2012.
Also, Kobza may be able to bring in athletes that McCook hasn't had before.
In addition to volleyball talent from Nebraska, Kobza has connections in Texas and Oklahoma, which she has already put to use, recruiting a volleyball player from the San Antonio, Texas, area to play for the Indians this year.
All things considered, Kobza has a positive outlook for the McCook Community College Lady Indians volleyball program.
"The Peter and Delores Graff Events Center is for sure a huge plus for incoming recruits," Kobza said.
"Also," she said, "the way the McCook community helps and supports the college is great, too."
Kobza continued, "McCook has welcomed me with open arms and I believe they will do this with incoming players, too. On the recruiting side, I have lots of ties to the southern states and I am slowly connecting with McCook area schools as well."
This year, Kobza said she believes her first MCC team will work towards making improvement and kick-starting the turn-around for the McCook College Indians.
"I am connecting with this year's MCC volleyball team. I believe they have the drive and desire to be better than they were last year."