When the Sedona Red Rock High School volleyball team takes the court in the fall, it will have many returning players from last season’s squad. The SRRHS team will also have some new faces, including new head coach Alex Bybee.
She was hired to replace John Parks, who stepped down after last season. Bybee described volleyball as her first love. She began playing in middle school and continued through high school in Orange County, Calif. She began coaching for the Ascent Volleyball Club in Flagstaff in 2018 and coached the Flagstaff High School freshmen team in 2019.
Bybee is eager to pass her knowledge and passion for volleyball down to the Scorpions when the season finally begins.
“I’m really thrilled to start another volleyball season,” she said. “I love coaching and I love the sport. Volleyball is my first love, always. I am looking forward to continuing the legacy of success with this team and looking forward to getting back to it, getting in the gym as soon as possible so that we can get back to work.”
Bybee will take over a team that knows how to win. In 2019, the Scorpions went 16-1 overall in the regular season and won the 2A Central Region with an 11-1 record. They qualifiedfor the postseason as a No.4 seed and reached the state quarterfinals before the season finally came to an end. Gone from last year’s squad are six seniors including starters Morgan Fritz, Amari Sonn and Mary Westervelt, as well as key reserves Kaitlyn Akerele, Liz Corral-Diaz and Odalis Robles.
Despite that, Bybee will inherit a squad that is not only experienced, but could also play together for the next two to three seasons.
Aside from the six seniors, everyone else on Sedona’s varsity team last year was either a freshman or a sophomore. One of those players is Emma Beattie, who was named All-Region Second Team in the 2A Central Region as a sophomore. Beattie is one of four starters set to return for the Scorpions.
“[Athletic director Don Burton] has told me that we have a lot of really talented girls, which is awesome for me,” Bybee noted. “I think that means that John really built them up well, which I’m really excited to see in action. I know they had a great season and I know they’ve had great seasons in the past. My understanding is there’s a big picture of success with them.”
In addition to coaching the volleyball team, Bybee will also be a PE teacher at SRRHS. She will focus on strength training in the weight room, taking over the job of former PE teacher and football coach Bob Young.
“Originally Sedona wasn’t even on my radar,” Bybee said. “I was planning on going to Phoenix. I’m not originally from Arizona so my understanding of Arizona is like Flagstaff, Sedona, Phoenix. So that was where I was headed. Then the club director of the volleyball club I coach at forwarded me an email from Mr. Burton that they were looking for a PE teacher and a volleyball coach. I thought, ‘That’s me, I meet that description.’ So I emailed him back, interviewed with them two days later and they offered me the job that same evening.
“I love Sedona. I’ve been coming here on vacation since I was a little kid,” she added. “I just never figured that I’d get to work here.”
Bybee did acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic poses some challenges. But she also feels up to handle them. Bybee attributed that to the PE teacher program at Northern Arizona University, as well as the teaching program that she went through as the pandemic grew and forced teachers to adjust to online schooling. If the situation continues to call for that, Bybee feels that she’ll be ready.
“Obviously I wasn’t anticipating starting my first job in the middle of a worldwide crisis,” she said. “But if we roll with the punches, we’ll figure it out. There’s never been a time when I really was like, ‘I can’t do this because I can’t figure it out.’ It is what it is. Adapt, continue and do your best.”
One thing about SRRHS that appeals to Bybee is that it’s a small school. This will give her more of a chance to build relationships with students and athletes, she said.
“I’m just really looking forward to being a part of the community at the high school here and the coaching community,” she added. “I’m looking forward to the season. Whatever happens with how they organize going back to school, we’ll be successful. I’ll make sure that my kids are successful. It’s all about them. You figure things out for them.”
