By Ray Hamill — A new head coach and a new-look roster of players at College of the Redwoods have had to battle some adversity early in the new volleyball season, but the CR women have faced that head on and are not backing down from the challenge.

First-year head coach Macy Thomas, who took over in the offseason from Kayla Costello, is quickly adapting to her new role.

So too are the CR players, despite losing a key player to injury early in the campaign.

“We have a very hard-working group,” Thomas said ahead of a trip to Oregon to play three games this weekend. “We’ve already had to face a little bit of adversity and they’re still enthusiastic and trusting in the process.

“And I really appreciate them rolling with the punches.

“They’re just a fun group and I really enjoy just being around them.”

Thomas has a roster of eight players this year, but the loss of influential middle blocker/outside hitter Qunicy Collins to injury has not helped the team early in the season.

The coaches and players are waiting to see if the former Arcata standout and league champion will return this year and her absence has been felt.

“She’s amazing,” Thomas said of Collins. “She’s definitely kind of the backbone to our team and seeing her go down was not easy. We’re just taking it one day at time right now.”

The team’s two returning sophomores — Roenn Doran and Lily Rust-Kelley — have been providing some much-needed team leadership in Collins’ absence and have both impressed the new coach with their approach to the game.

Doran, a former McKinleyville Panther, has shown tremendous improvement this fall and is playing a particularly key role for the team, while Rust-Kelley, a former Arcata Tiger, has been setting the tone for her teammates with her demeanor on and off the court.

“Those two sophomores have just impressed me by stepping up,” Thomas said. 

“Roenn is incredibly versatile and hasn’t left the court all season. We definitely rely on her. And she’s crafty and she’s really determined to get better.

“Lily is just a calming presence on the court and you can see a lot more maturity in her (this season).”

One player who has hit the ground running this fall and has adapted seamlessly to the collegiate game is former Hoopa Warrior Millennia McKindley.

The freshman standout is playing middle blocker and has already shown a lot of improvement.

“She has really grown the most of anyone on our team in the few weeks I’ve been working with her,” Thomas added.  “We’ve really seen some rapid improvement from Millennia.”

Thomas is also adjusting to the JC game after spending a lot of time coaching at the youth, club and high school levels.

The former Cal Poly Humboldt player got her start as a coach at the college level as a graduate assistant coach with the Jacks in 2023.

And she says that experience has helped her a lot at CR.

“This is my first (head coaching) job at the college level and I was so excited to take such a big step,” she said. “But honestly it’s been seamless. That experience (at CPH) has helped. I’m doing so many of the same things and that has set me up so well.”

Working with experienced assistant coach Rachel Evans also has helped Thomas with the transition.

Evans brings a wealth of experience to the table, including coaching at Eureka High and St. Bernard’s.

“Her and I work really well together, and we’ve been working in the area together for several years,” Thomas said. 

This year’s team also includes Isabella Campbell (Arcata), Anisha Mae Rechelluul (Eureka), Olivia Hammer (Kelseyville) and Callie Coffey (Grass Valley).

The CR women, who are 1-4 on the season, will play three games in Oregon this week, matching up against Southwestern Oregon, Treasure Valley and Lane College.

The team’s next home game won’t be until Oct. 15  against Shasta.