MONTICELLO, Ark. – Today (July 24) Arkansas-Monticello Director of Athletics, Hud Jackson, announced Arlicia Ortiz as the seventh head volleyball coach in program history. Ortiz will take on the leadership of Monticello’s program after spending this past season as the Assistant Coach at Fayetteville State University.
“We are extremely excited about Coach Ortiz becoming our new head volleyball coach,” said Jackson. “Coach Ortiz comes to us from Fayetteville State, where she was an assistant coach and had an outstanding career as a player. We believe she will push our volleyball program to new heights and make us competitive in the Great American Conference. Her passion for the game will create a culture our community will be very proud of.”
Ortiz returned to Fayetteville State University in 2023 for her third season as an Assistant Volleyball Coach under Dr. Reeshemah Johnson.
“I’m so blessed to be starting this new adventure with UAM,” said Ortiz. “I’d like to thank Coach Jackson and the Athletic Department for bringing me in. The support that everyone has already provided has been amazing. The sky is the limit for this program, and the young ladies and I are eager to put in some work to take it there. Go Blossoms!”
Before her time as an assistant, Ortiz was a player for the Broncos, competing in 53 total matches over her two-year career. Between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, she saw two All-Conference nods, a first-team selection as a libero in 2016, followed by a second-team vote as a utility in 2017. The Broncos saw a conference tournament finals appearance in 2016, where Ortiz was selected to the all-tournament team. In 2017 she was named the CIAA Co-Woman of the Year Honoree alongside Sydney Holland, a fellow volleyball player from Winston-Salem State.
She is a Spanaway, Washington native, has four siblings, and two Staffordshire terriers. She graduated in 2017 with FSU Dean’s List recognition and won first place in the CIAA Coca-Cola Scholarship Essay Contest in 2017. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Ortiz is a two-time Disney College Program participant and has proven to be a major contributor to her community. She volunteers for non-profits and at hospitals, in addition to mentoring youth through various clinics and camps.
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