AURORA – After challenging the dynastic Merino Rams for the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Girls Volleyball 1A State Championship a season ago, the Simla Cubs and standout underclassman Carlee Cox have the rest of the classification on notice.
Nestled in the small town of Simla lies one of Colorado’s proudest girl’s volleyball traditions, cultivated by 2023 CHSAA Hall of Fame Inductee Sue Snyder. Over the past 30 years, the Cubs have advanced to the CHSAA’s Girls Volleyball State Championship Game seven times, walking away with the state crown twice.
Following Coach Snyder’s retirement, protégé Kelly Kocherha has picked up right where the legendary former coach left off, with a top-eight result in 2022 and a state championship appearance in 2023.
“It has been an honor to carry on the leadership of this program from Coach Snyder,” Kocherha said. “Nearly all of our coaching staff were coached by Coach Snyder, so I think that is a pretty special tribute to her and the legacy that she left. I am so grateful for everything she has done for me, our program, our school, our community, and our sport. She’s an amazing lady and still a huge mentor and special part of my life.”
Following the runner-up finish a season ago, Coach Kocherha is primed to continue adding to the program’s luster over the coming seasons. The Cubs are one of just two Class 1A girls volleyball programs to boast two returning All-State student-athletes, with senior Meadow Nusbaum and the aforementioned sophomore – Carlee Cox.
Last season, Cox became just the second girls volleyball player (Tatum Sharp, Thompson Valley, 2021) over the past five seasons, across all classifications, to earn a CHSAA first-team All-State selection in he freshman season of high school competition.
“Carlee loves to compete,” the Cubs’ head coach shared. “This past year’s state championship runner-up was such a great experience for our team, and to be on that court as a freshman was an amazing experience for Carlee. Carlee is a smart, well-rounded player. She can terminate play in the front row and also feed the offensive system through her serve receive passing and defensive play in the back row. She has an amazing work ethic and the loss of the championship last season continues to fuel her to work harder.”
Cox led all freshmen in the state last year with the highest hitting percentage (.273), the most kills (307), and the most kills per set (3.3), while her 61 aces were good for seventh-most.
Fueling that success, in part, was Cox’s lack of discomfort with making the leap from middle school to high school.
“I was probably more excited than intimidated because I thought it was fun to compete against older student-athletes,” Cox said. “I remember attending the state volleyball tournament before I was in high school, and I watched many talented players. Last year I was just excited to be able to compete against some of them.”
“Carlee has a calming demeanor and is able to maintain an even disposition on the court through the ups and downs,” Coach Kocherha echoed. “She is a great, level-headed competitor. She has amazing teammates around her as well, and it is so fun to see the different contributions each member brings and watch it create a special dynamic.”
Impressively, that cool composure has helped Cox from feeling added pressure after her All-State nod.
“Carlee knows that being an All-State athlete requires so many contributions by her entire team, so I don’t think she has ever seen that as an individual accomplishment or felt any pressure surrounding her future contributions,” Kocherha explained. “She has been very blessed to be surrounded by great players who have helped contribute to that level of success.”
When reflecting on the notion of resting on her laurels, Cox is quick to set the record straight.
“This year is a new season with a new team, and I know I have a lot of room for improvement this year to grow my game,” the star underclassman responded.
So far this season, through nine matches, Cox and the Cubs look to be making good on their desire to take a step forward this season. At 9-0, Simla has yet to drop a set, let alone a match, and Cox has upped her game to lead the team with 4.4 kills per set and a .319 hitting percentage. She’s also second on the squad in digs per set (2.9) and third in total blocks (6).
CHSAA’s Girls Volleyball State Championship Tournaments will begin on Thursday, Nov. 14, with the state championship finals being played on Saturday, Nov. 16.