Marquez officially joins volleyball staff

The Lady Warriors staff is complete with (L-R) Carmern Marquez, Jaden Jones and Ambriel Mauldin.
Russell Huffman | El Defensor Chieftain

New assistant volleyball coach Carmen Marquez wasted no time when Socorro High School issued her a letter of intent. She signed the document the same day it was offered on July 5.

Getting things almost finalized relieves Marquez, who admitted she was a little nervous because she wanted the job. Her hiring brings the Lady Warriors volleyball coaching staff to full strength under new head coach Jaden Jones.

“It was a feeling of relief, to be quite honest, because even though coach Jones asked me to be her assistant, you still have that little bit of self-doubt that it’s going to happen,” Marquez said. “I was relieved that I got the call.”

Jones believes it is a great fit for her Lady Warriors.

“I’m excited for her to bring her PT stuff to work, and it’s almost like having a personal trainer with us,” Jones said. “I like her mentality, and I think all three of us (Asst. Ambriel Mauldin) are like-minded regarding structure and respect.”

Marquez has been working with the Lady Warriors since Jones asked her if she was interested in coaching. Before making the decision, the new coach had to weigh laying aside her considerable photography skills during her daughter Jayden Kayser’s senior season.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the girls can do once they set their mind to something and have a sense of true positivity with the change in leadership. I think these girls are more capable than they even believe,” Marquez said. “I’ve been training and educating my son Landon on how to work the camera and how to record and how he should do things.”

Marquez is joining a Socorro volleyball team reloading this season. Next year, may be a different story with Jones facing a rebuilding period if more younger players don’t start start expressing interest in playing.

“I think we need to be with the older girls showing up. I wish we had more younger girls because most of them are seniors. I have two juniors, a sophomore and a freshman,” Jones said. “We’re putting in the work. We’re trying to get to know each other because it’s different being a head coach.”

Things will be different for Kayser, with her mom going from sideline photographer to assistant coach, but the senior is taking it all in stride.

“It’s pretty interesting that she’s not only my boss at home but also on the court. I mean, I appreciate her getting on to me because I know she’s just trying to push me to do my best along with the other girls,” Kayser said. “There’s not any added pressure because all my coaches are like parental figures already, so it feels pretty normal.”

The Lady Warriors season gets underway on Aug. 22 with an in-county match against Magdalena, and Socorro will be at home against Estancia and Robertson on Aug. 24 and 29.