West Orange volleyball coach earns win No. 100 -- Observer Preps

WINTER GARDEN Earlier this fall, as West Orange volleyball coach Ross Usie sat down to rewatch his team's victory over Merritt Island Sept. 7 — a match that had been broadcast locally on Bright House Sports Network — he learned something about himself and his time the program.

Usie, who is in his sixth season as the Warriors' head coach, was closing in on 100 wins at West Orange.

"On the broadcast, they had my record when they showed my picture and some stats, and that's when I first realized it," Usie said. "I talked to my assistant coach and he's like 'yeah, you'll get it (win No. 100) this season.'"

Usie's win-total entering the Merritt Island game was 90. After the Warriors squeezed out a thrilling, come-from-behind victory that night, he was just nine wins away from the milestone — a mark he met Wednesday when West Orange swept visiting Ocoee to improve to 11-2 on the season.

Afterward, the Warriors celebrated with a cake and balloons and senior Cassidy Chorney, who has played for Usie since she was a freshman, remarked that she was excited for her coach.

"It's really great — he's such a good guy and such a good coach," Chorney said. "I'm pretty proud."

For his part, Usie — who is a graphic design teacher at Orange Technical College's Mid-Florida Campus and coaches at the club level for Top Select — said the milestone is more significant to him in a team context than anything.

"It's 100 wins for me, but it means 100 wins for the program — and that kind of means a lot to me," Usie said. 

After winning a combined 41 games his first three years at the helm, the Warriors made a big jump in the fourth year when they won 22 games. 

"After that (season) we took a big jump," Usie said. "We weren't even on the radar then, but I think now we are and it feels good."

The following season, the fall 2015 season, was the best ever for the program. The Warriors finished with 26 wins and earned the program's first playoff victory in advancing to the regional finals before being defeated by eventual state champion Winter Springs.

Usie admits that the program's growth has, in some ways, mirrored his own as a coach — a process that has been aided by his coaching elite club teams for Top Select. For a player like Chorney, who is in her fourth year playing for him, it has been a unique experience to watch her coach improve right along with her and the team.

"He really has grown — he takes it in stride all the time," Chorney said. "He just works hard."

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].