Anisa Salazar
Senior Editor
Randi Taylor-Toomay, formerly assistant volleyball coach, was recently named head coach.
Since joining the coaching staff in 2019, she has contributed to the legacy of success the team has upheld these last few seasons.
Taylor-Toomay is also an assistant professor of elementary education.
She played on the La Verne volleyball team for four years from 2009 to 2012 while earning her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, then also received her master of education with a special emphasis in physical education and her doctorate of education in organizational leadership, all from the University of La Verne.
Before returning to the University as a coach, Taylor-Toomay was the head coach for the girls’ and boys’ volleyball teams at Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona.
As Taylor-Toomay has grown as a coach and teacher, she said she is now driven by the process of success instead of the product.
“I found as a coach that if I can teach individuals to do things really well – do them the right way, be fundamentally sound and work really hard – we get those results that we want without having to say it,” Taylor-Toomay said.
Taylor-Toomay’s most recent notable moment with La Verne was as the team’s assistant coach, ending the season as the 2025 NCAA Division III National Runner-Up.
She has seen firsthand what the team has done to meet its goals of being nationally ranked.
Her love for sports also plays a role in her life outside of La Verne.
With two of her three sons playing baseball, her favorite thing to do is spend time with her family at the baseball field.
Lauren Gott, junior outside hitter, explained that Taylor-Toomay can relate to what the team is going through.
“She knows what has worked for this program and what hasn’t,” Gott said.
“She obviously is going to take some new coaching philosophies in and change things that she thinks need to change, but she also knows what has been working.”
When the process of looking for a new head coach began, it was clear to the women on the team how determined Taylor-Toomay was to keep things running smoothly.
Malia Capistrano, junior setter, says she finds it easy to trust Taylor-Toomay because of her familiarity with the team and seeing how she has managed to balance everything in her life.
“She even still recruited for us when she wasn’t named head coach yet,” Capistrano said.
“She did that knowing there was a chance she wouldn’t be hired, which shows how passionate she is about the school and program.”
Taylor-Toomay explained her appreciation for La Verne volleyball, how the program has led her to where she is today, and why this led her to decide to take the next step of becoming the head coach.
“I had this deep burning feeling that it has to be me because I owe that to myself as an alumni of this program,” Taylor-Toomay said.
“I owe that to the women who are still on the team. I owe that to the other alumni of this program and to myself to really push and try to be the best I can be, because I am a product of La Verne volleyball. I have to set that example.”
Going into this new season, the program is undergoing many changes.
There are big shoes to fill with the seniors who are leaving, recruits are being brought in and a new head coach is taking charge.
Zacky Coaston, junior middle blocker, said Taylor-Toomay taking over gave her peace of mind, knowing that not much would be changed with how the team was run.
“There was such a calming effect that she gave us when she came in,” Coaston said.
Taylor-Toomay said she is ready to embrace these new challenges that this position may hold for her, and loves to see the growth that each of her players makes.
She said her goal is for the players to leave La Verne being the best versions of themselves in whatever they decide to do in life because that is what La Verne volleyball taught them to do.
Anisa Salazar can be reached at anisa.salazar@laverne.edu.
Anisa Salazar is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is sports editor, social media editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times. She previously served as a staff writer.
Bajot Rathor is a senior organizational management major with a concentration in leadership and management, along with minors in photography and American law. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
