The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
The Millikan Rams have been a program on the rise under head coach Antoinette De La Espriella. Millikan went 8-4 to finish third in the Moore League last year but got a big program win over Wilson, and the Rams then powered their way to a Division 4 quarterfinal run in the CIF-SS playoffs. They lost a few big players from that team, but return a strong core that should make for a fun 2025 season.
“We actually have a lot of our core players coming back from last year, which is great,” said De La Espriella. “We have a pretty good balance of what we need this year to compete and hopefully make another deep CIF run.”
The biggest “addition” for Millikan may be a player they had last year: senior Sophia Orbiso. Injuries hampered Orbiso’s season last year, but she’s back at full strength as a true centerpiece libero.
“We’ve definitely strived to want more each year,” said Orbiso. “The biggest goal is to try to take Moore League this year. We’re definitely a lot more scrappy, and we won’t let the ball die. That’s our specialty–we’re scrappy and we have a lot of grit.”
Orbiso is definitely a leader in that regard but the team has plenty of returning talent. Setter Lila Walters returns with plenty of options around her, including Bethany Arnold and Sarah Thaut outside, as well as Cheyenne Lander and Gabriella Islas.
First team oppo Aubrey Greene is a high-IQ player with a great block, who’s been known to step up with a big play when needed; she’ll be joined by sophomore Johanna Swerdloff.
The depth on the pins is letting De La Espriella play around with different systems for now. Their biggest challenge will be replacing last year’s talented middles. They’ll look to Willow Lebron and Estela Lopez, last year’s JV middles for the Rams, to hold down the fort.
Orbiso said the momentum in the program is palpable.
“The success we had on the Beach just pushed us to want more and more,” she said. “We’re excited for the season.”
