BILLINGS — The 2024 volleyball season was monumental for Baker, as the Spartans finished third at the Class B state tournament and hoisted the program’s first piece of state volleyball hardware.
But that just made their appetite even larger.
“We lost a lot of seniors last year, so just coming back into the gym with the same mindset — let's go back. Let's do better," senior Madison O'Connor said. "We all have the same motivation to keep getting better. Even though we lost such great girls, we lost a lot, every day we come into the gym wanting to do better and wanting each other to do better."
The past few years have represented a culture shift in Baker, as the Spartans have a state girls wrestling title, a state basketball title, a runner-up finish and that third place in volleyball.
“We have a bunch of really good athlete girls, especially, right now. In wrestling, in basketball, in track, in tennis — our girls got second at state tennis and came home with a doubles championship," Baker assistant coach Sheila O'Connor said.
"We've got a bunch of really competitive girls and their parents are competitive, and they're buying in putting time in the gyms. You go to our gym in Baker and it's packed and it's little girls. There are girls that don't even have sisters out there that can't wait to be Spartans."
We know what Madison O'Connor can bring to the table, as the Montana state basketball commit is as athletic as they come. But it’s the growth in the players around her, especially her sister Avery, that will allow Baker to reach its full potential.
“We really only have four girls with varsity experience. ... We have three girls playing all the way around that - it's just so fun to get this experience now and the next game you're ready for it," Sheila O'Connor said. "If we just got one percent better today, then we're 10 percent better by the end of the year and that's what we want."
That third-place breakthrough in 2024 could be the spark of a special run in Baker.
