BOZEMAN — On Tuesday, the Gallatin volleyball team swept through Billings Skyview to climb to 21-0 for the first time in program history.
Raptors coach Erika Gustavsen explained what she said to her team in a huddle after the match.
"They got pretty excited when I just said, ‘Well, congratulations you made school history of being 21-0,’ but I also feel like they’re very focused on next match at time," she explained. "So, it’s one at a time."
That mentality has helped in managing the target of being the defending state champions.
"We really welcome the pressure," Raptors senior Makayla Coleman said. "We know that it’s going to be there, especially winning (state) last year, we know that starting the season it was going to be there, so (it’s) continuing to step up."
This Gallatin squad is a mixture of returners from the state title team, along with some new faces that have quickly become key contributors.
"Yeah, I really like the fact that we returned five from last year’s state championship team, and so I think just their leadership and their experience has shown," Gustavsen said. "But to be completely honest with you, the five new (players) have settled in, and they’re leaders as well."
The group of athletes also credits their coaching staff for being able to achieve such success.
"It’s pretty amazing because you know you can always go talk to them, you know they’re not going to yell at you, and you know when they critique you, it’s always in a good way," Coleman explained.
In turn, Gustavsen explained how much this team has meant to her and her staff.
"This senior class is the first class that came in with our coaching staff, so this is the full group for the first time, where I think everything is really balanced," she explained. "People are where they want to be. Our program hasn’t lost any matches yet, on all five teams, so that’s a really huge accomplishment that shows the strength of our program and something we’re really proud of."
When asked if another state title is the next goal on this team's list, Coleman replied frankly: "Yeah, it is."
