Volleyball Set to Defend Title

The Raiders enter the 2023 season having dominated the Patriot League in each of the last two years, coming away with back-to-back titles. 

Each championship was a feat in every sense of the word. Yet Colgate’s toughest challenge still lies ahead. 

Head Coach Ryan Baker, now in his 18th year at the helm, knows it — and he’s made sure that everyone in a maroon-and-white uniform knows it, too.

“They are very aware that the ‘X' on their backs continues to grow,” Baker said. “Doing this for quite some time, I know our success in the past does not mean it’s going to be an easy path for us this season.”

Colgate, picked No. 1 in a preseason conference poll, will have to battle through a Patriot League where the talent continues to improve. Most of the teams in the conference are bringing back the majority of its rosters from the previous season, Baker said.

“The league is more seasoned and experienced than probably I’ve seen in the last 15 years,” Baker said.

The loss of last year’s seniors poses another challenge for Colgate. While most teams appoint captains, the Raiders rely on their juniors and seniors to serve as leaders. And the veterans from the 2022 roster excelled in their roles on and off the court. 

There’s also a mammoth hole in the lineup caused by the departure of Julia Kurowski ’23, the reigning Player of the Year and one of the Patriot League’s most decorated volleyball athletes. She was a dominant force for Colgate, setting the program record in assists with 4,068, while guiding the team through thick and thin. 

“When you have a player who played in every single match for five straight years, and was in charge of the offense and was in charge of the player-competitive level and response level, I can tell we are certainly missing that,” Baker said.

Still, there are plenty of reasons why the expectations among the program are sky high. 

The Raiders are going forward with one of the most talented rosters Baker has coached. The team has a strong core that’s eager to build on the success of the previous season. The returning group includes Abby Shadwick, who landed on the 2023 Preseason All-Patriot League team.

Plus, there’s Harper Snyder, last year's Patriot League Tournament MVP, and veterans Sophie Thompson, Gillian Hauschild, Sydney Jones, and Taylor Cigna. 

Libby Overmyer, a Preseason All-Patriot League selection a year ago, continues to recover from a torn ACL that made her miss most of the 2022 season. But she could provide a major boost when she returns to the team.

In addition, five promising first-year student-athletes, each capable of making an immediate impact, will add to an already deep roster.

“I do feel we have some really good incoming players who have stepped up skill wise, but they’ll have to develop and evolve during the season,” Baker said. “From what I can tell right now, we are going to get better each week because the level of talent in the gym is higher. We just haven’t figured out yet how to play together.”

Baker also feels good about the talent and depth of his middle blockers.

“I don’t think we ever received much recognition in the conference for our middles,” Baker said. “I feel they are probably our most experienced and solid position group that Colgate has seen in a long time.”

Despite the challenges that await, the veterans of the team know what it takes to win and are eager to take over as leaders.

“This team is going to be more challenged than ever, but I also believe we have some people in the locker room who thrive on challenges, so I feel pretty good about that as well,” Baker said.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

There are various reasons why the Raiders are defending champs for a second-straight year. One crucial reason: Everyone maintained the standards of the program.

“We have some key things we talk about a lot in our program,” Baker said “Commitment level, camaraderie, being a bunch of people who love competing. I feel we upheld the standards of the program at a really elite level.”

And then there’s having strong leaders who lead by example.

“The last piece is having amazing leadership within the team. Our locker room and off-the-court was so strong that it led to great results on the court.”

Volleyball finished the 2022 season at 24-6, the best record in Baker’s Colgate career. The team went 14-2 against conference opponents and had a 12-0 record at home. 

Colgate is in a rare position of entering the season with a chance at a third-consecutive title. It’s an opportunity that’s impossible to ignore. But the challenge for Colgate will be to eliminate distractions, stay hungry, and avoid remaining complacent. 

There’s also a long road and lots of work ahead if the Raiders want to raise the league trophy again.

“If we don’t stick to the process, those back-to-back-to-back things don’t happen,” Baker said. 

WINNING CHANGES EVERYTHING

The success from the last two seasons has had a noticeable impact on recruiting.

Colgate is drawing interest from players who had opportunities to commit to bigger D-I programs — and from athletes in other parts of the world.

The five incoming freshmen include Lal Akin, who hails from Istanbul, Turkey. She was recently selected for Turkey’s U19 world team, the country’s top volleyball squad. 

She had opportunities to play at larger D-I programs. She chose Colgate for its academics and the success of its volleyball program.

“Winning can definitely change your recruiting and the type of players you’re able to attract,” Baker said. “It definitely has had a major impact on the program as far as exposure and interest level.”

Baker has also seen a big change in his ability to schedule matches against tougher opponents. 

“Scheduling is a very interesting part of my job and an important part of the job,” Baker said. “With our recent success, more teams want to play us because it also has a chance to boost their RPI.”

The rating percentage index (RPI) is used to rank sports teams based on their win-loss record and the strength of its schedule. 

One team that Baker is excited to face is West Virginia, a Big 12 powerhouse. The Mountaineers will visit Hamilton, N.Y., for the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament starting on Sept. 7. 

“The fact that they are traveling to Hamilton speaks a lot to our program. It will be a great match in our venue,” Baker said.

WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF

Baker and Assistant Volleyball Coach Michelle Meehan use extreme care in creating a non-conference schedule. The goal each year is to challenge the team by seeing how it responds early on to tough competition.

West Virginia is just one example. The Raiders began the season last weekend in Columbia, Mo., for the Mizzou Classic, where they battled Central Arkansas, Illinois State, and Missouri. Colgate went 2-1 and nearly swept the tournament, but fell shy of a win during a five-set marathon against the hosting Tigers. 

Still, it was an encouraging start for Baker’s team, which will take on Western Kentucky, James Madison, and Penn State next weekend. Later in September, Colgate will face Syracuse, and Cornell before conference matches begin. 

Baker said the non-conference schedule is a quick way to learn the character of the team, its strengths and weaknesses, and how student-athletes respond to wins and losses.

“I’m a firm believer in scheduling a very challenging non-conference schedule because I want to see what our team is made of,” Baker said. “Wins or losses, to me, are not as important as how we challenge and how we fight and how we respond and how we stick together because if you haven’t figured it out before league starts, you’re generally in trouble.”