Ryan Baker begins his third season as the head coach of the Colgate volleyball program. An energetic and passionate young coach, Baker has helped lead Raider volleyball back to Patriot League prominence in just two seasons.
After leading Colgate to one if its finest seasons in recent memory in his inaugural year, Baker once again was at the forefront of another memorable season.
He was recognized by his peers as the Patriot League Coach of the Year after guiding the Raiders to a 17-13 record and an 11-3 mark in the Patriot League. Colgate finished second in the league standings and advanced to the Patriot League Tournament Championship match for the first time since 2000. The 17 wins were the most since the 1999 season and the 17-13 record marked the first time the Raiders finished above .500 since 1996.
Baker and his staff also mentored the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, Jackie Adlam, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Casey Ritt, and a total of three all-Patriot League honorees. Six players earned spots on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll as well in 2007.
In his first season at the helm, Baker led the Raiders to one of their finest seasons in the previous10 years. Colgate finished with a 14-15 overall record, the most wins and best winning percentage since the Raiders went 17-18 (.486) in 1999.
Baker mentored two all-Patriot League honorees and the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, sophomore Jackie Adlam. Adlam also was named all-Patriot League second team after breaking the single-season digs record for the second consecutive season. Classmate Katrina Zawojski earned first-team recognition after leading the team and finishing third in the conference in kills.
Four players also were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll under his watch.
An enthusiastic young coach with strong fundamentals, Baker came to Colgate from Clarkson, where he coached the Golden Knights to a 22-11 record in 2004, the fourth-highest win total and third-best winning percentage in the program’s 30-year history. He led Clarkson to a third-place finish at the Liberty League Championship and had six players named to the conference’s all-academic team. In addition, junior setter Suzanne Clarvoe was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District I Second Team under Baker’s tutelage.
Prior to his stop at Clarkson, Baker worked as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater Ithaca College during the 2003 campaign. He helped the Bombers to a 24-19 overall record and an appearance in the ECAC Upstate New York Tournament championship match.
He was a student assistant with Ithaca in 2002, when the Bombers posted a 32-9 record. Baker also has experience coaching the Southern Tier club team in 2004, and volunteering with the New York Mills girls’ team during the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Baker has worked various camps in the Northeast and the West over the last two seasons, His camp experience includes working the Volleyball Express camp with the Penn State University women and as the head court coach at the Penn State boys’ volleyball camp and the Cornell High Potential Setter Camp in 2004. He most recently worked as a coach at the Marv Dunphy Camp at Pepperdine University. Baker also worked as an assistant clinic coach at Candor High School and Ithaca’s camp in 2003.
Baker was a four-year member of Ithaca’s club team as a libero and a setter. He served as president and coach of the team for two years, helping the squad to a fifth-place national ranking in 2000 and 2001. Baker played on the New York Mills High School boys’ varsity team for four years, and served as team captain as a junior and senior. He was a two-time first-team conference all-star, and was named team MVP as a senior. Baker graduated from Ithaca with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism in 2003. He earned his master’s degree in sport psychology in the spring of 2007 from Ithaca. Baker resides in Hamilton.
