Despite popular lore, winners are rarely born. Athletes learn to win – they train, sweat and develop a sense of the little things that are required, beyond talent, to rise to the top.
Although Glacier High School volleyball coach Christy Harkins doesn’t have a player on her team who has ever won a state tournament match, she said she does have a roster full of talented athletes who understand how to win. They learned to win in other sports.
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Rachel Cutler, back, signals to teammate Lexy Boschee as Boschee connects with the ball during Glacier High School volleyball practice. |
Junior outside hitter Lexy Boschee is a two-time state champion in the high jump, the defending state champion in the triple jump and a runner-up in other events. Senior middle hitter Kendra Bouley is one of the top softball pitchers in Montana, while senior outside hitter Baylee Quay is an all-conference softball selection.
Rachel Cutler, a senior outside hitter, is a standout in basketball and track. And senior defensive specialist Cami Mathison played on the Class AA champion doubles tennis team, helping the Wolfpack win one of the two state titles in the school’s history, along with the 2007 boys golf team.
The list goes on, but the point is clear – this year’s Wolfpack squad is well equipped to win the first state volleyball match in the program’s history. Essentially, Harkins has a team she could send out to almost any court or field in any sport – not just volleyball – and have a fighting chance at bringing home a trophy.
“Winning is a skill; you have to learn how to win, and a lot of these girls have,” Harkins said. “They’ve had success in other sports and they know what it takes to win.”
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Paige Latimer gets a hit on a spiked ball while running drills during a recent Glacier High School volleyball practice. |
While success at the state tournament is one of the Wolfpack’s primary goals, first they have to get there. And they’ve given themselves a good head start, jumping out to an 8-4 record, including 3-2 in Western AA, as of Sept. 27.
In last week’s power poll, they were tied with cross-town rival Flathead for second place in Class AA. Glacier and Flathead have squared off twice this year, with the Wolfpack winning each match. After a loss to Missoula Sentinel on Sept. 23, Glacier dropped in the state rankings.
Harkins said a big part of the team’s strong start is experience. Glacier only lost two seniors to graduation and returns six seniors this season. Harkins said the one other year in which the Wolfpack started similarly strong, they also had six seniors.
“We know each other really well,” Cutler said. “You can trust them; you know where they’re going to be on the court.”
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Cami Mathison digs under the ball during a recent volleyball practice at Glacier High School. Mathison is one of three team captains along with Paige Latimer and Rachel Cutler. |
Although there’s “a lot of parity” in Western AA this year, Harkins and her players said a couple of teams in particular are aiming for the top seeds. Helena High, the No. 1 team in the state, comes to mind first. The Bengals are 12-0 on the season, including 6-0 in the conference. Flathead, 8-4 (3-2), is also a league frontrunner.
Glacier got an early-season feel for how it stacks up against the rest of Class AA competition at the Electric City Invitational in Great Falls, a tournament featuring every AA team and a few Class A squads. The Wolfpack beat Billings Senior and Billings West before losing to Helena in the tournament semifinals. In the consolation match, Glacier beat Flathead for third place.
The wins over West and Senior were significant, as the two Billings teams have combined to win the last seven Class AA titles. After Senior won in 2003 and West won in 2004, Senior went on a remarkable run of four straight titles from 2005-2008. West broke Senior’s streak last year, beating Bozeman in the AA championship.
West, at 14-3 (5-0), is the top team in Eastern AA again this season, followed by Senior at 13-4 (3-1), as of Sept. 27 rankings.
Harkins believes, with some touching up, her team is ready to take the school’s volleyball program to the next level.
“We need to work on the consistency of our competitive level, on not being satisfied,” Harkins said. “We’re getting there. This is a great group.”