BILLINGS — During the interview process to become the next volleyball coach at Billings West, Bailie Carlson heard a figure thrown around enough times that she figured it was a big deal.
Carlson, who eventually got the job taking over for Kelly Grossman, isn’t sure how many times she heard that number. But Carlson heard it enough that it made an impression on her.
60-3.
That’s the Golden Bears’ win/loss record over the past two years during which the program finished second place at state in 2022 and took the title in 2023, capping off an undefeated season.
But someone who becomes a two-time All-American like Carlson did during her playing career at Montana Tech (she was Cortner then, before getting married) isn’t easily intimidated by what others have done. So, when offered the job, Carlson jumped at the opportunity, even if it meant moving on after two seasons at her alma mater at Red Lodge.
“When you say it in a sentence — 60 and 3 — that can seem daunting and scary for some people,” Carlson said. “But I know what we have. I know what we’re capable of. These girls really do believe they can do anything they set their minds to.”
That’s a good thing, because this year’s version of the Bears resembles what few defending championship teams look like.
Not only did West lose its coach, but it graduated eight seniors, several of whom have been major contributors since their freshman year. During their four years, the Class of ’24 contributed to one championship, two runner-up finishes, and a semifinal loss in the 2020 COVID year when Class AA held a straight bracket playoff as its state tournament.
“That’s, like, a once in a lifetime team,” said junior middle Brooklyn Pierce, who played a big role on last season’s undefeated run. “To play with eight amazing seniors, seven of them went to go play college (in various sports), which is crazy … yeah, I’m lucky I got to be a part of that.”
Like their coach, these Bears players appear undaunted by the challenge ahead of them.
Pierce is the only player on the roster with any real varsity experience, and even she missed some time last season with injury. Roles and positions that some players have been comfortable with for years have been changed under their new coach, though Carlson said everyone seems to be adapting well.
And, as with any team that experiences big turnover in its roster, there are new team dynamics to learn, new personalities to mesh, and new leadership vacuums to fill.
All that didn’t keep the Bears from opening their season with sweeps over Helena and Butte last weekend.
“I think we started pretty strong for our first games,” senior setter Kaylee Thompson said. “But obviously there are things we can improve on and learn from for our games to come.”
As Thompson pointed out, there’s still plenty of work to be done. The Bears are under no illusions that teams will fear them or give them automatic respect because they are the “defending champions.” Everyone is aware of their situation.
To Carlson, that just means the Bears can worry about being this version of themselves, not some other version. She wants her team to earn its respect so other teams won't be able to overlook the new-look Bears.
“There's a probably a little bit of a target on our back, but it doesn't scare the girls,” Carlson said. “We have so much that we're focusing on. It doesn't matter who we're playing, but we've got to get things figured out on our side of the court before we get too consumed with what's going on over the other on the other side of the net from us.”
The key, Pierce said, is to take whatever mojo is left over from last season and add whatever magic the Bears can conjure this season. It might not get the Bears to 60-3. But then again, it matters more when you win than how many you win.
“We definitely don't have the players that we did last year, but I think we do have a lot of key assets, and we don't really have pressure,” she said. “No one's really looking at us to be the team that we were last year. So, I think we don't necessarily have the pressure of a returning state champ team. So that is kind of nice. But I think we did build off of a lot of what those seniors last year built for us, so I think we're still going in the right direction.”
