As Stanford women’s volleyball looks to win a national championship in 2023, they’re going to need redshirt senior Caitie Baird to have a big season. At the beginning of the season, Baird shared her thoughts about how she feels the team is coming together and what needs to happen for them to go the distance.
Prior to the season, the Cardinal spent the month of August practicing and getting ready. When asked how everything was going, Baird spoke glowingly about the overall vibe and energy that is around the program.
“It’s awesome,” Baird said. “It’s been super fun just being in the gym. Being back in this environment. We’re all just ready to get better and hungry.”
Earlier in the summer, the team went to Europe, giving them a chance to bond and play against quality competition. Baird is happy with how that went and feels like it’s really helped them come closer together.
“So, this summer was special because we got to go on our European tour,” Baird said. “And so we got to go overseas, see different cultures but also play volleyball and that was like the first integration of our freshmen. So getting to meet them and play with them and see their style and all that.
“And so we did that for about ten, twelve days, I think it was? Yeah, so it was super fun. And then, after that our strength coach sends us workouts to do for the rest of the time until we’re ready to go. So, it’s kinda like on your own, but he provides weight cards for us to go through and then if you can get volleyball reps, that’s always great.”
The best team Stanford faced was the Czech national team. Baird feels like that match in particular was beneficial because it really highlighted their weaknesses and what they need to improve on.
“It was a little bit of a variation,” Baird said of the competition they faced. “There was some younger teams that we played. But we did get to play the Czech national team, which, that was a really good challenge for us. They kinda showed us what we still need to work on. Like what we can focus on coming into season and all that. And they’re a different style of play anyways, so it’s also interesting to see how they play versus how we play and all that.
“I don’t know if it’s specifically like country-wise or team-wise or what, but I felt like sometimes the tempo was a little different. Like we’d be firing it a little bit faster than they are, but just like the style of defense and all that. But, just slight variations here and there. But, yeah.”
Touching quickly on what she’s most focusing on with her game, Baird is trying to improve her passing and defense. If she can improve in those areas, she will feel like she made real progress.
“Yeah, passing is always gonna be at the top of that,” Baird said. “It’s the main thing that I really gotta focus on because that’s where the first touch is basically. It’s something that I can always get better at. And then my defense, too. When it’s at the back court I just wanna have that same mindset and just pursue. Not let things hit the floor and try to be a little pest on the floor.”
As far as what the team collectively most needs to work on, Baird thinks it’s defensive mentality. Just being tougher and more gritty when it comes to keeping balls alive and never giving up.
“I think our defensive mentality whether it’s like at the net or just in the backcourt just defending,” Baird said. “Not letting anything touch the ground. Pursuing with everything in us. Like, there’s no ball we can’t get a second touch on. Like, we’re going after it and that’s I think the next step to elevate our game as a team.”
Reflecting on last season and how they fell to San Diego in the Elite Eight, Baird said they’re trying to use that match as motivation. All about looking to the future and using that match as a source of motivation.
“Yeah, we’ve definitely all thought back on that game and some of us have tried to push it aside and just forget about it, but I think it just adds fuel to the fire,” Baird said. “I think we’re all ready and we know what we’re capable of doing. And so kinda just looking forward now and looking at what’s ahead of us.”
One thing that definitely helps is having the same core group back from a season ago. They do a great job of pushing each other to be better while also enjoying each other’s company. Baird says they’re having a lot of fun right now.
“Yeah, it’s awesome to have that core group here again, but we added some amazing, like incredible freshmen to the team. So that’s super fun because they’re challenging us every day. They’re making us better, so it’s just a lot of fun just being in the gym right now. And I mean, yeah, it’s just been good and we’re just fighting every day to get better. I think no one’s complacent. We’re all just striving to get one percent better each day. We’re just ready to get after it.”
Being in her fifth year, Baird has to pinch herself sometimes to realize she’s actually at this point of her career. She’s not taking any of it for granted and wants to make the most of this year given the great opportunities she and the team have in front of them.
“It’s crazy. I never would have thought five years here at Stanford,” Baird said. “I’m just so blessed to be here still. I’m not taking any of it for granted. That’s for sure. And I’m just super excited to see what this last year holds. I think it could be a really special year for all of us. Just excited that they wanted to keep me around for one more year, I guess.”
As they look towards the season with a national championship in mind, Baird feels like the biggest thing they need to do is stay present and not let anything distract them. If they do that, she feels like that more than anything will help them accomplish their ultimate goal:
“A big thing that we’re just talking about right now is just being where our feet are, being in the moment, not letting other things get in our get our way, just focusing on what we can, what we can control, taking it day by day. Nothing, we don’t have to let the outside factors impact us as much as we can and just kind of enjoying the ride.”
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