First-year head coach Jaimie Nelson figures if her Glacier Wolfpack play as a team, the results will show at the net.

Having coached the Glacier freshmen team the last two seasons, Nelson knew most of the Wolfpack squad that went 8-6 in Western AA matches a year ago (and 11-18 overall) under the now-retired Christy Harkins. 

Seven seniors and four juniors fill out the roster, though notably one senior, Cassidy Daniels, is questionable for the season because of an injury dating back to basketball season. Another standout, second-team all-Western AA middle hitter Mali Carroll, transferred out of state. 

The seniors that will suit up Friday, when the Pack plays host to Gallatin High: Middle hitters Grace Lingle and Marlo Carpenter; defensive specialists Quinn Berkram and Addison Malchi; outside hitter Avaieh Thomas and setter/hitter Stella Bayard. 

“We had a great offseason,” Nelson said. “We had camps, open gyms, lifting, and the seniors showed up and set the standard. I really believe this group understands that being great doesn’t just happen. They’re working at it and they’re relentless.” 

The juniors include second-team all-Western AA middle hitter Allie Krueger, Madi Stevens, Addison Thramer and Rylee Bigelow. 

“We have great juniors,” Nelson said. “Right now, we’re not focusing on the individual players; we’re working on building a united team. We want a group that’s focused on playing well together. I think if we do that our individual talents will shine through.” 

The Pack will be tested early: Gallatin went 28-2 last season enroute to the State AA championship. The Raptors come in Friday at 4 p.m.; on Saturday Glacier has home matches with Great Falls Russell at 12:30 p.m. and Great Falls High at 4:30. 

The following Saturday is a Crossover tournament at Great Falls. It’s notable that the Eastern AA went a combined 82-16 against the West last season; among Western AA teams only Helena High won as many as four intra-conference matches. 

“We have a challenging start to our season but we’re looking forward to it,” Nelson said. “But we’re excited. The girls are ready go.”