| Valorie Baker |
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Valorie Baker enters her fifth season as the Demon Deacon head coach after serving four seasons as an assistant coach for the Wake Forest volleyball program. A coaching veteran, Baker has been in the coaching ranks for 11 years, including a three-year stint at the University of Louisville.
This past season, Baker led the Deacs to a success, bringing home a 21-10 overall record, the most wins since the 2000 season. In conference play, the team finished third overall, with a 10-6 record. In addition, sophomores Valerie Rydberg and Christy Williams were honored on the All-ACC first and second-team, respectively. They were also selected as members of the AVCA All-Region and honorable mention All-America teams.
In 2002, Baker guided a young team featuring only one starting senior to a 14-18 overall record and a 6-10 league mark to finish seventh in the ACC. In that year, Christy Williams became the program's first ACC Rookie of the Year.
In 2001, Wake Forest finished 20-11 overall and tied for fourth in the ACC with a 10-6 league mark . Trina Maso de Moya and Margaret Davidson were both honored as AVCA All-Region selections, as well as All-ACC selections.
In her head coaching debut, Baker led the Deacons to a 21-9 record in 2000, placing Wake Forest third in the ACC. Under the guidance of Baker, Maso de Moya was named the ACC Player of the Year and received first-team All-ACC honors, in addition to AVCA All-Region honors. Davidson and Heather Wilkie were named second-team All-ACC.
In 1999 Baker helped three Deacons earn All-ACC recognition. Maso de Moya captured first-team honors while Davidson and Sara Kryder each earned second-team spots. In 1997, Corie Miles was named to the All-Freshman team in the ACC for the first time in school history. Davidson and Maso de Moya each earned that honor in 1998.
Baker came to Wake Forest after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville. While at Louisville, she helped the Cardinals win three conference championships and advance to the NCAA Tournament from 1993-95. Louisville went as far the second round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament and took home the Conference USA Championship, after earning Metro Conference Championships each of the two previous seasons.
A graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, Baker earned a degree in Business Communication in 1991. As a four-year scholarship athlete, she started for the Lady Colonels in all four seasons as an outside hitter and middle blocker. While at Eastern Kentucky, Baker was part of two Ohio Valley Conference Championship squads. She was named to the Ohio Valley Conference commissioner's honor roll and served as a student senator.
While at Louisville she received a master's degree in Health Counseling. Baker is a native of Indiana and is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, as well as the American Council of Exercise. She's also certified in personal training and aerobics instruction.
Baker and her husband, Gene, have two daughters - Peyton Riley and Kellyn Ray.
Gene is currently the head baseball coach at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C.
Send an E-mail to Coach Baker: bakervg@wfu.edu
