Fair Hill resident Haley Baker recently signed a letter of intent to attend Southeastern Louisiana University on a full scholarship and play volleyball for the Lions. Baker, a senior at Padua Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, also considered Towson, Loyola, UNC-Wilmington, Shepherd, Rowan, Millersville, Elizabethtown, and Holy Family. Southeastern Louisiana, located in Hammond, is an NCAA Division I school and a member of the Southland Conference. Baker decided to attend Southeastern Louisiana after visiting the school. "They really weren't on my radar at first," she said. "They saw me play at a Las Vegas tournament. They were scouting another person we were playing and they decided to take interest in me and fly me down to visit the school. That's when I really fell in love with the school." Hammond is approximately 1,190 miles from Fair Hill. "I'm excited but at the same time I'm a little nervous because I've never been that far from home," said Baker. "But I'm sure the girls and the team will make me feel comfortable." She will be expected to compete for a starting spot in her freshman season. "They've talked about having me come in and start," Baker said. "They have a senior setter right now so either one of us could have the opportunity to play." Baker resides in the Rising Sun High School district, but elected to attend Padua. "My neighbors went to Padua so that's how I knew about the school so I went and visited and I loved it," Baker said. Baker enjoyed a remarkable career at Padua. During her four years on the varsity, the last two seasons as a starter, the Pandas captured two state championships and finished third the other two seasons. Baker was an honorable mention All-Catholic Conference selection as a freshman and helped Padua place third in the state tournament. As a sophomore, Baker was a second team All-Conference choice as the Pandas won a state title. Padua repeated as state champions with Baker in the starting lineup as a junior. She was a second team All-Conference selection. Baker's club team, Delaware Juniors, won the 96-team Big South Tournament in Atlanta and qualified for nationals in Minnesota where they placed 13th. In her senior season at Padua, Baker earned first team All-State and All-Conference honors and the Pandas finished third in the state tournament. Her club team also advanced to nationals again. "Over four years, Haley's volleyball knowledge brought not only added skills but confidence from her team," said Lauren DiSabatino, Baker's coach at Padua. "During her junior and senior year, Haley was an intricate part of leading Padua to a state championship. As the setter, Haley was our team quarterback, dishing out balls, calling plays, and really being the main component of every point. As her strength and skill grew so did her leadership." Baker says several people have had a hand in aiding her career. She was worked with Cecil County native Steve Boyd since the eighth grade. Baker said club coaches Steve Lenderman and Mike Rust played an important role as did DiSabatino. "Through my journey, I've had a lot of people and coaches help me," Baker said. Haley is the daughter of Bill and Kelley Baker. Her brother, Casey, is a student at Rising Sun High. She is the granddaughter of Barbara Baker of Newark, Delaware, and Carolyn Castelow and Joe Matty of Elkton. Comments are closed.
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