Bennett County senior Olivia McMillan has put in the work as the team’s ‘Silent Killer’ as Warriors look to make a post-season run

By Matt Gade  

605 Sports 

MARTIN — Four years ago, Amy Petrak took over the Bennett County volleyball team as the Warriors’ head coach. 

In that time, the Warriors have progressively gotten better year over year, including a state tournament berth last season that ended in a fourth-place finish for the Warriors. 

Now into her fourth season, the Warriors are currently 28-1, ranked No. 3 in the latest South Dakota Media Poll and No. 1 in seed points. 

Joining Petrak for the past four years is Bennett County's lone senior, Olivia McMillan. 

“She's grown a lot as a player and as a leader, and just showing up for her team and kind of being the silent killer when you know when some of the other girls are shining, and she's not,” Petrak said of McMillan. “And then all of a sudden it's like, where'd you come from, offensively and defensively, and then even on the serve. She's worked on it. She's perfected that. She’s sort of kind of become a lethal weapon back there.” 

McMillan, who is a multi-sport athlete for the Warriors, said after being a member of the Warriors’ 2025 state girls’ basketball championship team that the feeling of winning only made her want to put in more work to succeed in all sports. 

Petrak openly says she’s hard on her team, not to be mean, but because she sees their true potential. 

“I just know that they have so much potential. Like at times, it's like pulling teeth,” Petrak said of getting the players to perform at their best. “I just want it for them so bad because I can't do it without them, and I would like to think they can’t do it without me a little bit. But I just want it for them more than anything, to be honest. 

“Last year, I think, stung a little bit because they wanted it so bad, and it was new. I mean, we haven't been there in almost 19 years, so to get there, but to be hungry, and then to take it, and that's kind of our reminder. Like, whenever we're kind of taking plays off, it's like, ‘Guys, do you want to take a break now, or do you want to take a break early? Because we're not going to go very far.’ Nobody's going to hand it to us this year. We need to just run and gun and keep pushing forward.” 

After finishing fourth last season, the first state tournament for the Warriors in 19 years, McMillan took her off-season work to the next level. 

She played club volleyball for the first time.  

“I definitely got to experience a lot of different volleyball, and I played beach as well. So it was just a mix of everything. I got to play against harder players, different players, and just different players at different levels just helped me improve a lot more,” McMillan said. 

Particularly at the service line. 

“My serve, it definitely was the toss. That's what I struggled with last year,” McMillan said. “The toss was behind my head, and it was just having me swing away for the bench. But now I'm able to place it where I need.” 

With returning all-state sisters, junior Reagan O’Neill, a first-team selection last year, and sophomore Peyson O’Neill, an honorable mention selection last year, Petrak said some teams will focus on those players, opening up opportunities for the rest of the team to succeed. 

And that’s where McMillan shines.  

“I feel like Ray and Pey and Jade (O’Neill) do get a lot of attention, but I don't think any of us would be where we're at without each other. We definitely work as a team, and they know it, and we know it as well,” McMillan said. “And I think we don't really care about the exposure as much. We just care to win, and that's our main goal.” 

Bennett County's Olivia McMillan (1) celebrates a Warrirors kill during their match against Sturgis on Saturday in the Douglas Invitational. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

A season ago, McMillan was a team captain and one of three juniors on a team with no seniors. Now, as the team's sole senior, McMillan has stepped into that leadership role. 

“I think she puts a lot of pressure on herself, but in the same fashion, she was kind of the lone one last year too, so I think it's a little bit the norm. I mean, two years in a row, but she does it well.” 

“I wouldn't even say pressure. I just kind of feel like their mom. When they're arguing with each other, I'm like, ‘Girls, quit,’” McMillan said. “I feel like the mom out there. It's not even pressure. It's just like trying to keep them all sane.” 

While McMillan may be the most senior on the team, she says all of the girls are very close. 

“We're family,” she said. “We argue like sisters on the court, and then after we come off and we're like, ‘Oh, it wasn't that deep.’ We are like sisters.” 

Petrak said that the tight-knit bond between the girls is a big reason for their success, not just in volleyball but in everything. 

McMillan said she credits coach Petrak for where she and the team are at and where they’re hoping to go. 

“I think we've just grown a bond together, me and her,” McMillan said of coach Petrak. “Her passion is high, but it helps a lot too. Without her, we would not be where we're at today.” 

Bennett County head coach Amy Petrak welcomes Olivia McMillan (1) and Peyson O'Neill back to the bench during a timeout in a match at New Underwood on Sept. 1. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

The Warriors took an early bump in the season, losing to Harding County (24-1) in the championship match of the Philip Invitational on Sept. 12. 

A loss that coach Petrak said was good for the team. 

“It's good for us to lose to see what we need to work on,” Petrak said. “And to play hard teams, they showed up, and just kind of put us in our place a little bit. I mean, Phillip was a long day. It was a long tournament. But you can't make excuses when you just don't show up to play. 

“I mean, plain and simple, we just weren't on our best game, and hopefully, we got the worst out of us so that our best is yet to come, so that we can continue to show that.” 

McMillan said that after that loss to Harding County, the team realizes nothing is guaranteed. They’ve got to earn it. 

A point of emphasis for coach Petrak. 

“We just need to keep showing up every day and making sure that we're here for a reason,” McMillan said. “We always come in before practice, and we say we're here for a reason, and we're making sure that we're going to put in the effort every day for it.  

“I definitely feel like we're hungry. We're looking to improve and make it back to state. That's our main goal first. I know everyone's excited to be at state, but we have to make it there first. So we're definitely hungry. Warner, Northwestern and Chester — they're definitely the big dogs of it, but we are definitely coming back hungry and wanting more, and we want to go win it. That's our main goal is to win it.”