Bayfield officially won the league championship Tuesday night with a win against Alamosa. Terene Foutz didn’t want her team to celebrate until after Thursday.
With Pagosa Springs in town, the Bayfield High School volleyball team celebrated with an emphatic 3-0 sweep of the Pirates to cap off a perfect 10-0 run through the Class 3A Intermountain League.
Alamosa ended a long streak of BHS league championships last year, as the Wolverines finished runner-up. Foutz, the head coach, was proud to see her team reclaim the crown this year.
“It was a feel-good match,” Foutz said. “To say we’re undefeated in IML is a complete honor for these kids. They worked so hard for a year now. To regain that crown means the world to them.”
The Wolverines (15-3) controlled the match throughout, winning 25-12, 25-20 and 25-14. Senior Maddi Foutz, who will sign with Division I Colorado State on Nov. 9, capped off the evening with a massive kill to send the Bayfield rowdy crowd into a frenzy. Maddi Foutz finished with a double-double of 10 kills and 16 digs.
“We’ve been talking lately about swinging away,” coach Foutz said. “If you sense open net whatsoever, swing away. That’s how the match ended. We knew when we set up the play the ball was going to go down.”
Courtney Bayles had a huge night as the Bayfield setter. In only three sets, she amassed 34 assists. She found open hitters all night, putting Pagosa Springs (14-4, 7-3 IML) on its heels. Sydni Gabbard and Jade Pascale combined for 15 kills. Ashley Mottin had a huge night in the middle with nine kills on nine attempts with only one error.
League may be over, but the regular season is far from it. The Wolverines will host La Plata County rival Durango at 7 p.m. Tuesday before traveling Halloween weekend to the Palmer Ridge tournament in Colorado Springs, where they will face elite 4A and 5A teams.
“We value the Palmer Ridge tournament,” coach Foutz said. “We expect to see very tough matches up there to prepare us for regional weekend. It’s a sacred event loaded with top programs, and I can’t think of any better way to prepare.”
The Bobcats snapped a five-game losing streak in a big way Thursday.
Ignacio High School’s volleyball team defeated Mancos 25-20, 25-14, 19-25, 25-22 to get back to .500 in 2A District 3 play at 6-6. The win improved the Bobcats to 7-11 overall.
“Our serving was very, very tough,” IHS head coach Thaddeus Cano. “Kelly Campbell, Alex Forsythe and Avionne Gomez were placing it everywhere I called.”
In the midst of the losing streak, the Bobcats had to make a lineup change. It has taken some time to get used to, but head coach Thaddeus Cano is confident the team will be ready to roll into the district tournament and earn a spot in the Class 2A regionals.
“We had some circumstances beyond our control, so we aren’t going to worry about that losing stretch,” Cano said. “We are refining what we have now and should be back to strength by district, and I feel we will enter regionals through our play there.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
