Pelted from all angles during the previous set, you’d have to have admired Del Norte’s resolve Thursday night; when Bayfield moved in for the kill, via kills by freshman Londyn Hollibaugh, senior Evelette Hollibaugh and senior Grace Barber, early in Set 3, the Tigers finally bared their teeth and fought for a 6-3 advantage more or less inconceivable for most of the match before that moment.
However, the Tigers’ firepower didn’t last as the Wolverines finished off Set 3 and beat Del Norte 3-0.
Though the hosting Wolverines didn’t want to give the guests even a glimpse of daylight, they had only themselves to blame; the last three points, representing the deficit they were now facing, came via a netted Evelette Hollibaugh attack, a Barber attack bashed long, and a net violation.
Despite having won 25-16, 25-14, 25-18 at 3A Intermountain League rival Pagosa Springs two nights earlier, the lull reminded BHS’ players that even in a likely sweep there are always skills to be sharpened.
“Highlighted what we needed to work on,” said Barber. “For example, closing the block or turning angles …. So it was just highlighting those things and then us working on them in practice before we go back into IML play.”
Having welcomed DNHS with two kills during BHS’ match-starting 5-0 burst, freshman Cora Hanson leveled Set 3 at 7-all with a fierce smash, but Del Norte responded again and swapped their way to a 10-9 edge. Hanson then struck again, and after DNHS junior Emma Parra netted an attack, and senior setter Naylie Velasquez mishandled a pass, the lead was again Bayfield’s to lose. This time, the Wolverines didn’t.
Senior Addie Roepke downed a kill bringing the Tigers back to 12-11, but a sequence of an Evelette Hollibaugh tip, an unplayable Lauren Rich serve, a Barber over-pass kill and an Evelette Hollibaugh cross-court spike informed Del Norte that, despite head coach Chance Canty using a timeout, the proverbial writing was on the wall.
Getting no closer than 21-17, DNHS was at last subdued by a 4-0 BHS burst, punctuated by an unreturnable serve courtesy senior Lily Muir, polishing off a 25-14, 25-7, 25-17 sweep inside BHS Gymnasium.
The Wolverines moved to 7-4 overall with the win while Del Norte dropped to 3-4 overall.
“I think we kind of needed this just before we play Alamosa and Centauri,” Barber said. “Kind of like a … tuneup – I feel like we were able to connect more and run fun plays.”
Having held serve at the outset, BHS junior Vivien Clance returned to the service line in Set 1 after an Evelette Hollibaugh back-row kill put the Wolverines up 16-10. Back-to-back untouched Clance aces increased Bayfield’s lead – and, perhaps, intimidation factor as well – to 20-10, and Canty burned his second allotted timeout.
Not long removed from a five-set loss on the 13th at 2A Southern Peaks rival Sanford – Canty’s alma mater – Del Norte managed to take the ball out of Clance’s hands, but Bayfield sewed up the set with a Barber line kill and an Evelette Hollibaugh serve the Tigers couldn’t handle.
DNHS senior Autumn Gallegos opened Set 2 on serve, but another Hollibaugh kill promptly denied the visitors any hope of generating offensive momentum. BHS senior Maeli Quintana then held serve until the Tigers trailed 11-0.
Roepke at last got Del Norte on the scoreboard with a kill, but the elder Hollibaugh immediately countered with one of her own and Bayfield went back to work. A Parra ace brought DNHS back to 14-5, but after Bayfield scored the next point, Barber began a six-point stay on serve with an ace.
Gallegos and sophomore Brynley Brown answered with kills, clipping the margin down to 22-7, but the Wolverines went up 2-0 in the contest via a kill by sophomore Kieley White Thunder, Evelette Hollibaugh roofing an attempted Gallegos tip, and Roepke tipping a shot out of bounds.
Bayfield will next resume league play Friday evening against Centauri – the team which ended BHS’ 2024 season in the 3A state championships. Don't think the Lady Wolverines have forgotten.
Del Norte, meanwhile, will next host Sargent (10-0 overall, 3-0 1A Southern Peaks) on Tuesday.
