Terene Foutz felt stressed in between regional matches.
She said her temperature spiked after the Wolverines lost the third game of their second match.
The Bayfield High School volleyball team gave its coach some relief by winning both matches in the Class 3A Region 8 volleyball tournament to advance to the state tournament for the fifth consecutive year.
BHS (20-5) defeated Colorado Academy 3-0 (25-9, 25-23, 25-18) and Frontier Academy 3-1 (25-20, 25-14, 24-26, 25-19) on Saturday in Bayfield.
It wasn’t always as easy as the game scores indicated, however.
The Wolverines trailed by six points in the second game of the first match and needed to claw their way back to tie the set at 23.
Kirstie Hillyer struggled during that stretch after a dominant first game, but that’s when Katy Funkhouser stepped in. She fired home four kills and an ace in that game, part of a nine-kill, four-ace performance in the match.
“It’s why she’s in that lineup with (Hillyer),” said Foutz, the first-year BHS head coach. “If Kirstie gets into a traffic jam, we have a pin-hitter option that’s strong. That’s why we keep them together – when one can’t, the other can.”
Hillyer rediscovered her rhythm in the third game to finish with 14 kills, including six in the closing frame.
The Wolverines watched Frontier Academy take care of Colorado Academy 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-23), and they entered the final match Saturday one step away from state.
BHS went to Hillyer early and often in the first two games to build a 2-0 lead.
Frontier fought back in a war of a third game that featured eight ties and seven lead changes to halve the Wolverines’ lead.
“I think we just were playing with ourselves and not together,” said Funkhouser, daughter of Madonna and Tod Funkhouser. “To continue on to the next step we need to play together.”
Bayfield’s balanced attack boosted the Wolverines to a win in the decisive fourth game and kept its season alive.
A return trip to the state tournament looked uncertain at times, but Hillyer, the Colorado State recruit, asserted herself when the going got tough. She finished the day with 36 kills, 22 in the closing match, and five blocks.
“It’s calming; Kirstie’s calming to the team,” Foutz said. “Even though we do run a balanced attack, when push comes to shove, if we have to, we’ll do it.”
After last week’s Palmer Ridge Invitational and the regional tournament, the Wolverines feel they’re ready to take the next step up in competition – the CHSAA Class 3A Girls Volleyball State Championships on Friday and Saturday at the Denver Coliseum.
“We’re nervous going into it,” said Hillyer, daughter of Laura and Rich Hillyer. “But we’re ready for the opportunity to go through it and excited to get up there.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
Class 3A Region 8
Regional Tournament
Saturday at Bayfield High School
Note: No. 8 Bayfield advanced to the CHSAA Class 3A Girls Volleyball State Championships on Friday and Saturday at the Denver Coliseum.
No. 8 Bayfield 3, No. 29 Colorado Academy 0
No. 17 Frontier Academy 3, No. 29 Colorado Academy 0
No. 8 Bayfield 3, No. 17 Frontier Academy 1
Durango Herald
