The only players on the Bayfield High School volleyball roster without state tournament experience are freshmen.
The Wolverines hope to bring them up to speed at the Class 3A Region 8 tournament starting at 9 a.m. Saturday at Bayfield High School.
It’s the sixth year in a row that Bayfield (18-5) has opened the playoffs at home, and the Wolverines are looking to advance to the state tournament for the fifth consecutive year.
“As far as our team’s concerned, there isn’t (any pressure). We are a well-balanced team,” BHS head coach Terene Foutz said. “The entire team is involved; the entire roster plays. Given that this is a senior group, that is really leading the cart for the first year.”
Colorado Academy and Frontier Academy will try to stand in BHS’s way. Both teams combined for a 20-25 record this season.
Colorado Academy (8-14) finished sixth in the Metro League, led by senior Devyn Meunier’s 276 kills.
Frontier Academy (12-11) came in eighth place in the Frontier league, led by two players with more than 130 kills.
“We are not taking any team for granted,” Foutz said. “Both teams play in tough conferences, so they’re accustomed to battling. Battling at a regional is not new to them. Everyone’s fighting to survive right now.”
BHS won the Intermountain League without dropping a set but challenged itself with an end-of-season tournament where it went 2-2 against the likes of bigger-classification schools Horizon and Mullen.
“We learned so much about ourselves that day. It was especially fun to see the seniors rise to the occasion,” Foutz said. “It was just what the doctor ordered.”
The Wolverines will host Colorado Academy at 9 a.m. and Frontier Academy at noon, while the two academies will square off against each other in between at 10:30 a.m. at BHS.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
Class 3A Region 8
Regional Tournament
Saturday at Bayfield High School
No. 29 Colorado Academy at No. 8 Bayfield, 9 a.m.
No. 17 Frontier Academy vs. No. 29 Colorado Academy, 10:30 a.m.
No. 17 Frontier Academy at No. 8 Bayfield, noon
Admission
Note: Only CHSAA Colorado Coaches and Courtesy passes will be accepted.
Adults: $7.
Seniors: $6.
Students: $6
Durango Herald
