NCAA Division I college volleyball is coming to Bayfield.
Yes, Bayfield!
"This is special, huh?" said Terene Foutz, the coach of Four Corners Volleyball Club, who arranged the visit. She also is the mother of one of two BHS alums playing at Colorado State University.
She said she was talking with CSU Coach Tom Hilbert, and he asked about bringing the team to Bayfield High School to play a scrimmage.
"How cool would it be to bring Maddi and Kirstie home and to play DI volleyball in Bayfield?" she said, referring to her daughter, Maddie Foutz, and Kirstie Hillyer, an all-conference player for CSU.
"These are two kids who have grown up together, and Tom really wants to share that with the community, honestly," Foutz said this week. The game will be held during Diggin' It in Durango, a huge volleyball tournament hosted by the club, featuring 100 teams from throughout the Southwest.
"Every gym is occupied with volleyball that weekend," she said of the tourney.
Maddi Foutz is excited to be coming home to play in her old high school gym, she said.
"Kirsti is really a special player," said Foutz, who coached her while she headed up the program at BHS. "To have someone go to that level, and she's coming to play here, is just a very cool opportunity."
The Rams will play Northern Arizona University, which finished 13-15 overall in 2017 and 9-7 in the Big Sky Conference.
CSU recently made its 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Hillyer is about to begin her third season of action in Fort Collins after redshirting as a freshman in 2015. Maddi Foutz made her Division I debut as a true freshman in '17 and played in 32 of CSU's 33 matches this year.
Fans wanting to attend should go online to http://csurams.com/news/2018/2/12/colorado-state-volleyball-hosts-spring-match-in-bayfield.aspx and click the 'Buy Tickets' link as soon as possible. Online ticket sales have been capped at 1,000, and organizers will open up sales to the visiting volleyball teams on Monday, Feb. 19. Ticket are $6 each.
Expected to sell out, there will be no walk-up tickets available at the gate the night of the match.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the game at 7.
"It's rare that two Bayfield kids would be on a team like this," said Foutz, noting that CSU isn't losing any seniors this year, and Hillyer will have two more years to shine for the Rams.
Times editor Melanie Mazur contributed to this article.
