BAYFIELD – Motivated for more, the Bayfield Wolverines were eager to claw past Saturday’s regional round and into the state tournament.
Ready to play early in the morning on its home gym, the fifth-ranked Bayfield High School volleyball team rolled past No. 32 Grand Valley and No. 20 Buena Vista for consecutive 3-0 wins to advance out of 3A Region 5 into the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 3A State Volleyball Tournament at the Denver Coliseum.
“Everybody wants it, and everybody has won the right to have a seat at the table,” BHS head coach Terene Foutz said of the state tournament. “Anyone who has been to state knows that any given game on any given day can go their way.”
BHS (22-3) started strong Saturday by beating Grand Valley 25-11, 25-18, 25-12. Jade Pascale led the team with 11 kills and six blocks, and she hit at an astounding .600 kill efficiency. Maddi Foutz added six kills and 20 digs, while setter Courtney Bayles accumulated 35 assists, a huge number for a three-set match.
“I loved how Courtney distributed the ball to all of the hitters,” Coach Foutz said. “That’s a very good thing.”
After watching Buena Vista beat Grand Valley 3-1, the Wolverines got back on the floor to take on the Demons.
Buena Vista came out strong and claimed a 9-6 lead before coach Foutz called for a timeout. The Wolverines immediately responded and reclaimed the lead at 10-9 and never looked back, winning 25-16, 25-20, 25-15 to punch back to the state tournament.
“She told us not to overlook any team,” Maddi Foutz said of her mother’s message during the timeout. “Teams will do whatever it takes to make it to state. We weren’t overlooking them or playing easy, we just needed to wake up a little bit.”
Wake up they did. Maddi Foutz had 10 kills and 19 digs for a double-double. Emily Bauer made 17 digs from the libero position, and Bayles had another 33 assists.
It was a breakout performance for Sydney Gabbard, who hammered home eight kills while contributing 12 digs.
“She had a huge day and was so effective against those Buena Vista blockers,” Coach Foutz said of Gabbard.
A year ago, BHS fell in pool play at state against No. 1 Eaton. The Eaton Reds are once again the top seed this year, and Bayfield spent most of the final month of the season ranked second before being seeded fifth going into regionals. That fifth-seed has quietly fueled the fire burning inside the team.
“We have confidence,” Maddi Foutz said. “We are looking across the net thinking about playing teams like Eaton and those top-four-ranked teams.
“We’re going to work harder than ever every single day. There’s no time off or taking it easy. Great, we won regionals, but now it is time for something bigger.”
Saturday was the final time Terene Foutz will coach on the BHS home court. She is retiring after this season, as Maddi Foutz will sign with Colorado State University on Wednesday.
The players resemble the intensity and focus of their coach, and they have one goal left to accomplish together.
“They’re starting to feel it now,” coach Foutz said. “The carrot doesn’t seem so far away.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
