No player in the Mountain West Conference made as good of a first impression as Kirstie Hillyer.
The 6-foot-6 Colorado State University volleyball star from Bayfield had a remarkable redshirt freshman season that is about to reach its pinnacle at the NCAA Tournament in Seattle.
Hillyer, a 2015 graduate of Bayfield High School, grew accustomed to winning top awards in high school, including a Under Armour Honorable Mention All-America team nod her senior season at BHS. Now, she’s doing it at the NCAA level, as she was named the Mountain West Conference Newcomer of the Year this week.
“I honestly was super surprised,” Hillyer said of the award. “There are some phenomenal players in our conference. When I found out, I was shocked.”
Hillyer, daughter of Laura and Rich Hillyer, led the conference in blocks per set at 1.58. Hillyer’s numbers weren’t only outstanding in the Mountain West Conference, but nationally as well. She was the top freshman in blocks per set and fifth overall in the country.
“We knew she was going to be good and she would play a big role,” CSU head coach Tom Hilbert said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “She’s been able to do some things statistically that are pretty amazing. She’s extremely consistent. It’s a nice surprise, because a lot of times freshmen are inconsistent, but she isn’t.”
Hillyer has gotten better each week of the season, as she had her first collegiate double-double of 13 kills and 10 blocks against Wyoming in the regular season finale. She was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 14.
But Hillyer has proved to be much more than a defensive player. She was third on the team in kills at 2.52 per set and was highly accurate with a hitting percentage of .344, good for second on the team.
“I think my redshirt season prepared me to be on the court this year,” Hillyer said. “Having a whole year to prepare made for a super great transition. I wouldn’t change my redshirt season for anything.”
Hilbert said Hillyer has only scratched the surface of her full potential and said the sky is the limit for the tallest player on his roster.
“Over time, if she can play the kind of role we want her to play and stay healthy, she’s only going to get better and better,” said Hilbert, who has coached 25 All-America honorable mention players and four Volleyball Magazine All-Americans.
With great chemistry with her setter and limitless potential with three more seasons to compete, Hillyer’s former coach at Bayfield, Terene Foutz, believes Hillyer can reach the greatest heights in the sport.
“She’s a special kid, and she’s really thriving under Tom Hilbert’s mentorship,” Foutz said. “She couldn’t have made a better selection than Colorado State. Sometime down the road, I predict she’ll be an All-American.”
Two Bayfield players will compete for Hilbert’s Rams in 2017, as current BHS senior Maddi Foutz has signed with CSU as a defensive specialist.
“It’s been nice for me doing camps (in Bayfield) almost every summer,” Hilbert said. “I saw these kids when they were very young, and to get to watch them grow up together is unique.”
Before that, Hillyer and company have plenty more to accomplish. Hilbert has guided the team to its 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Rams (21-8) will open the single-elimination tournament against Kentucky at 6 p.m. Friday. If the Rams can advance, they would face the winner of No. 8 Washington and Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
“Kentucky is a beatable team,” Hillyer said. “We’re expecting a lot of the girls in this game in particular. We’re going to put our best foot forward this week and make it happen.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
How to watch
Who:
Kentucky vs. Colorado State
What:
NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament
When:
6 p.m. Friday
Where:
Seattle
Live:
