If there was one thing Danica Frost didn't want to see Tuesday night, it was Alamosa building steam on their own court and on the verge of swiping a set. Which, in the heated 3A Intermountain League, could potentially end up being a standings tiebreaker in the not-so-distant future.
Wanting to see what her Wolverines were truly made of, she called a timeout late in Game 2.
"The score was 24 to 19, and we were down," she recalled via phone on the bus ride home.
"We took a timeout and it was like, 'All right...we've got this!' And Jade (Pascale) really lifted everyone, like, 'Hey! We can do this!' And they did; before the start of the third set, I really recognized the fact that they played with a lot of poise and confidence. And control; they came back and won that second!"
Having already edged the Mean Moose 27-25 to finally get their 2017 going, Bayfield followed up their incredible 26-24 gut check with an authoritative 25-15 effort to secure a sweep in their new varsity coach's debut.
"We had some hitting errors, had more service errors than I'd like to see," Frost admitted, "but in the third game our intensity was up. Our momentum was going and it was tough for them to slow us down."
"Obviously it felt really good," she continued. "I sent a message out to the girls, and I said a lot of girls can play volleyball and there's a lot that have skills out there - and I inherited some girls with a lot of skills! But we played selfless and we played with a lot of heart."
And evidenced by the close margins in Games 1 and 2, it took everyone on the court to achieve success.
"Tymbree Florian really found her home as libero tonight, and really proved that she's going to step in and do that. Mavis Edwards, as a sophomore, truly stepped up, had some great kills, amazing digs," stated Frost. "Jade was clutch, Sydney (Gabbard) was clutch, Ashley Mottin, Kylee McCoy-I mean, it was all seven of them."
"It was an honor to coach a team that played that way; it was a true team effort."
Now 1-0 overall and in the IML (AHS dipped to 3-2, 0-1), the CHSAANow.com 3A rankings' #9 squad will next see action at this Saturday's Lewis-Palmer Invitational out in Monument.
"I am so excited, especially after tonight!" Frost said. "I'm really excited for the heart, the teamwork, and just to see us develop as a team even more. The competition at Lewis-Palmer is always good."
After returning from the Front Range, BHS will host 5A Aztec on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
GLAD YOU'RE BACK: Forced to observe Bayfield's matches at last season's State Championships either seated on the bench or upright on crutches due to a wracked ankle, Frost noted Mottin's return as one of the lasting highlights from Tuesday's action.
"She played great," said Frost. "Ashley's a crucial part of our offense, and I think she catches some people off-guard, really surprises them - as a strong offensive player and a strong defensive player."
CHSAANOW.COM CLASS 3A VOLLEYBALL POLL (issued 9/5): 1.Eaton, 2.Gilcrest Valley, 3.Arvada Faith Christian, 4.Sterling, 5.Greeley University, 6.Loveland Resurrection Christian, 7.Colorado Springs Christian, 8.Granby Middle Park, 9.BAYFIELD, 10.Parker Lutheran.
