Twenty nine times Bayfield High School’s volleyball seniors have faced Intermountain League competition.
Twenty nine times, they’ve won.
Kirstie Hillyer, Martina Moreno, Caitlin Phelps, Suzie Rhodes and Jessie Roukema will play their final home league game against Pagosa Springs at 6 p.m. Tuesday at BHS.
They’ve won the previous 15.
“Who does that?” BHS head coach Terene Foutz said of the seniors’ unbeaten league stretch. “It’s so rare. In team sport, on occasion, there’s a group of kids that do special things together. You can’t name it, you can’t label it. It’s there.”
That it factor has carried Bayfield’s seniors to three consecutive league titles and three consecutive state tournament appearances.
Rhodes is the reigning IML player of the year, and Hillyer qualified for last season’s All-IML first team.
The group means a lot to Foutz, who has watched them grow since they began playing volleyball at nine or ten years old at the club level.
“With this senior group, my heart’s attached to them,” Foutz said. “It’s a special group. They complement each other on and off the court. They love each other on and off the court.”
They’ll be honored at 5:45 p.m. with the traditional senior ceremony before the players start their warmups.
That gives the team 20 minutes to recompose itself and focus on the Pirates.
“They are dangerous and respected,” Foutz said of Pagosa Springs, which only has lost to Bayfield in IML play.
The Wolverines swept Pagosa Springs (14-5, 5-1 IML) on Sept. 30 in Pagosa Springs, but Foutz acknowledges the danger the Pirates pose.
“We’re looking forward to having a championship-level match (Tuesday),” she said. “Pagosa has a lot of kids now who are playing all year round just like the core of the Bayfield kids. We mutually travel to regional and national level events and learn through competition.”
Sophomore Megan Farrah leads Pagosa Springs with 209 kills, while junior Brooke Kudelski is right behind her with 204.
Pirates’ senior LaShae Smith leads the IML with 437 assists, even more than Rhodes.
“Any time we have the prospect of another strong match, we get excited,” Foutz said.
Even though Tuesday is the Wolverines’ last regular season home game, the year still is far from over.
BHS (14-2, 5-0 IML) will finish league play with two road matches before traveling to Monument for Palmer Ridge’s tournament made up largely of Class 4A teams.
Then the Wolverines could host a regional tournament to qualify for state.
“It’s actually the most exciting part of our season,” Foutz said. “We’re actually gearing up. You can feel the positive energy.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
If you go
WHO: Pagosa Springs at Bayfield
WHAT: Intermountain League volleyball
WHEN: 5:45 p.m. today WHERE: Bayfield High School
