There’s another level out there for the Bayfield High School volleyball team.
BHS head coach Terene Foutz doesn’t think her team has played its best volleyball yet this year.
The whole season has been a building and learning experience for the Wolverines, who will open the postseason at 9 a.m. Saturday at BHS.
“We’ve had a great week. Our team is prepping for a fast tempo,” Foutz said. “We’ve been challenging the team, daily. Hopefully, that’ll come together on Saturday.”
The Wolverines earned the No. 3 seed in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 3A regional tournament and will host No. 22 Grand Valley and No. 34 Estes Park.
BHS (20-3) will face Grand Valley first, followed by the Estes Park-Grand Valley match 15 minutes after the first one ends, then BHS and Grand Valley will play.
Two wins automatically will send a team to the state tournament, where BHS has been every year for the last half decade.
Standing in the Wolverines’ way of a return trip? Two teams that have combined to win four fewer matches than BHS all year.
Grand Valley (13-10) finished third in the Western Slope League.
“I’ve certainly received information on their team tendencies,” Foutz said.
Estes Park (3-20) enters the postseason on an eight-match losing streak.
BHS senior Kirstie Hillyer leads the Wolverines with 4.8 kills per game. Hillyer also has 85 blocks this season; Estes Park has 89.
“Estes Park, we’re strictly interpreting online what we see there statistically on what is likely to happen,” Foutz said. “I’ve had the team get online and study that information.”
Just surviving and advancing won’t be enough for BHS, should it reach its sixth state event in a row.
“Our attitude is that we feel so unfinished. We don’t believe we’ve played our best volleyball,” Foutz said. “I believe in this team, and I think they can take Bayfield to another level. We’re still searching for it, just like any other program. I really feel that this is a special group. If we do our job, and we stick to our philosophy, we’ll go far into the postseason.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
Class 3A Region 3 Tournament
Who: Bayfield High School, Estes Park High School and Grand Valley High School.
What: Class 3A Region 3 Tournament.
When: 9 a.m. Saturday.
Where: Bayfield High School.
No. 3 Bayfield Wolverines
Coach: Terene Foutz, second year.
Colors: purple, gold and black.
Enrollment: 368.
League: Intermountain.
Record: 20-3, 8-0.
Roster: Emily Bauer, Courtney Bayles, Madi Foutz, Sydney Gabbard, Kirstie Hillyer, Kylee McCoy, Martina Moreno, Taylor Morris, Jade Pascale, Caitlin Phelps, Suzie Rhodes, Jessie Roukema.
No. 22 Grand Valley Cardinals
Coach: David Walck, seventh year.
Colors: red, white and black.
Enrollment: 291.
League: Western Slope.
Record: 13-10, 5-2.
Roster: Erika Anderson, Litah Campbell, Kyra Chenoweth, Allie Dovey, Jori Dovey, Addyson Harper, Sammi Hinkle, Korrie Hurt, Lohgan McClung, Taylor Mills, Aerianna Preble, Kylyn Rigsby, Bailey Rowe, Jordan Scott, Megan Smith.
No. 34 Estes Park Bobcats
Coach: Sammi Coleson, fourth year.
Colors: purple, white, silver and black.
Enrollment: 333.
League: Patriot.
Record: 3-20, 2-14.
Roster: Bailey Ash, Anikka Cirone, Kaylee Coleson, Lindsey Kufeld, Paige McKinnon, Kaelynn Morgan, Alexis Thompson, Melody Tovar, Jenna Wahler, Sarah Weeks, Anna Weibel.
Durango Herald
