Martinez: Camas volleyball to host outdoor match Friday at Doc Harris Stadium

Everyone in Camas knows Doc Harris Stadium is the place to be on Friday nights in the fall. The Camas volleyball team hopes that remains true this Friday, even though the Papermaker football team is out of town. Camas will host its first outdoor high school volleyball at Doc Harris on Friday night when the Papermakers take on the Ridgefield Spudders. “I’ve been wanting to do this for years,” Camas volleyball coach Michelle Ford said. “So I went to my AD ‘Hey I really want to do an outdoor game.’ … But then I couldn’t find anybody that wanted to play us the last couple of years. I finally went to (Ridgefield coach Sabrina Dobbs) and ‘Sabrina, do you guys want to play this outdoor game?’ She goes ‘Absolutely!’ So then I started to plan it out from there.” The inspiration for the outdoor game came from the University of Nebraska, which hosted an outdoor game in Memorial Stadium in 2023 that drew 92,000 fans. Camas will install a temporary sport court on the field at Doc Harris for this special event. Because Friday is the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the volleyball team also plans to honor local first responders at the event. Ford has been working with downtown businesses in Camas to promote the event and get the community excited. “You know, the football team is gone (Friday), so it would be nice to have all these businesses come out and support this event, right?” Ford said. “Something fun that Camas has never done before.” Senior captain Kali Beaulieu said it’s a special opportunity for her teammates, particularly she and her sister Noelle, who is also a team captain. The Beaulieu sisters are the lone seniors on this year’s team. “I mean, it’s our last year here, so it’s kind of like going out with a bang,” Kali Beaulieu said. “It’s something that a lot of high schools have never seen before, so we’re really excited.” Noelle Beaulieu hopes the Camas community is as excited for the event as the players are. “We’re looking for the community to come out and show out,” Noelle Beaulieu said. “You know, you always hear about the football games at Doc. We want to get Doc packed. We want to hear the support.” Plans are all set. There are just two variables left to make this a perfect night. The first is the weather. “We’re just hoping the weather helps us,” Ford said. “The forecast went from like 75 (degrees) to 71 to now 68. I got some heaters. I’m just making sure. I just hope the floor isn’t an issue.” Right now, the forecast calls for cloudy skies on Friday night with rain holding off until much later in the evening, if it all. But even cooling night temperatures with enough moisture in the air could cause condensation to form on the court on the court. That was the issue on Sunday night when Nebraska played Missouri at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. It led to players slipping on the court. The players tried to help out by using towels to dry the court before the match was eventually called off. Ford worries about something like that happening Friday at the Doc. “It’s like why couldn’t we get Wednesday’s weather on Friday?” Ford said. “It’s supposed to be like 85 on Wednesday.” The other variable is the turnout by Camas High students, fans and community members. The event begins at 4 p.m. with C squad matches followed by the junior varsity match at 5:30 p.m. and varsity match at 7 p.m. Between the JV and varsity match, the Little Spikers Volleyball players, a Camas program for elementary-age students, will play an exhibition match. Spectators are encouraged to wear red, white and blue for the 9/11 commemoration. Camas players believe the match is something that shouldn’t be missed. “I mean, it’s going to be like nothing you’ve seen before,” Kali Beaulieu said. “I guarantee you nobody in Camas has watched an outdoor (volleyball) game. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going be a very competitive game, and that’ll be great.” And there’s one more thing to consider. “I think people show up to watch not only football, but also to get cute pictures after the game,” junior captain Kendyl Wiest said. “So why not get cute pictures on the volleyball court?” Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached at tim.martinez@columbian, 360-735-4538 or follow @360TMart on Instagram, Threads and X (formerly Twitter).

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