Special night for Camas outdoor volleyball

Camas High School provided its volleyball team with the big stage. Then the Papermakers put on a performance. On a night that was already one to remember even before the first serve, the Camas volleyball team made it extra special by rallying back to beat Ridgefield in the first outdoor high school volleyball match in Clark County. The event brought out an estimated crowd of about 1,500 fans to Doc Harris Stadium. It was everything the players had hoped for. “It was so much fun; it was awesome,” junior Esther Hoesing said. “There was so much energy out here on the field. It was just like a bigger area to be in.” Junior Kendyl Wiest said it was a great reward for how the team promoted the event to the community. “We don’t really get this much community at our games,” Wiest said. “So it was feel-good moment for us as a program to have so many people come out and support us. And it was really awesome.” The night got started with the players running onto the temporary court on the field at Doc Harris under Kong, the inflatable Papermaker football player. Then came the parade of first responder vehicles making a lap around the track as part of the 9/11 commemoration. After the Camas High band played the national anthem, fireworks were shot off over the stadium scoreboard, muted a bit by the lingering daylight of the setting sun. Those were all elements that head coach Michelle Ford had to arrange before the event, so there was a lot to worry about. And the biggest worry about the one thing she couldn’t control: the weather. The original slight chance of rain went away as game day arrived. But there still was a concern that condensation could form on the court as the evening air cooled. Doc Harris is known for the fog that often creeps up from Lacamas Creek just east of the stadium. “I’m not going to relax until this thing is over,” athletic director Stephen Baranowski said. Baranowski had mops, dryers and large fans at the ready if things started to get damp. But they never did. It allowed everyone to just focus on the game, which the Camas players said did not take long. “Literally after the first serve, it was like ‘Alright, we’re in a normal game,’ ” Wiest said. “Let’s go. Let’s play.” Hoesing added: “Before we started playing, we were like we need to focus on the six of who are on the court and all of us on the bench. It’s us right here. It’s not about everyone else and everything that was going on. It’s just right here.” The Papermakers used the energy and focus to take the first set 25-22. But then things turned. Maybe it was nerves from a young Camas roster. Or maybe it was a talented Ridgefield squad that included returning All-Region standout Paige Hanes as well as all-league players Ella Burke and 6-foot-7 Piper Moog. The Spudders took the second set 25-15 and appeared on their way in the third, taking a 23-14 lead. But then the Papermakers rallied to win the third set 25-23, then closed the victory out in the fourth 25-22. It left Ford with a lot of emotions afterwards. “For the girls and how things turned out, it was absolutely perfect,” Ford said. “The weather turned out well. The 9/11 remembrance turned out well. I have so many feelings. My girls pulled out the win in four. The fans came out from the community. All of the above. I’m just on Cloud Nine.” The only thing that didn’t go quite right was the stress the Papermakers put their coach through during those middle sets. “We had to make it fun for you guys to watch,” Wiest quipped. Immediately after the match as the players celebrated with their classmates, coaches and parent volunteers moved in to begin the process of removing the court from the field. “We’ve got a soccer game here tomorrow afternoon,” Baranowski said. “Not great planning by the A.D.” The planning can turn toward bringing this event back next year. Baranowski said that if the program wants to stay with the 9/11 theme, next year’s event could be a four-team tournament held on Saturday afternoon at the Doc Harris Stadium. Whatever form it takes, the players want to come back to Doc Harris. “Hopefully, it’s a yearly tradition that Camas does,” Wiest said. That’s Ford’s plan. “Absolutely,” she said. “We’re going to be back here next year.”

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