The last varsity volleyball game in the current gym at Bend Senior High School will be Tuesday, Oct. 28, a bittersweet moment for the team. The gym is being demolished in June, as part of a four-year reconstruction plan funded by a $250 million bond that voters approved in 2022. The first phase of construction, which includes new classrooms and school entrance, began in 2024.
Head varsity coach Kristin Cooper is in her 18th season of coaching at Bend High. “I feel sadness when I think about our gym being torn down,” she told the Source. “When I moved here in 2007, I was pregnant with my first child. I have literally raised all three of my children in that gym. I still have their Pack ‘n Play in the closet, and it will be swept away with the rubble of the gym.”
The last volleyball match will be a special event. Before the game against Ridgeview High School, six seniors on the Bend High team will be celebrated. At the end of the match, a photo presentation will commemorate the gym’s history as well as honor assistant varsity coach Liz Hewitt who’s coached at the high school since 1979.
Cooper is hoping that Bend Senior High volleyball alumni will attend the last game and celebrate their own memories. The normal $6 entry fee will be waived for alumni attending that night. Cooper expects the matchup to be a good one. The lady Lava Bears are currently seeded third in State in the 5A division with a 14-6 record overall. She expects to make a run at the state championship.
“I know our school needs a make-over and new facilities, but there certainly is comfort in this gym and A LOT of fond memories,” Cooper says.
Volleyball Alumni Night
Tue. Oct 28, 6:30pm
Bend Senior High School
230 NE 6th St., Bend
Free for Alumni/$6 adults/$4 children
This article appears in the Source October 16, 2025.
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