Camas High School volleyball is leaving the gymnasium behind for one night only. On September 11, the Papermakers will host the Ridgefield Spudders in the program's first-ever outdoor match, staged under the lights at Doc Harris Stadium as part of a Patriot Day tribute marking 25 years since the September 11 attacks.
The event, first announced by the Clark County Sheriff's Office on Facebook, will bring together local law enforcement, fire crews, and military members for a night that blends high school athletics with civic remembrance. According to the sheriff's office post, the Camas Police Department, Camas-Washougal Fire Department, Ridgefield Police Department, East County Fire & Rescue, and military members will all take part alongside the Sheriff's Office. The night will include a moment of silence honoring the victims of the attacks, the national anthem, a law enforcement honor guard, and a first responder and military vehicle procession. Fireworks are also planned, along with performances from the Camas High School band and cheer team.
Matches begin in the afternoon and run into the evening, with the C team playing at 4 p.m., JV at 5:30 p.m., and varsity taking the court at 7 p.m., per the same Facebook post. Attendees are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue for the occasion. The stadium sits within the Camas School District's central facility hub on NE 22nd Avenue, alongside the Camas Transportation Center and the district's administrative offices, according to Camas School District records.
A Stadium Built for the Moment
Doc Harris Stadium is no stranger to big crowds, even if volleyball has never been part of the picture. The venue underwent a reconstruction in 2010 and 2011 that pushed grandstand capacity from 1,650 seats to 4,000, according to Mutual Materials. The stadium was named in July 1970 to honor Dr. Arthur K. Harris, a local physician who gave free physical exams to Camas High School athletes for more than four decades, the same account notes.
That expanded capacity is exactly what organizers of outdoor high school volleyball events have leaned on nationwide. Schools in at least 16 states have moved matches into football stadiums to build community engagement, according to AVCA News, with these outdoor events typically drawing crowds of 1,000 to 3,500 fans — far beyond what a traditional gymnasium can hold. The trend traces back to August 2023, when Nebraska's Volleyball Day set a world record for a women's sporting event with 92,003 fans at Memorial Stadium.
A Cross-Division Matchup With History
On paper, Camas and Ridgefield don't typically share a league. Camas competes in the 4A Greater St. Helens League, Washington's largest school enrollment classification, while Ridgefield plays in the 2A Greater St. Helens League. Despite the classification gap, Southwest Washington programs routinely schedule non-league matchups against one another, per the Greater St. Helens League's own records.
Ridgefield brings serious volleyball pedigree to the outdoor debut. The Spudders have made more than 34 WIAA state tournament appearances since 1975 — more than any other program in the state regardless of classification — according to information compiled on Wikipedia. Ridgefield's trophy case includes consecutive 1A state titles in 1975 and 1976 and 2A titles in 2018 and 2019. Camas, for its part, has qualified for the WIAA Class 4A state tournament regularly since moving into the state's largest classification tier in 2012, including a fifth-place finish in 2021.
Part of a Bigger Youth Sports Wave
The outdoor spectacle also reflects a broader shift in how girls' and women's volleyball is being marketed and consumed. Youth volleyball participation nationally grew by 40 percent between 2017 and 2023, making it one of the fastest-growing high school sports for female athletes, according to industry data reported by AVCA News. Moving a match like Camas versus Ridgefield outdoors, under stadium lights, taps directly into that momentum while giving Clark County a rare stage-sized platform for its Patriot Day observance.
That observance carries its own federal weight. Patriot Day was established as an annual day of observance under Public Law 107-89, signed into law in December 2001, which requests that state and local governments mark September 11 with memorial programs, flag displays at half-staff, and a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. Eastern time — the moment the first plane struck the North Tower, according to federal records. A follow-up law, Public Law 111-13, enacted in 2009, expanded the day into a National Day of Service and Remembrance, encouraging volunteerism alongside solemn commemoration.
For Camas and Ridgefield, that federal framework will play out on a much smaller, more personal scale: three volleyball matches, a procession of first responder and military vehicles, and a stadium full of neighbors dressed in red, white, and blue.
