Girls tennis team competes at district

The girls tennis team traveled to Medford on Thursday and Friday, May 8-9 to compete in the district tournament. Although the Lady Outlaws did not place, the team performed well and had some very memorable moments.

The biggest highlight for the Outlaw squad came in the quarterfinals. Jacquie Bryan and Marin Allen (No. 3 doubles) nearly upset the No. 2 seed, Annaliese Johnston and Jenna Mancino of Junction City (JC). Finals scores in the match were 7-5, 0-6, 7-6 (11-9 tiebreaker).

"Jacquie and Marin played cool, calm, steady and very smart," said Coach Marti Dale. "The match was really a battle. The JC girls were over confident and our girls took advantage right away. When they had the opportunity they took it and put the ball away. That flustered the other team and it was hard for them to adjust. Our girls let down in the second set, but in the third set the pressure was on. It came down to who could hold out the longest for a putaway shot and it ended up being JC. It was a very exciting match to watch. Our girls walked off the court with confidence and pleased with the fine job they'd done."

Both Maddie Green and Tiffany Bigalow made it to the quarterfinals in consolation before suffering their final loss.

Dale was pleased with her team's performance and knows the team will return next year stronger and more confident.

"The girls learned so much at district," said Dale. "They became more competitive, learned about the strategy of the game and saw experienced tennis players at their best. That excited them. I think they'll look hard at playing in the off-season and next year we'll have a much improved team."