Lady Outlaws advance to state playoffs

The Lady Outlaws rolled over Stayton in regional volleyball play on Saturday, October 30, and will advance to the first round of the state playoffs.

Sisters swept the visiting Eagles with final scores of 25-11, 25-14 and 25-14 to win the match.

Kaity Douglass set the pace at the service line in game one. Douglass tallied seven straight serves to give the Outlaws a quick 7-0 lead. Chelsea Reifschneider put down a powerful spike for a point and then earned a point on a beautiful serve to win the game.

Douglass' two aces and a couple of outstanding kills from Megan Minke fired up the Outlaws in game two. Libero Sydney Stoneback added spot-on passes from the back court which gave the hitters easy kills.

Freshman Bailey Bremer pounded two balls straight down to the court for kills at the end of game three to secure the Outlaws' win.

After the game Douglass said, "We were so ready and very prepared for this game. Our passes were perfect and we adjusted very well to Stayton's offense. We're going to keep going hard and hope to reach our peak at state."

Megan Minke led the offensive attack with 10 kills. Lizzy Carhart and Chelsea Reifschneider contributed six kills and Bailey Bremer added five. Minke and Reifschneider also had two blocks each in the match. Douglass dished out 33 assists and recorded two blocks on the night.

Coach Diane Bremer said, "We had solid back-row effort from Sydney (Stoneback), Marisa (Calavan), Chelsea (Reifschneider), Samantha (Williamson) and Kristina (Johns). Our defense was the foundation for our offense tonight.

"We came out tonight and played a solid match with very few unforced errors," added Bremer. "The girls were focused and played with poise, and yet were very aggressive. We can't wait to get back in the gym and prepare for next Saturday's opponent."

The Lady Outlaws are 21-2 overall and are currently seeded fourth in the OSAA's power rankings. Sisters is expected to host a playoff game on Saturday, November 6. No other details were available at press time; OSSA was to post a 16-team bracket on November 3.