Girls play in three-way tournament

The girls tennis team played against Henley and Hidden Valley in a three-way round robin tournament at Black Butte Ranch on Saturday, April 28. Sisters beat Hidden Valley 8-0 and lost 3-5 to Henley. Matches were played with a one-hour time constraint.

The Lady Outlaws were excited they were able to get in a full day of tennis, since their last four matches were cancelled due to rain.

No. 1 singles player Becky Thomas lost her first round to Megan Conley of Henley 2-6, 2-6, but came back in round two and defeated Shana Wester of Hidden Valley 6-1, 6-2.

"Becky gets better as she gets warmed up," said Coach Marti Dale. "She got all her nerves out and then dominated in her match against Wester. She was able to be consistent and set it up nicely so she could make the plays and finish."

Chloe Stein (No. 2 singles) beat Mary Richardson of Hidden Valley 6-4, 6-0 in round one and then lost to Henley's Alex Avalos 4-6, 2-6.

Dale said, "Chloe kept the ball in play and had some really nice deep drives which gave her the chance to come to the net and finish it in her match against Richardson."

Hannah Stuwe (No. 3 singles) defeated Hidden Valley's Annalisa Hazelton 7-5 in a long first set. Stuwe won the second set 3-0 due to the time constraint. In the second round, Stuwe faced Henley's Kelsie Asay. Hannah lost the first set 6-8 in a tie break that took up the entire one-hour time limit.

"Hannah's serving was excellent," said Dale. "Hazelton had trouble returning Hannah's strong, powerful first serve."

At the No. 4 singles spot, Anna Peasley beat Zoe Newton of Hidden Valley 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.

Dale told The Nugget that Peasley played a nice baseline game and had very good deep drives that Newton had a rough time returning.

In round two, Peasley lost 2-6, 3-6 to Cassie Lee-Langley of Henley.

In doubles play, Elise Herron and Jessie Farr (No. 1) lost 0-6, 5-7 to Megan Conoly and Alex Avalos of Henley in round one. In round two, Jen Houk, who was unable to play in round one due to an injury, was able to take the court. Herron and Houk dominated play against Hidden Valley's Mary Richardson and Annalisa Hazelton and won the match 6-2, 6-0.

The No. 2 duo, Lauren Rudinsky and Nicole Webb, beat Henley's Cassie Lee-Langley and Kelsie Asay 6-4, 6-1. In round two Rudinsky and Webb defeated Henley's Paula Pinlac and Kassandra Simon 6-1, 6-1.

Shelbi Thompson and Paige Tosello (No. 3 doubles) recorded a 6-1, 6-2 win over Cody Porter and McKenna Schermhan of Hidden Valley.

"Shelbi and Paige's serving is really good," said Dale. "They were consistent and strong and their first serve always went in. They had no double faults and won the match with their serves."

In round two, Thompson and Tosello defeated Jordan Dolezal and Amanda Barber 6-0, 6-1.

Savannah Spear and Haley Carlson (No. 4 doubles) dominated play in their 6-0, 6-0 win over Sarah Nelson and Amanda Adams of Hidden Valley. In round two, the duo beat Ploy PIttayaban and Shelby Rodgers of Henley 6-0, 6-0.

After the tournament was officially over, the players played some matches of mixed doubles and played eight-game pro sets just for fun.

Coach Dale told The Nugget that weather has proved to be quite a problem for the girls tennis team. In their last four scheduled matches, prior to the tournament, the Lady Outlaws would get to their destination, start to warm up, and then the rains would come. The match would stop and teams would wait for the skies to clear. Players grabbed squeegees and would clear the rain from the courts and get ready to start again. Unfortunately, the skies unloaded every time and all four matches were cancelled.

"The girls have been squeegeeing more than they've been playing matches," smiled Coach Dale. "It was so nice to get in a full day of tennis today and the mixed-doubles play at the very end was so much fun for the girls."

Sisters will play in a round robin against Cascade, Mt. View and Junction City on Saturday, May 5, at Black Butte Ranch.