Outlaws take first at relocated volleyball tournament

The Lady Outlaws volleyball team was crowned champions at the Sisters Invitational Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, September 22. The tourney was moved to Redmond High School due to the smoky conditions in Sisters. Sixteen teams were in attendance including Banks, LaSalle, Burns, Cascade, Stayton and Tillamook, all top competitors.

Sisters faced three top teams in pool play. The Outlaws started off against Banks and lost 23-25 in a rough first set but bounced back to take the second set 25-20.

Coach Miki McFadden said, "We weren't able to get in practices because of the smoke, and the competition we faced last week wasn't that tough. Banks is a good solid team and losing that first set was a wake-up call. We pulled it together, and after that we didn't lose another set."

The Outlaws beat LaSalle 25-22, 25-17 in their next match. LaSalle was a tough competitor and put up strong blocks at the net. Sisters was behind several times in both sets and had to figure out how to steady out their game and come back. The Outlaws did just that and walked away with the win.

Sisters' final match in pool play was against Cascade. The Outlaws won both sets with scores of 25-14 and 25-23. The Cougars have tall players on their squad, and Sisters had to back up their hitters better and hit around the blocks. The Outlaws found themselves behind in the second set but came back with good defense and strong serving at the end.

At the end of pool play Vale, who was in another pool, had tallied more points than Sisters so were seeded No. 1 going into bracket play. The Outlaws were seeded No. 2.

The Outlaws advanced to the quarterfinals and matched up against the Huskies of Sweet Home. Sisters won the match 25-8, 25-13. The Outlaws were a bit taller than the Huskies and dominated on offense which allowed every player to see time on the court.

In the semifinals the Outlaws defeated Stayton 25-14 in the first set. Sisters got behind in the second set but midway though had a long rally and blocked four balls in a row thanks to Nila Lukens, Duree Standley and Kristina Johns. That turned the tide, and the Outlaws finished the set with a 25-22 win.

Sisters went up against Tillamook in the championship match and won both sets 25-22 and 25-8. The Outlaws had great momentum going into the second set and the Cheesemakers made several errors. Allie Spear came in off the bench and sparked the Outlaws, and at the end served an ace for Sisters' final point of the match.

Nila Lukens had a great match against Tillamook and tallied 11 kills in the match.

"Nila jumps so well," said Coach Miki McFadden. "She has a vertical jump of 25 inches and at 6 o'clock at night when everyone else was showing fatigue, she still had spring in her step. She hit high on the ball all day and drove her kills down hard to the floor."

Lukens finished out the tourney with 35 kills and six blocks, followed by Megan Minke who posted 31 kills and nine blocks, and Duree Standley who tallied 27 kills.

Shannon Fouts dished out 120 assists and recorded 13 aces at the service line. Savannah Spear tallied 29 digs and five aces. Shelbi Thompson had 18 digs, and Kristina Johns added 13 digs for the Outlaws.

Of Savannah Spear McFadden said, "Savannah was our main libero for the day, and she did a nice job passing in the middle. She had consistent hustle and was very steady at the service line. I can always count on her."

The Outlaws finished as tournament champions, and Tillamook was runner-up. Stayton and Banks tied for a third-place finish.

McFadden expressed her sincere thanks to all who helped make the tournament a success.

"Since the tournament got moved to Redmond there was so much more for us to do," said McFadden. "We had to haul equipment, set up in a new location and notify referees of the change. A big thank-you to Rob Spear, parents and the entire crew for their help in making the tournament run smoothly. I was stressed at first, but everyone did a great job and made it a very nice day."