JV volleyball dominated league play

The girls JV volleyball team wrapped up its season undefeated in league play with a 10-0 record. The Lady Outlaws dominated their league foes and swept their opponents in many matches.

Ten players made up the JV roster and all were big contributors on the team.

Haylie Hudson was the team's quarterback at setter and averaged 20 assists per match.

Coach Braidy Bates said, "Haylie was a co-captain and one of the team leaders both on and off the court. She always had an upbeat attitude and always kept up the energy on the court."

Brenna Weems is a powerful middle hitter and was the best hitter on the Outlaws squad. Brenna averaged 10 kills and four blocks per game. Bates told The Nugget that Weems is a very dedicated player and stayed after practice several times to work on her swing.

One particular moment stood out in Bates' mind.

"I remember in one match Brenna had three consecutive blocks to win the point. It was very impressive," said Bates.

Shayla Curtis and Anja Gnos were outside hitters that played all the way around. They rarely ever came out of a match. Curtis is very aggressive at the net and also very reliable in the back row. She was the Outlaws' strongest server and averaged five aces per match.

Bates recalled Curtis' serving performance in the first match of the season.

"We played Junction City, and Shayla served 15 straight points at the start of the match to give us a big lead," said Bates.

Gnos saw the entire court and could read the ball well in both the front and back row. Anja averaged seven kills and 10 digs per match. Bates noted that Anja is very quick and got her hands on a lot of balls.

Jesse Farr-Baenziger was Sisters' defensive specialist and played at libero. Jesse was a co-captain, a leader in the back row and averaged 13 digs per match.

Sarah Dumolt was the Outlaws' utility player and played every position on the court. Bates stated that Dumolt could do it all.

"Sarah was very focused and worked very hard to be able to play every position on the court," said Bates.

Kendra Kemp played right-side hitter, and according to Bates was a reliable hitter in the front row.

Bates told The Nugget that Haley Zadow was Sisters' most-improved player over the course of the season. Braidy added that Haley was a smart hitter and also stayed after practice many times to work on her hitting.

Breanna Perry played defensive specialist and always showed up to practice and games with the best attitude on the team.

"Breanna was always positive," said Bates. "She was always upbeat and clapping whether she was on the court or on the bench."

Autumn Saunders rounded out the team roster. Saunders started as a middle hitter but was hurt early in the season and was unable to finish.

One particular match of the season stood out in Bates' mind.

"In our game at home against Cottage Grove we were down 2-10," said Bates. "It seemed like we couldn't do anything to win a point. But, the girls came back together, re-focused and won by at least 10 points."

Bates told The Nugget she feels very fortunate to have been able to coach such a fine group of young women.

"All in all my girls showed up every day to practice eager to learn and improve their game," stated Bates. "They worked hard and for the most part had great attitudes throughout the season. They taught me a lot and helped shape me into becoming a better coach.

"These girls are very coachable and have accepted the system Miki (McFadden) has put in place," added Bates. "They will be ready to show and display their talents at the varsity level."