Girls tennis starts season with dual match

The Lady Outlaws started their season with a dual match against Redmond and Madras at Redmond on Tuesday, March 17. Sisters played a pro-set (the first to eight by two) against each team.

Three returning players were not able to be at the match, which meant many of the girls had to play higher in the line-up than normal. Coach Susan Fullhart told The Nugget that Lacey Gilmore, Mykaila Hartman, Ashley Adams, and Julia Collins-Burke all demonstrated selflessness, flexibility, and willingness to put themselves out there for the sake of the team.

Sisters lost 7-1 to Madras in their first match of the day, but Jesse Farr-Baenziger and Brenna Weems were able to claim an 8-4 win against Janni Young and Sophie Gemaids at the No. 1 doubles spot.

"Jesse and Brenna played amazingly well today," said Coach Susan Fullhart. "This is their first season playing together and the chemistry was already apparent. They got behind right off the bat against the Madras team, but were able to regroup and claim a solid victory."

The match against Redmond was much more competitive, but the Outlaws still came up short at 5-3.

Farr-Baenziger and Weems looked sharp from the start in their second match of the day and earned an 8-2 win over Marixa Gonzalez and Jessica Toledo. The duo served the ball extremely well, with just one double-fault total for the day.

"As a team, they are very aggressive at the net, which puts a lot of pressure on their opponents," said Fullhart. "The thing I really love about this doubles" team is that they just don't give away points. They do not beat themselves."

Annika Stadeli and Rylee Weber (No. 2 doubles) earned a decisive 8-2 victory over Jordan Holmes and Makenna Leijhti.

"Annika loves to play the net, and she did a great job finishing from that position today," noted Fullhart. "Rylee, a freshman and one of our eight first-timers, was very consistent on her serve, and did a super job with her forehand in the back court."

The most exciting match of the day was at No. 4 doubles. Mary Florian and Moriah Jones won in a 9-8 nail-biter against Brenda Beardshea and Ashley Grear. They served two match points at 7-8 to take it into the tiebreaker, where they dominated 7-2.

"The best thing about this match was watching these girls have so much fun out there," said Fullhart. "To see two first-timers enjoy themselves like these two freshman girls did just made my day! The victory was just the icing on the cake.

"I was very proud of the girls," said Fullhart. "Eight of the 14 girls who played in the varsity matches today were playing their first tennis match ever. It took a lot of courage to go out and play with so little experience. And, three of those girls won matches today."

Thursday's match at Prineville against the Lady Cowboys two days later was played under sunny skies. The Lady Outlaws swept the doubles matches, but lost all of their single matches for a 4-4 finish.

Weems and Farr-Baenziger (No. 1 doubles) played a solid match and defeated Laura Fraser and Gwyneth Plomey 6-3, 6-3.

"They are playing so well for this early in the season," said Fullhart. "I was particularly impressed with their decision-making and shot-selection. They hit the right shot virtually every time. If they didn't, it was just because they weren't able to execute the shot they intended to. They were so smart out there today."

Stadeli and Weber (No. 2 doubles) also had a good day and beat Kadence Kee and Grace Harper 6-3, 6-4.

Fullhart said, "Annika and Rylee have a huge upside as a team. Anni was steady from the backcourt, and set up some nice opportunities for Rylee to finish at the net, which she did perfectly. Rylee hit some beautiful serves as well."

Mykaila Hartman and Chawnie Craig played together for the first time at No. 3 doubles. Mykaila has a nice forehand and was steady from the backcourt, and Chawnie was consistent on her serve. The combo easily won their match with scores of 6-0, 6-2.

Kenna Cardin and Alana Lukens played together for the first time at No. 4 doubles and showed great chemistry on the court. The duo defeated Scout Wagner and Peem Jantra 6-2, 6-0.

"Kenna was the steady one, getting the ball back and over the net," commented Fullhart. "Alana used her natural aggression to finish a lot of balls from the net. Both girls did a good job of seeing the court and putting the ball in the right place."

Although the Outlaws didn't record any wins in singles matches, Fullhart gave a big shout-out to Lacey Gilmore and Maya Wieland, who played at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.

"Lacey's opponent (Elsa Harris) got second at the state tournament last year, and Maya played her little sister, (Greta Harris), who is also an exceptionally skilled player. Both girls were out of their comfort zone, but fought hard and had great attitudes," noted Fullhart.

The Lady Outlaws will hit the court again on Thursday, April 2, with a match at Bend High School.