Volleyball will head to the big dance

Sisters defeated Corbett in four sets in the first round of the state playoffs held at home in Sisters on Friday, October 30. The Outlaws won the match with scores of 15-25, 25-14, 25-12 and 25-19. The win will once again send Sisters to the final dance at Forest Grove High School this weekend, Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7, where they will once again compete for the state title.

The match against Corbett wasn't the way the Outlaws had hoped to start their playoff run, but they did get through the match and walked away with the win. Sisters came out flat, and with both Allie Spear and Peytan Zanck out resting injuries; it left the team with a young hitting squad that took awhile to get going.

Sisters lost the first set, which was a wake-up call for the younger players to get moving and to swing at the ball.

Corbett came out strong and passed a great game, and the Outlaws weren't able to convert easy points on offense until halfway into the second set. Sisters committed 26 errors in the match, and Coach Jason Myhre told The Nugget that they will not be able to win against stronger teams with that many errors.

"Throughout the whole match, we just didn't seem to sustain our tempo," he said. "We had runs that kept us ahead, but then we would commit an error to slow things down.

"I am proud of Kendra (Sitz), Emma (Houck), and Cassidy (Ling-Scott) for stepping in and playing some positions that they normally don't play, and to be out on the court more than they normally are," added Myhre. "They played with courage, and filled in well."

Ashlynn Cantwell had a perfect performance at the service line going 15/15 with two aces. Ashlynn also recorded 13 digs and put down six kills. Hawley Harrer had 20 kills on the night, dished out 12 assists, was 14/16 from the line, and had five digs.

Jessie Brigham led the squad with 30 digs, and went 16/18 from the line with one ace. Alex Hartford recorded 19 assists and five digs in the match, and was 13/14 from the line.

Emma Houck went nine-for-twelve serving with two aces, and tallied six digs and six kills. Kendra Sitz went 11/12 with one ace.

Three days earlier, the Outlaws defeated Marist, the No. 1 5A team in the state. Sisters made the trek over the mountain and beat the Spartans in four sets with scores of 13-25, 25-21, 25-23 and 25-15. The Outlaws' victory gave Marist a bit of a shock, and proved that Sisters can play with the best, and walk away with a win.

Myhre told The Nugget the Lady Outlaws came into the match with confidence, but knew they would be in for a fight. In addition, senior Allie Spear was out the entire match with a fractured finger.

The Outlaws came out flat in the first set and didn't hit the ball well. Sisters committed eight errors, which completely took them out. In the second set, they started to gain tempo, and hitters started to pound the ball.

In the third set, Peytan Zanck sprained her ankle, and couldn't continue to play. Bench players stepped in and played a significant role. The Outlaws went on to win the third set, and played the fourth set minus all their seniors.

"That fourth set proved to be all ours," stated Myhre. "The team played focused, and stepped up to take the fourth set and the match.

"I have never been prouder of these girls," added Myhre. "Allie was an emotional leader on the bench. The team was into every play of the match, and supported each other like I have never seen before."

Brigham did an outstanding job on the court, and had an impressive showing at the service line. Jessie went 26/26 with six aces, and also tallied 27 digs. In addition, Myhre felt she put on a libero clinic during the match.

"Jessie found herself wherever she needed to be to get some great digs, and keep the team into every play," said Myhre. "With Allie out, Jessie needed to cover more of the floor, and she did just that, and then some."

Harrer didn't have her biggest hitting night, but she kept the Spartans so worried about where she was, that her presence on the court helped free up hitting lanes for the other hitters. She had 16 kills on the night, was 10/10 from the service line, and recorded 13 assists and 13 digs.

"Hawley was there when we needed her to put the ball away, and she was a great distraction for the other team," said Myhre. "Her setting was on, and her blocking helped secure the net."

Hartford commanded her sets to be exactly where they needed to be, and recorded 21 assists in the match. Alex also went eight-for-10 from the service line.

"Setting a less experienced hitting crew, she put it where they needed it, and it created huge opportunities for kills," stated Myhre.

Emma Houck was the Outlaws' sleeper. Emma entered the game and just took over hitting the ball. With 10 kills, she was the second-best hitter on the team for the night.

Kendra Sitz, Brooke Knirk, Cassidy Ling-Scott, Ashlynn Cantwell and Sydney Head all helped contribute to the effort, and played with incredible determination.

Myhre said, "There have been a few times this year where the team has really had to rally behind each other, and play with more heart and determination in order to pull off a win. Tonight, they were required to play as a complete team, and they stepped up to the challenge. The win tonight was a complete team effort, including players and coaches."