Outlaws advance to the big dance

Sisters (ranked No. 2 statewide) came out strong, and quickly trounced No. 15-ranked Seaside in the play-in game held in Sisters on Saturday, October 29. The Outlaws won with scores of 25-14, 25-16, and 25-18.

The win gave Sisters their ticket to the big dance, which will be held at Forest Grove High School on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5, in the double-elimination state tournament.

The Lady Outlaws will be given an escort out of town on Thursday, November 3, and will make a special stop at Doernbecher Hospital in the afternoon. Coach Rod Jones told The Nugget that visiting the hospital is a great opportunity for the team to come together with a common purpose, and commit to give to someone else.

In Saturday's match with the Seagulls, the Outlaws worked together to tally the win.

Jones said, "Everybody played well. The kids took care of business and played very efficient. All the hitters swung very well. Alex (Hartford) is working hard running the offense, and when we pass her the ball it makes it more fun for all the hitters. Jessie (Brigham) played very, very consistent and passed the ball well at libero."

Jones told The Nugget that the Outlaws will need to be ready and sharp for state.

"We have to hone our competitive attitude, and fine-tune and clean up some things," said Jones. "Serve-receive will be critical. We have to be confident in those two aspects, and that will give opportunity to get the ball to a lot more hitters."

Of making it to state, senior Emma Houck stated, "It feels good to know we are in the final eight. I think we are ready to take a state title. We need to keep working hard in practice this week with our serve-receive and blocking."

Four days earlier, the Lady Outlaws took down top-ranked Bend High in an endowment game that went the distance. Sisters pulled out the win with scores of 18-25, 25-21, 14-25, 25-16 and 16-14.

The first two sets were very competitive. In the first set, scores were close until late in the game when Bend forged ahead with some great plays to tally the win. Sisters kept at it and earned the win in a close second-set.

Bend played very well in the third set. The Outlaws broke down and made some mistakes, which made it easier for Bend to earn the win. Sisters executed very well in the fourth set to even the sets at 2-2. Coach Jones told The Nugget that the team's serve-receive was very good, their touches were positive, and their mental attitude was strong.

In the final set, the score bounced back-and-forth, and then Bend went up 12-9. Sisters scored a couple more but Bend held on and took a 14-12 advantage. The Outlaws served two straight points to pull out the win.

"The girls played tough, didn't quit, and did the right thing late," said Jones. "It was just fun to be there and watch two good teams battle. Everybody played hard. There were no losers."