Boys tennis falls to Bend

The Outlaws boys tennis team hosted its inaugural match against Bend on Thursday, March 23. The Outlaws fell 6-2 to the Lava Bears.

The young squad is improving, and put out great heart and effort in the match, and was able to post two wins in doubles.

Jed Kizziar and Jacob Gurney dominated play to defeat Reed Kellar and Noah Miller 6-4, 6-4, at the No. 1 doubles spot. Kizziar is undefeated on the year, having played No. 1 doubles twice, and No. 1 singles once so far.

"Both guys are playing with controlled aggression, combining consistent service returns with lots of poaching at the net," said Coach Bim Gander.

Sean Willitts and Isaiah Chapen also squeaked by with a win at No. 2 doubles, but it was a much tougher match and the duo had to dig deep to record the 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-0 (11) victory over Drexell Barnes and Hudson Murdoch.

"This match went down to the wire, when Sean hit a couple of blistering forehands to take the final point of the match (13-11) in the super-tiebreaker," stated Gander. "Sean's game shows a little rust, since he's been unable to practice with the team due to a snowboarding injury, but Isaiah's steady play and good defense carried the day. It was terrific to see the guys come through after saving a couple of match points earlier in the tiebreaker."

Gander told The Nugget that the first-year players continue to show steady progress. In particular, he noted that Eli Gurney won five games in his No. 3 singles match, and Sam Mayes and Aaron Johnson took four games in their No. 3 doubles competition.

"With District #2 matches starting during the second week of spring break, their rapid improvement is very encouraging," said Gander.

The Outlaws are back on the court on Wednesday, April 5, with a match at Madras.