Volleyball team takes top honors at Cascade Tournament

The Lady Outlaws dominated play at the annual Cascade Tournament held on Saturday, September 9. Coach Rory Rush notes that this is the fourth year in a row that Sisters has taken the top spot.

Sisters easily earned the No. 1 seed with their victories over Astoria, Yamhill-Carlton, and Kennedy in pool play. Hawley Harrer tallied 27 kills, Jessie Brigham recorded 36 digs, and the team as a whole posted 19 serving aces.

The Outlaws opened bracket play against league foe Sweet Home, and defeated the Huskies in two sets, 25-9, 25-17. Freshman Ellie Rush set the tempo of the match when she started the first set with a five-point serving run, which included two aces. Sophomore Sam Silva added four kills and two aces to help the Outlaws get the first-set win. Hawley Harrer led the team with six kills and three aces in the second set.

In the semi-finals, the Outlaws faced Salem Academy, the No. 1-ranked 3A school, who defeated Cottage Grove in the first round. Sisters crushed the Crusaders 25-15, 25-13. Harrer, Sophia Silva, Mattie Mynatt and Sam Silva all made big contributions with serving aces and kills to lead the Outlaws in the convincing win.

Sisters advanced to the championship round and matched up against the Cascade Cougars. The Outlaws took a tight first-set win at 25-21. Cascade made a late six-point run to bring the game to within two points. Strong offensive kills from Harrer and Ashlynn Cantwell ended the run, and the Outlaws got the win. In the second set, Rush got the Outlaws out front with an 8-0 serving run which set the tone for the lopsided 25-9 victory, which clinched the crown.

Harrer said, "The tourney was really good for us. We had two rough losses against Bend and Summit last week, and I think it made everyone hungry to want to work hard and get grinding. We had a slow start to the tournament, but as the day went on we played smarter and more as a team.

"Our coaches have been great, and have been pushing us to become the best we can be," Harrer added. "I'm excited to see what the season will bring."

Coach Rush commented, "I was happy with the teams' overall effort and focus. We did a great job finding energy after two tough losses last week, and limited practice time due to air quality. We went into the weekend tournament wanting to clean up our unforced errors, and execute our game plan from start to finish. We made strides in the right direction, but still have some fine-tuning that needs to happen as we prepare for league play. I am excited with the cohesiveness that is continuing to build."

Earlier in the week, the Lady Outlaws lost to two tough teams. On Tuesday, September 5, the Bend Lava Bears swept Sisters with scores of 25-17, 25-22, and 25-20. Harrer and Cantwell both had 11 kills in the game, and Kendra Sitz recorded eight.

Two days later, the Outlaws played a very competitive match against the Summit Storm, but fell in four sets. Scores were 23-25, 25-10, 20-25 and 24-26.

Every set was a battle. After a tough loss in the first set, the Outlaws came out with grit and determination, dominated the set, didn't have one unforced error, and recorded a big win to even it up at 1-1. Both the third and fourth frames were close, with points jumping back and forth between the squads, but sadly, the Outlaws just couldn't hold on for the finish in either set and the Storm tallied the win.

Harrer led the team with 19 kills, and Cantwell added eight. Cassidy Ling-Scott dished out 29 assists and Brigham had 13 digs and three aces in the contest. As a team, the Outlaws posted 10 aces on the night.

Sisters was to play Ridgeview at home in a non-league match-up on Tuesday, September 12. The Outlaws will play at home against Cottage Grove to kick off league play on Thursday, September 14. Games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.