Outlaws win one on the road

The Lady Outlaws posted a four-set road win over Stayton on Tuesday, September 20, but two days later fell in a grueling five-set, three-hour marathon match at home against Sweet Home, which ended with scores of 19-25, 25-14, 24-26, 25-22, and 13-15.

It was a devastating loss, and broke the Lady Outlaws' league game winning streak of 76 victories.

Sisters defeated the Eagles with scores of 25-16, 25-14, 23-25, and 25-8. The Outlaws have been fighting illness and started out the match slow, and missed their first three serves. They were able to pull it together, settle into their game, and rattled the Eagles with tough serves and great passes to post wins in the first two sets.

Coach Rory Rush said, "We made some rotation changes in the third set, and we found ourselves out of sync."

The Outlaws lost their seven-point lead in the third set due to unforced errors, and the Eagles gained momentum and took the set by a slim two points.

Sisters regained their composure and played a great fourth set from start to finish. The team played with confidence and had control of the game from the get-go. They held the lead the entire way and recorded the win.

Rush told The Nugget that freshman Greta Davis, who plays middle, had a great game. Davis has been a force at the net for the Outlaws all season long.

"Greta brought energy and intensity every time she was on the floor," said Rush. "Her ability to block and hit around their block was key to the success of our offense and defense."

Rush added, "Tonight's game was learning to play present, and to play with confidence. We continue to work hard, fine tuning our game as we head into our next match. These girls, despite feeling sick, never gave up."

Thursday's match against Sweet Home was a battle between the last two undefeated teams in the league, and both knew it would be a hard-fought contest. Last year, both league matches ended in a five-game thriller, and this go-round proved to be no different.

Sisters started off tight, and nerves caused unforced errors, which proved to be a common theme throughout the match. The Outlaws lost by six in the first set, but turned it around and came out strong in the second, cleaned up their errors and controlled the game to earn the victory.

In the third set, the Outlaws jumped out to an early lead and at one point held a 10-point advantage. Unforced errors let the Huskies back in and they tied it up late in the game and eventually won by two.

Sisters rallied after the tough loss, and dug in and took the fourth set by three, which forced a fifth and final game. The Outlaws started out fast and furious and quickly went up 10-5, but unfortunately unforced errors and a relentless SH squad saw the Huskies crawl back and eventually post the 15-13 win to take the match, and claim the No. 1 spot in the Oregon West League.

The Lady Outlaws will play at home against Newport on Thursday, September 27.