Lady Outlaws take third at state tourney

The Outlaws made their 12th consecutive appearance at the state tournament and walked away with a third-place finish. The tourney was held in Forest Grove on Friday and Saturday, November 2-3.

Sisters faced Hidden Valley in their first match of the tournament on Friday, and posted scores of 26-24, 25-16, and 25-19 for the win.

The volleyball squad only had three girls who had played major minutes during last year's state tournament, so the start of the match was a bit rough. They were tense, and quite nervous, and struggled to pass and find their offensive rhythm. On the plus side, they served well, which gave them the first-set win.

As the match progressed, the Outlaws gained confidence, found their offensive groove, and put away the Mustangs in three straight sets.

Sisters fell to Valley Catholic (VC) in four sets (16-25, 25-12, 17-25, 22-25) in the semi-final game. The game was a re-match of the state championship game last year, and the Valiants came out strong and ready to play.

In the first set, the Outlaws struggled with the Valiants' strong block and passing, but bounced back in the second set and stepped up their serving, which took VC out of rhythm often.

Sets three and four were back and forth, but VC persevered and took both sets, and won the match 3-1.

Sisters' final match was against league foe Sweet Home. These two tough teams had already matched up against each other five times during the season, each one a battle to the end, and every set won by never more than a few points.

This match proved to be no different, with both squads battling back and forth in five very tough sets. Sisters came out on top with scores of 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23, and 15-6.

In the fourth set, Sisters was down 17-20, and on the verge of losing in four sets, but freshman Greta Davis had two huge blocks, and two big kills, which gave the Outlaws a 21-20 edge. The momentum shifted in the Outlaws' favor, and the added confidence got them the win.

Game 5 was all about the Outlaws. The set started behind strong serves from Ellie Rush, which gave them a 4-0 lead. Sophie Silva and Davis provided great hits, blocks, and serves, and the Outlaws held the lead the entire way.

In the final match against the Huskies, Davis finished with 10 kills and seven blocks. Kendra Sitz tallied 12 kills, three blocks, and three aces. Sophie Silva had nine kills, six blocks, and five aces, and Rush dished out 45 assists, and served up six aces.

Kendra Sitz was a first-team all-tournament selection, and Samantha Silva was a second-team pick.

Coach Rory Rush said, 'I am so proud of the girls for how well they played this weekend, and for never letting down. We were able to bounce back after losing to Valley Catholic and play a great game against a tough Sweet Home team. We grew a lot this weekend mentally, and having this experience will only set the stage for next year. Coming home with the third-place trophy is a great accomplishment for a team that many thought wouldn't have what it would take to get back to the state tournament this year."