Outlaws take sting out of Hornets

The Outlaws defeated the Henley Hornets 5-3 on the tennis courts in their first home match of the season on Friday, April 12. A day later they traveled to Madras for the annual White Buffalo Invitational where their No. 1 and No. 2 singles and doubles teams finished fifth out of eight.

On Friday against Henley, Sisters won three of the four doubles matches.

Kendra Sitz and Hallie Swartz defeated Kenzie Cooper and Sabrina Graetsch in No. 1 doubles. The duo were down in the first set, but bounded back with a 6-4 win. They won the second set 10-6 and recorded the win. Midway through the first set Kendra and Hallie started to gel and communicated well. They hit good alley shots and were aggressive at the net.

Lauren Fitzke and Sophie Silva (No. 2) posted a win over Macy Hallman and Ellie Smith in back-to-back sets with scores of 6-3, 6-3. It was the first time Lauren and Sophie paired up, and the duo did an outstanding job of setting each other up, especially for middle shots, and they used alleys well.

Mattie Mynatt and Ellie Rush (No. 3) also won in back-to-back sets in their very first match as a doubles pair. They made a great team, played well together, and melded their individual skills into a great combo. Mattie had great net play and Ellie did a nice job at the baseline and got balls that were difficult to reach.

The Outlaws also got wins at No.2 and No. 3 singles.

Ramsey Schar (No. 2) defeated Sophie Gomez in two straight sets, 6-4, 6-0.

“Ramsey has just developed into a wonderful player,” said Coach Alan VonStein. “She’s like a sponge and is learning nice techniques and placement on her shots. She worked her opponent side-to-side and used her lobs in the appropriate fashion, and overall did a fabulous job. Her serve is right on key and she is very aggressive.”

Sofia Frack won her match at No. 3 singles with a 6-4, 6-6 (3-10), 14-12, victory over Nicole Cleland. VonStein told The Nugget that Sophia has made big strides in the improvement of her game. She was able to read her opponent well and took advantage of short shots, moved her feet, and hit the ball well.

A day later, seven Lady Outlaws hit the road for the all-day event in Madras, where each girl played 49 games.

Kendra Sitz went 6-1 on the day, and took second in the tourney at the No. 2 spot. Rheanna Salisbury went 3-4 at No. 1 singles.

In doubles play, Lauren Fitzke and Sophie Silva went 0-7 at the No. 1 spot, and Ellie Rush and Mattie Mynatt went 3-4 in No. 2 doubles.

VonStein said, “Overall, it was a great day to perfect different singles and doubles strategies. The girls all did well, and it was a good team bonding event.”

Sisters was to play Philomath at home on Monday, April 15, in a make-up match that was canceled earlier in the season, and play against Stayton at home on Tuesday. On Thursday, they will travel to Woodburn.