Girls tennis posts first win of season

The Lady Outlaws kicked off their season with a 5-3 win at home over Estacada. Two days later they fell 1-7 at Cascade, and on Friday at home against Molalla they lost 1-7.

In Tuesday’s match against Estacada, Sisters got wins at all four singles spots, the fourth by default. They also earned a win at No. 2 doubles.

Juhree Kizziar (No. 1 singles) is a motivated, enthusiastic freshman and came out with a vengeance. Kizziar hustled to defeat Gracie Jossi 6-0, 6-4.

Coach Alan VonStein said, “I think Juhree is going to surprise a lot of people in our conference. She’s put in the extra time and hits on the weekends. She’s motivated and wants to be good.”

Elli Rush (No. 2 singles) just finished volleyball and jumped right into tennis. Ellie moved well on the court to beat Lizabeth Garcia 6-1, 6-1.

Freshman Katie Ryan (No. 3 singles), who had never touched a racket before this season, defeated Reagan Schlick 6-0, 6-1. Ryan is athletic and played quick on the court. VonStein noted that Ryan is a natural and is exciting to coach.

Jenna Kizziar and Josie Patton earned a win at No. 2 doubles. The duo defeated Jazmyn Ceely and Ava Turner 7-5, 6-1.

Freshmen Leah O’Hern and Brooke Harper lost their match against Tie Garrison and Natalie Hunt, but in a very good match that went to a tiebreak. They won the first set 6-4, lost 4-6, and then fell 13-15 in the tie breaker. The two freshmen, who’d just picked up a racket for the first time five days ago, did a good job in their first match of the season.

Brooke Harper was Sisters lone winner in their match against Cascade on Thursday.

“Brooke is a very focused young lady who is quickly picking up the strategy and nuances behind singles play,” stated VonStein. “She places her shots appropriately in different areas of the court and covers the court very well. It will be exciting to see her transform into a good singles player over the next few years.”

The top three singles players, Juhree Kizziar (No. 1), Ellie Mayes (No. 2), and Katie Ryan (No. 3) all played well at Molalla on Friday, and took their matches to a tiebreak. Mayes won her match over Kylie Smith with scores of 3- 6, 6-4, 15-13.

“Ellie did a phenomenal job,” said Von Stein. “She showed great resolve in a very long match against a very even opponent. Her shot placement is improving on a daily basis and it will be fun to watch her rise in the tennis ranks.”

VonStein commented on his team’s play so far.

“Overall the players are showing marked improvement on a daily basis,” he said. “All 15 cover the court well and are very coachable.”

The Lady Outlaws were scheduled to play at Madras on Tuesday, April 20. On Thursday they will face Philomath at home and on Friday the team has a road match at North Marion.