Outlaws win division at Clearwater Classic

The Lady Outlaws volleyball team won their division and finished ninth out of 24 teams in the Bend Clearwater Classic on Saturday, October 9.

The teams were divided into gold, silver, and bronze divisions. Sisters played three tough matches to win the silver division. The Outlaws were one of two 4A teams in the tournament, which was filled with tough 5A and 6A teams from all over the state.

Sisters faced Summit in the first round of bracket play in the silver division, and lost a close first set. It was tied up 22-22, but three consecutive errors by the Outlaws allowed the Storm to close out the set with a 25-22 win.

The second set was also very tight at the end. Scores were tied 23-23, 24-24, 25-25, and 26-26. The tournament had a 27-point cap and so the first team to 27 got the win. Summit went back to serve with the score tied 26-26. Gracelyn Myhre made a perfect pass to Hannah Fendall, who set the ball to Bri White. White went up with an aggressive approach and sent a short tip right over the block for the win.

Sisters kept the momentum in the third set, and started with a powerful kill from White to the back corner. The set went back and forth, and then a kill down the line from Sydney Myhre tied it up 13-13. Mia Monaghan stepped up to the service line and served two aces to win the match and send Sisters into the semifinal game.

In the semifinal game against Dallas, the Outlaws prevailed with scores of 27-25, 23-25, and 16-14.

With the score tied 25-25 in the first set, White hit a sharp-angle kill that gave the Outlaws the serve. Sisters closed out the set with a kill from White and a tip kill from Gracie Vohs for the 27-25 win.

The second set was once again a back-and-forth game. The set was tied 23-23 when a controversial call by the official gave Dallas the advantage and the serve at 23-24. Sisters made a passing error and lost the set 23-25.

In the third and final set, the Outlaws were up 14-11, but let the Dragons creep back in and even the score 14-14. Vohs recorded a kill to give Sisters a 15-14 advantage and the serve. A great dig by Monaghan set Vohs up for the winning kill.

Sisters advanced and played North Medford in the championship game. The Outlaws defeated the Black Tornados in two straight sets with scores of 25-21, 25-22.

The win earned them a championship trophy in the silver division.

White led the Outlaws with 40 kills for the tournament. Vohs tallied 35 kills, and had 11 blocks and five aces.

Coach Rory Rush said, “After losing to the Huskies on Thursday we wanted to regroup and refocus mentally heading into the tournament. For us, this tournament was about gaining confidence, and learning and finding momentum as we head into our last two weeks of the season. This team has dealt with the ups and downs from Covid since the beginning of the season, as well as injuries, but each time they have proven themselves resilient. While losing to Sweet Home was tough, we were determined to not let it define us.

“I am so proud of the girls for spending their day Saturday in the gym, working so hard each match to fine-tune and learn how to be the team we want to be.” Rush added, “Our quote for the season, picked by the seniors, ‘Tough times don’t last. Tough teams do!’ has never been more true for this group of girls. They work every day to not just be teammates, but treat each other like family. Our tenacity and perseverance shined on Saturday. I couldn’t be more proud of this team and look forward to what these next two weeks will bring.”