Outlaws earn silver at State volleyball tourney

Sisters Lady Outlaws battled five grueling sets and came out on top against Philomath on Friday, November 5, earning a berth in the finals at the State tournament at Corvallis High School. Another five grueling sets followed on Saturday in the championship game against Cascade. This time, the Outlaws fell short and had to settle for silver.

The Oregon West League teams were impressive, and it was a league battle for the top three spots in the tournament. Cascade finished first, Sisters took second, and Philomath took third.

On Friday against Philomath, it took the Outlaws five hard-fought sets to come out on top.

Sisters grabbed the first two sets with scores of 25-21, 25-23. The Outlaws took the lead in the third set and then the Warriors went on a seven-point serving run to narrow the gap. Toward the end of the set, Sisters had a chance to go up by one, but missed the serve and went down 23-24. The Warriors won the set on a hit off the block and forced game four.

The Outlaws fell 22-25 in the fourth set, and the match went to the fifth set to decide the winner. Sisters jumped out quick with a 6-1 lead. Philomath slowly worked their way back into the game and got to within two points toward the end of the set. Bailey Robertson had a huge block to give the Outlaws the serve, and Gracelyn Myhre served two aces to put the Outlaws on top 14-11. Bre White slammed down a cross-court kill for the 15-11 win, and sent the Outlaws to the championship game.

Gracie Vohs led the Outlaws with 20 kills and nine blocks, followed by White, who tallied 15 kills. Mia Monaghan logged 22 digs and Hannah Fendall dished out 42 assists.

The Outlaws faced league rival Cascade in the championship game in a tooth-and-nail battle that also went five full sets.

Sisters had the momentum at the start of the first set. A big kill from Gracelyn Myhre and Robertson, and a serving ace from Vohs, helped push the Outlaws to a 8-3 lead. The Outlaws kept up their aggressive play, and kills from Vohs and Sydney Myhre energized the team as they took a 25-15 advantage. The Cougars didn’t relent and fought to tie it up 21-21. The score was tied point-by-point all the way to 27-27. A kill from Gracelyn Myhre, and then an attack error by the Cougars, gave the Outlaws the 29-27 win.

Sisters struggled in the second set. They had several attack errors, went down 14-20, and lost the set 17-25.

The third set was one of the Outlaws’ best games of the season. They passed the ball well, were in system, and ran their offense to perfection. Sisters went up 7-4 behind great serves from Maddie Pollard, and powerful kills from Vohs and White. Sisters held the lead for the remainder of the game and won with a score of 25-17.

Cascade dominated the fourth set from the start. The Outlaws went down 9-17, were never able to recover, and lost 18-25.

In the final set, Sisters came out confident and strong and jumped out with a 4-1 lead, but then their game unraveled. Cascade’s libero stepped back to the service line and tied it up 4-4. The Outlaws called a time-out, but that didn’t deter the Cougars, who added six quick points to go up 10-4. The Outlaws lost the set 7-15. Cascade earned the win and the championship trophy, and Sisters finished second for the silver.

Vohs led the Outlaws with 19 kills, two aces, and six blocks. Gracelyn Myhre had 10 kills, and Sydney Myhre posted seven kills. White finished with four kills and Robertson added three. Hannah Fendall recorded 40 assists. Mia Monaghan and Sydney Myhre led the team with 12 digs each. Gracelyn Myhre posted 10 digs, and Maddie Pollard added eight.

Coach Rory Rush said, “This has been an amazing season with a great group of girls. They played their hearts out this weekend and left nothing on the court. We finished second in the state and that’s amazing! Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us this weekend.”

Gracie Vohs was named player of the match along with Lucretia Benolken of Cascade, and both Vohs and Sydney Myhre made the all-tournament team. Rush noted Vohs and Myhre for their impressive play.

“Gracie played aggressive and confident at the net,” said Rush. “She stepped up this weekend and had big kills in crucial moments for us. She has grown so much this season and has two more years to look forward to.

“Sydney has been a leader on and off the court all season. She played great defense and had some big kills for us this weekend. Her presence and court sense will be missed next year, but I am so proud of her for raising the level of Outlaw volleyball over her four-year career.”