Lady Outlaws suffer conference loss

The Outlaws started their week with a 3-5 loss at home against Summit on Monday, April 10, and three days later dropped their first conference match of the season; a 3-5 loss to Crook County.

In Sisters’ matchup against Summit on Monday, teams played in horrible conditions. It was windy and dirt was flying due to trucks moving soil near the tennis courts. The wind was a big factor in the match and made it very difficult for many of the players to figure out, and at times it was difficult to see and play.

The match consisted of four varsity singles matches and four JV doubles matches.

Juhree Kizziar (No. 1 singles) played the wind like a master, allowing it to move her ball. Her patience and movement around the court, and hitting the ball on the rise, helped her to win her match over Sara Feldman with scores of 6-2, 6-0.

Brooke Harper (No. 2 singles) was very patient and consistent and hit big looping high balls that the wind made very difficult for Audrey Miller to handle. The ball bounced so high that Miller couldn’t hit the ball. Harper took the match 6-3, 6-4.

Lanie Mansfield and Leah O’Hern (No. 3 doubles) squeaked out an 11-9 tiebreaking win over Jo Hull and Sara Foran. The duo won their first set 6-4, and then lost the second 4-6. They played good defense and hit timely winners at the net. Their experience of playing together as a pair helped them stay patient and focused throughout the match.

Josie Patton and Charlotte Seymour at No. 1 doubles lost their match, but took it to a tiebreaker that ended in an 8-10 loss.

“I was very proud of the girls for not complaining about the conditions,” said Coach Bruce Fenn. “This team has weathered many strange conditions this year. Many days we had to practice in the gym and didn’t get many chances to play on the outside courts. These adversities will prepare them for our district tournament coming up in May.”

On Thursday, the Outlaws posted their first conference loss of the season.

Kizziar cruised through her match against Macy Wiederholt (No. 1 singles) with little resistance and easily posted the 6-0, 6-0 win.

Katie Ryan (No. 3 singles), was sharp in her ground strokes and volleys and made minimal errors against Haven Housley to tally a 6-1, 6-1 victory. Fenn said that Ryan is learning what she needs to work on every match she plays.

Freshman Rylie Bick, in her second varsity match, went down fighting against Callie Winebarger. Bick took the first set 6-2, lost the second 3-6, and then fell 2-10 in the tiebreaker.

Fenn said, “This was a great experience for Rylie to discover what she needs to practice at to get better.”

Mansfield and O’Hern easily handled Ana Laura Jacuinde and Kim Cruz and tallied a 6-2, 6-1 win.

Fenn said, “Lani and Leah moved and positioned themselves like we practiced all week. Lani told me that they used what we worked on just the day before and it worked beautifully. In doubles the team that wins moves better together, and they did that today.”

Sophie Rush and Ava Stotts (No.3 doubles) had a hard time finding their game and lost 5-7, 2-6. The first set was a dogfight with good play at the net and winning ground strokes from the baseline, but Crook County had more winners at the net.

“Sophie (sophomore) and Ava (freshman) are learning in every match to trust the coaching they receive,” said Fenn. “The journey is a roller-coaster of emotions, but to their credit they recover fast.”

The Wyland sisters, at No. 4 doubles, are a fun pair to watch. Fenn told The Nugget that, as new players who hadn’t picked up a tennis racquet before this year, they have excelled beyond his expectations.

The duo lost their first set 4-6, and fought from being down 3-5 in the second set to come back and win 6-4. They played to 9-9 in the tiebreaker before falling 9-11 to Abbi Pack and Tayah Hagensee. Fenn noted that the sisters are learning by leaps and bounds about themselves and how to play the game.

“This was a good learning experience for all, including coaches,” said Fenn.

Sisters was scheduled to play at home against North Marion on Tuesday, April 18. They will play at home against Redmond on Friday, April 21.