Outlaws face White Buffs on court

The Outlaws’ top two singles players won their matches against the White Buffs at Madras on Wednesday, April 24.

Dominic Pulver (No. 1) entered the match with a lame shoulder that he injured at the Caldera Tournament the previous weekend, but he was able to grind his way though and came out on top 6-2, 7-6, against Fernando Saldana. His biggest plays of the match came from overhead shots.

Coach Vince Grace said, “I was impressed to see Dominic’s success on his overheads. He consistently kept composure and focus on the ball, and made overhead after overhead, and very rarely missed.

“An overhead can be a difficult shot for all tennis players,” added Grace. “It is something not everyone gets a lot of practice at.”

Jude Parzybok (No. 2) made it look easy in his first set and only lost one game, 6-1. In the second set his opponent, Keith Charley III, came alive, moved Parzybok around the court and kept him off balance, but Parzybok hung on and posted a 7-5 win.

“Jude is an impressive player to watch,” said Grace. “Pretty tennis is how I would describe it. What I liked about Jude was that he kept with his game plan, made a few necessary tweaks, knocked down his opponent’s big serve, and targeted his opponent’s backhand. He looked for opportunities, and then aggressively hit winners.”

Grace mixed it up a bit in doubles play and teamed up Jack Murray and Joseph Derksen in No. 1 doubles. The duo gained some experience on the court in a real match. They fell 0-6 in the first set against Juan Olivera and Matias Ruiz Jr., but came back in the second set and were able to win three of the six games.

“It was a learning experience for both of them,” said Grace. “The takeaway for the team was on service returns, to hit the ball deep and around or over the opponent’s net man, so you don’t get crushed, and to communicate with each other for assists. What I liked about the young doubles team was their willingness to try.”

The Outlaws were scheduled to play at home against The Dalles on Tuesday, April 30. The first round of District will be Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11, and the second round will be held at Madras on Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18.