DUFUR – When they are playing loose and free, good things usually happen for the Dufur volleyball team.
Wednesday in Dufur, the No. 12-ranked Lady Rangers took a big first step toward reaching their goal of reaching Redmond with a three-set home sweep over Damascus Christian in a 1A state sub-round volleyball match played at Dufur High School.
“I think tonight, we were serious, but we were having fun out there,” said senior libero Emily Grande-DePriest. “I think it really showed with how well we played together as a team. It is when we are having fun that we communicate better and that leads to good hits, good hustle plays, getting the ball over the net, knowing where your hitters are, knowing where your defense is or the other team’s defense is and I think that is what really won it for us tonight.”
Dufur put Damascus Christian on its heels with a 95 percent service rate and 12 aces.
The Rangers added 22 kills from six different players, had a passing average of 1.85 and senior setter Sydney Reed dished off 13 of the team’s 17 assists to help spur the offense.
In the first set, the Rangers enjoyed a 10-5 lead early on, but the Eagles stormed back to tie the score at 15-15, 17-17 and 18-18 until Alexus Outlaw made her way to the service line.
Outlaw served the final seven points, and Chloe Beeson and Mikayla Kelly had a kill apiece, Kelly added a block and Outlaw dropped in an ace to give the Rangers a 23-18 lead.
On the final two points, Damascus was whistled for a net violation and paved the way for Dufur’s final point on a hitting miscue for a 25-18 score.
After that close opening set, the Rangers hit their stride and led by scores of 7-3, 14-4, 21-6 and 23-9 in the second.
Reed added an ace and Kalie Ellis slammed down a kill shot to give Dufur a 25-9 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
“It was a little scary at first because we were a little off, but after we all started getting into a groove and getting our hits in, we played really good and we all played as a team,” said Ellis, who had two kills. “We have little struggles of playing as individuals, which makes us play worse. When we play together, as a unified team, we are at our best. We get all of our hits in and we were on fire.”
Dufur continued its scorching pace in the third set, as Reed served the team to a 5-0 lead, and Sydnee Byers followed up with six straight service points, moving the Rangers to an 11-1 cushion.
Damascus inched as close as a 13-4 deficit, but Dufur added four consecutive points to jump out in front, 17-4.
Ahead by a 17-5 margin, Outlaw served the next eight points, the final one on an ace for a 25-5 win and the sweep.
Kelly paced the Ranger hitting attack with six kills, and the freshman added an ace, a block and two assists.
Outlaw had five kills and two aces, Beeson went for four kills, four aces and a block, and Byers totaled two kills, four aces and an assist.
Last season, the Lady Rangers finished No. 11 overall with 19 wins, scored second place in the district tournament and made it to the second round of state action.
So far this year, Dufur has won 15 matches, is ranked 12th, finished second in district play, and is in the second round of playoff action, one win from Redmond.
Even with a roster of six underclassmen, three juniors and two seniors, head coach Jody Weaver said the team is not happy making it as far as last year’s team.
There is much more to gain.
“They don’t think that this is good enough, I can tell you that,” Weaver said. “They are hungry for getting back to Redmond. We haven’t been there in the past year or two and they are hungry to get back. We have a tough road. We have to play a No. 1 seed on Saturday and they are going to be a tough team. We really got to come and bring it. If we play with the intensity and the excitement and the way that they did tonight, I think we have a good opportunity.”
The goal is to keep playing until the very end.
Every player wants to do whatever they can to keep the season going for Grande-DePriest and Reed, both seniors.
“Before every game, I think to myself that this is one less game I will ever have in my senior year. It is really, really sad. I was choked up at the end of this game,” Grande-DePriest said. “It is so important for Sydney and I that we get so excited for everything we do now. Sydney and I are excited to keep going on and now we will cherish these last few bus rides and the moments with this team because that is what we will remember most when we leave here.”
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