Joe Kline / The BulletinSisters players celebrate a point during their match against Summit in the Clearwater Classic on Saturday at Bend High School.

The Sisters rotations were clean. Passes near flawless. Slick digs led to crisp sets, resulting in booming kills that echoed throughout the Mountain View High gym.

One such strike this past Saturday morning, from the left-handed cannon of Hawley Harrer, zipped down the left sideline, leaving South Eugene defenders in awe of such a powerful Outlaws point.

The astonishment was not limited to the opposite side of the court, as Sisters’ Ashlynn Cantwell, who observed the explosive kill from just behind Harrer, let out a scream, her eyes widened with amazement. In the grandstands overlooking the pool play match at the Clearwater Classic volleyball tournament, spectators snapped from silent murmuring to yells — and even disbelieving laughter.

Last season, paced by Class 4A state player of the year Nila Lukens, the Outlaws tore through the regular season, losing just twice, on their way to a fifth straight outright Sky-Em League title and the 4A state title. Lukens has since graduated, moving on to play at Southern Oregon.

“The identity last year was Nila,” said first-year Sisters coach Jason Myhre, who took over the program after Miki McFadden retired at the end of last season. “I think if you talk to other teams and say, ‘When you think of Sisters, what do you think of?’ they go, ‘Oh, just set the ball to Nila.’

“This year, I think when people are asking about Sisters, ‘What is Sisters?’ they’re saying, ‘Sisters is all of them.’”

Of course, trying to replace a stellar athlete such as Lukens and a steady middle blocker such as Brenna Weems, who also graduated last spring, is no easy task. Obviously, taking over such a powerhouse program and still finding ways to take it to new heights is no walk in the park for a first-year coach.

Yet with a new coach in Myhre, who was an assistant under McFadden the past three seasons, and a new fast-tempo offense, Sisters has not missed a beat in its state championship defense. The talent-rich Outlaws currently boast a sterling 7-0 conference record, a nearly perfect 20-1 overall mark — their only loss coming to Class 6A second-ranked Central Catholic in the Clearwater semis on Saturday — and the No. 1 ranking in 4A.

It was not that Sisters had never before flown this close to the sun. Last season’s state championship — which came a day after a semifinal win over Crook County, at the time riding eight straight state titles — was the Outlaws’ third in seven years and fourth overall. They have trophied at the final site each of the past eight seasons. Entering this season, they had ripped off a perfect 50-0 Sky-Em League record over the past five years, winning the league title each season.

The Outlaws have clearly been a mainstay as a 4A power. But they are on a mission to prove that last season’s remarkable run was no fluke, that they are more than the team that just sets the ball to Nila.

“All the other teams that we’ve played for so many years have seen us grow and grow more,” said senior middle blocker Peytan Zanck. “Our team right now, we’ve all been playing for, like, eight years together. We’ve had a special bond (this season) more than in years past. Seeing the other teams kind of lose their bond with each other and seeing us still grow, that’s pretty cool to see that. I think that’s the reason why we have such big targets on us, because everyone wants to be the team that beats Sisters now.”

“I’m feeling really confident about this team,” added senior outside hitter Allie Spear. “I feel like this is the strongest team I’ve had. Attitude, as in us bonding super-well together, that’s a big aspect of it, because if you don’t like your teammates, you’re not going to play well. That’s going to carry us a long ways.”

Spear and the rest of the Outlaws have ample reason for such self-assurance. Those two seniors, Lukens and Weems, were the only players lost from last year’s squad. Sisters’ roster this season is loaded with speed, power and experience, which has allowed Myhre to install set plays on serve-receive while instituting a more fast-paced offensive attack.

The result has been a near-perfect season to this point, the Outlaws ripping off 20 straight wins before falling to 6A power Central Catholic on Saturday. Before that match, the Outlaws had strung together 14 straight sweeps. And for the season, they had lost just three sets.

“We’re just trying to get the girls to take it to another level than what they have before,” Myhre said. “But we’re still instituting the same philosophy that Miki had going … just taking over where she left off.”

Where McFadden left off is where her former team has picked up: the top-ranked team in 4A, in position for yet another Sky-Em League title and poised to make a run at a second straight state championship — without just setting the ball to Nila.

“We definitely have targets on our back,” Spear conceded. “But it’s almost like a confidence-booster for us, almost saying that we need to keep this up, we need to not only be the team that wins but … we want to be the team that everybody’s like, ‘I want to be like them.’”

—Reporter: 541-383-0307, glucas@bendbulletin.com.