Coupeville Sports

Allie Hanigan

Allie Hanigan has embraced small town life.

Having moved with her family from Kelso to Coupeville last year, the tennis ace/volleyball spiker has made an immediate impact with both squads. But, more than that, she has found a town which embraces her as one of its own.

“The transition to Coupeville from Kelso has been great. This is a very welcoming town and school, and volleyball really helped with making friends,” Hanigan said. “Coupeville is a much smaller town than Kelso, and I love being able to know everyone in the school and being close with each other.”
 
A junior who uses her height to her advantage as she patrols her position as a right side hitter, Hanigan has meshed well with other Wolves such as Hailey Hammer, Haley Sherman and Madeline Strasburg to give Coupeville a strong core of underclassmen. Only three of the 11 players on this year’s varsity are seniors, which bodes well for future success.

Hanigan brings a bit of everything to the table for Coupeville, with a strong skill-set spread out over many parts of the game. Still, there’s always room for improvement.

“My strengths are passing, blocking and hitting,” Hanigan said. “I want to work on playing at the net and hitting it harder.”

She’s been playing volleyball since seventh grade, and says its emphasis on team — while she usually competes by herself as a singles player in tennis — is what draws her in.

“I was always excited to get to start playing volleyball because lots of my family has played and coached it,” Hanigan said. “I enjoy it because you can set individual goals, while also being part of a team. I also love the intensity and excitement.

“I’d like (us) to win more games and show the teams we’ve lost to what we’re really made of,” she added.

When the spring rolls around, she will be back on the court, a key member of Ken Stange’s girls’ tennis team. Last season she played second singles most of the year, and with net ace Emily Burchfield having graduated, Hanigan will likely be the top Wolf.

“Tennis is very different from volleyball because it’s not really a team effort,” she said. “I like setting goals for myself, and knowing whether I win or lose that it was my own accountability.”

A strong student as well as athlete, Hanigan lists English as her favorite class, “because I love to write,” adores Denzel Washington’s sci-fi thriller “The Book of Eli” and juggles school with time spent with family and friends. She can often be found at the movies or beach, either for fishing or swimming, and cites her mother as the biggest influence on her life.

“My mom has definitely had the biggest impact on my life,” Hanigan said. “We have always been very close and a lot of my qualities are what I have gotten from her.

“She’s always been the one I’ve looked up to the most.”