Coupeville Sports

Jessica Riddle signs on the dotted line.

Jessica Riddle is packin’ up and moving to the state capitol.

Or near it at least, as the former Coupeville High School volleyball and tennis star has signed to play college ball at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey.

Riddle, who had two standout years as a Wolf before wrapping her high school career at Anacortes after a family move, was the Northwest Conference MVP as a senior. She also helped lead the Seahawks to back-to-back fifth-place finishes at the 2A state tournament.

The Saints are a private Division II school that plays in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Riddle will be among the first recruits brought in by new coach Kara Peterson, a four-year letter winner at the University of Washington who has gone on to be one of the state’s most successful high school coaches.

Peterson built the volleyball program at Black Hills High School in Tumwater from the ground up starting in 1997, when the school was created. During her 15 years there, she led her squads to 12 state tournament appearances, including 10 top-eight finishes and was a six-time Coach of the Year pick.

For Riddle, the chance to be play for a competitive program with a strong coach while getting the educational opportunities she was seeking made the deal an easy one.

“I love the campus, it’s small but very nice,” Riddle said. “They also have a good biology program that I’m interested in. And I was able to get academic and athletic scholarship to cover my tuition.”