Ben Etzell gets twisted around, but still makes the volley. (John Fisken photos)
Sebastian Davis unleashes the power.
Two matches in and every one a barn burner.
Playing its second match in as many afternoons, the Coupeville High School boys’ tennis squad came up just a sliver short again, absorbing a razor-thin 3-2 loss Wednesday to visiting Archbishop Thomas Murphy.
The result was a virtual mirror image of the Wolves’ opening day loss to South Whidbey, with top doubles duo Ben Etzell and Aaron Curtin taking care of business while their teammates couldn’t quite get over the hump as a unit. Now 0-2, Coupeville will get right back at it, with a trip to Langley for a rematch with the Falcons Thursday.
Against ATM, the hard-hitting tandem of Curtin and Etzell were spot-on, battling hard for a three-set win that left them as the only unbeaten CHS netters two matches in.
“Ben and Aaron continue to be dominant,” said Coupeville coach Ken Stange. “After coughing up a difficult second set, they took command in the third, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before closing out the set 6-2. They made some solid adjustments between sets, and they are shaping into a dependable combo.”
Coupeville’s other win on the day came at second doubles, where Brian Norris and Kyle Bodamer picked their moments to shine. When they did, however, the glare was brilliant.
“Brian and Kyle were dominant in the first and third sets, but lost their way in between,” Stange said. “I was impressed by their ability to come back into focus for the final set. It was a solid win.”
Complete results:
Varsity:
1st Singles — Sebastian Davis lost to Houston Schmutz 6-4, 6-1
2nd Singles — Dalton Martin lost to Ryan Castillo 6-2, 6-1
1st Doubles — Ben Etzell/Aaron Curtin beat Quinn Stanley/Prieuer Pretorius 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
2nd Doubles — Brian Norris/Kyle Bodamer beat Dan Dzilenski/Dylan Kelley 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
3rd Doubles — Brandon Kelley/Jake McCormick lost to Ben Thacker/Bryan Lucas 6-4, 7-5
JV:
4th Doubles — Jason Knoll/Cameron Boyd beat Payton Johnson/JT Burtsche 8-6
Coupeville Sports 
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