Coupeville Sports

Lauren Grove

Forget about the score and it was a pretty exciting evening.

A number of players on the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad had big firsts Thursday in Everett, bright spots during an otherwise disappointing 25-10, 25-18, 15-13 loss to host Archbishop Thomas Murphy.

Freshman Lauren Grove, playing her first season as a spiker, got her first serves in a live game and was an immediate hit. She connected on four made serves, lashing two aces.

“She’s been working extra hard on those and really came through for us,” said CHS coach Amy King.

High-energy McKenzie Bailey flew high as well, collecting her first block of the season (“It was a pretty one; very exciting”), while even higher-energy Jae LeVine split time with the slightly more laid-back Emily Coulter at libero.

“Both did a very nice job for us in the back row,” King said. “We played hard as a team and had a lot of great rallies. I’m very proud of how the girls played.

“We will continue to work on the defensive side of the game, covering behind the block or hit as well as keeping our front line out of the net,” she added. “These things will hopefully help push us onto the winning side of some of these games.”

The team leaders all chipped in with strong play Thursday, as Miranda Engle was 11 of 11 at the service stripe, Tiffany Briscoe and Valen Trujillo sparkled on their serves and Monica Vidoni patrolled the net with a vengeance, frequently slamming kills.