Coupeville Sports

   Wolf freshman Emma Smith, here playfully posing for the cameraman, made her varsity debut against Friday Harbor. (John Fisken photo)

The Wolves head back home, racing the sunset. (Hope Lodell photo)

The fire burned red-hot, just not long enough.

On the road at Friday Harbor, the Coupeville High School volleyball squad got off to a torrid start Thursday.

It wasn’t quite enough, though, as the pesky Wolverines battled back to claim a 28-26, 25-7, 25-17 non-conference victory.

The loss dropped Coupeville to 0-2 on the young season, with a trip to a tournament in Langley scheduled for Saturday.

Showing no signs of tired legs after the long ferry trip Thursday, the Wolves shot out to an 18-9 lead in the first set.

A very young team, CHS let Friday Harbor off the hook a bit, unable to keep its foe pinned down.

Still, Wolf coach Breanne Smedley was pleased with a lot of what she saw unfold in front of her.

“Our serve receiving and passing were strong, and we played very scrappy during the first and third sets,” she said. “We let the game get away from us in the first by not being able to execute in critical moments.

“However, I’m proud of how the girls battled and were able to improve on the things we worked on in practice.”

Valen Trujillo paced Coupeville with a team-high 12 digs, while Katrina McGranahan collected three blocks.

Lauren Rose notched three service aces and freshman Emma Smith, making her varsity debut, had two kills and two blocks.