Wolf sophomore Kenzi LaRue has made huge strides on the tennis court. (John Fisken photo)
There are days when a loss can almost feel like a win.
Thursday was one of those days for veteran Coupeville High School girls’ tennis coach Ken Stange.
On the road, facing a large 2A school, with out enough players to fill out a full lineup, and with two of those in attendance making their court debut, the scrappy Wolves still almost upended Port Angeles.
While the Roughriders escaped with a 4-3 non-conference win, dropping Coupeville to 0-1 on the season (it leads Granite Falls 3-1 in a match that hangs in limbo until April), the result drew a fairly satisfied “Not bad” from Stange.
CHS was without two of its 12 players, and those two, Sydney Autio and Bree Daigneault, are top-tier players.
That meant the Wolves had to default at third singles, which was the difference in the otherwise tightly-played contest.
Complete results:
1st singles — Valen Trujillo beat Audrey Little 6-3, 6-3
“She was a bit slow to warm up, but Valen shifted into overdrive, outlasting her opponent in rallies that seemed endless,” Stange said. “Consistency + power = victory.”
2nd singles — Kenzi LaRue lost to Maddy Woods 6-0, 6-1
“It was a good effort for Kenzi. She’s an inexperienced JV player who has stepped up to play varsity singles, and she’s done it with grace. She keeps improving, too!”
3rd singles — Coupeville defaulted to Claire Fritchler
1st doubles — Sage Renninger/Payton Aparicio beat Karina Paup/Byrnes 6-3, 6-3
“This pair, after a long ninth grade season playing the same doubles spot, are now in position to dominate almost every opponent. They have found a way to add power while maintaining consistency. Big things await them, if they stay the course.”
2nd doubles — McKenzie Bailey/Jazmine Franklin beat Emily Traugher/Hannah Brown 6-4, 7-5
“They’d be the top doubles team at just about any other school. They went 14-2 last year in the same spot. They were very dominant today, and will likely maintain that dominance all season long.”
3rd doubles — Maggie Crimmins/Kameryn St Onge lost to Summer Olsen/Aeverie Politika 6-1, 7-5
“They put up a good fight against an athletic team. They almost pushed it to a third set. I think they will find their groove soon, and then the wins will come.”
4th doubles — Julianne Sem/Julia Borges lost to Jocelyn Reifenstahl/Paulina Crawford 6-1, 6-0
“It was a tough go for our 4s, but hopefully they’ll find their way soon. It’s not easy joining a team and having to play varsity from day one. It’ll be trial by fire, but I believe they will find their way.”
Coupeville Sports 
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