Coupeville Sports

   Hannah Davidson controlled play at the net during a weekend tourney in Sequim. (John Fisken photo)

Bundled up for an early-morning ferry ride. (Photo courtesy Cory Whitmore)

Improvement, always improvement.

That’s what JV coaches are looking for first, last and always, and it’s exactly what Kristin Bridges witnessed Saturday.

Having taken her Coupeville High School volleyball squad to Sequim for a weekend tournament, the Wolves responded with some of their best play of the season.

A team that sits at 5-2 in regular-season play sparkled in a multi-school environment.

“The tournament was exactly what the JV team needed,” Bridges said. “They learned a lot and really began to own the court with a bit more confidence.

“Honestly, every player demonstrated such great improvement from the beginning of the season, which is what I really wanted to see as a coach.”

Competing strongly against everyone they faced, the Wolves drew big praise from their coach.

“Emma (Mathusek) was our libero, playing incredible defense,” Bridges said. “At one point I referred to her as a spider monkey because she was just everywhere on the court, covering the pass, covering the block, and digging.

“Her serving was on point as well, often bringing Coupeville back in the game or gaining us a bigger lead.”

Numerous other Wolves also stepped forward and captured their moment in the spotlight.

“Hannah (Davidson) had a very aggressive day on the net. She was killing it even from the 10-foot line,” Bridges said. “Her ability to adjust to the set is really quite impressive.

“Lucy (Sandahl) and Scout (Smith) had beautiful assists to Hannah, Allison (Wenzel), Zoe (Trujillo), Maya (Toomey-Stout), Peytin (Vondrak) and Nicole (Lester).”

With the team having focused on passing in practice, seeing her players respond in pressure situations brought a smile to the coach’s face.

“Our passing was extremely reliable and consistent,” Bridges said. “To see those practices pay off was encouraging. Now we can shift our focus and really fine-tune different areas of our game.

“Personally, it was a very emotional day as a coach,” she added. “I am just really proud of the improvement, team work, and leadership.

“We will always have something to work on, but it’s a good day when you are able to shift your focus because they really “have it” now.”