Gwen Gustafson is part of a talented group of Coupeville High School JV volleyball spikers. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Quality, top to bottom.
La Conner High School is a titan in the world of 2B volleyball for a reason – longtime coach Suzanne Marble and her assistants have built a dynasty one step at a time.
The varsity program has won back-to-back state titles and hasn’t dropped a league match in a decade-plus.
But don’t sleep on the La Conner JV, because the young Braves are also undefeated this season, intent on impressing the coaches who can open the door to the next level.
Friday night, those spikers took another step to future success, holding off a Coupeville squad which has a fair amount of talent of its own.
Winning 25-19, 25-14, 25-20, the La Conner JV improves to 9-0 on the season, while dropping the Wolves to 5-3.
Coupeville, which wraps its season Saturday at home against Orcas Island, has essentially played two seasons in one.
The Wolves, under first-year coach Ashley Menges, are 0-3 against La Conner, and 5-0 against everyone else from the Northwest 2B/1B League.
Even in a loss, though, Coupeville pushed the Braves and made them fight for their points.
Case in point, the opening set, where the Wolves rallied from a 14-7 deficit to roar all the way back to an 18-18 tie.
The comeback began with a winner ripped down the left side of the floor by Maya Lucero, before a strong service run from Allison Nastali really fired things up.
Grey Peabody, Olivia Schaffeld, and Ryanne Knoblich all came up with big hustle plays, before Lucero unleashed her wicked power one more time, making the knees of even the hardiest of her foes tremble.
Unfortunately, once they were back even, the Wolves stumbled a bit, and La Conner seized control back, closing the set on a 7-1 tear.
Other than a nasty service ace from Allie Lucero and a winner off the fingertips of Isabel Johnson, much of the second set was pretty painful for Coupeville.
Isabel Johnson rains pain on her foes.
Down 17-3, the Wolves found a spark, however, as Knoblich elevated and terrorized, and things changed for the better.
Schaffeld, Peabody, and Gwen Gustafson — who reached over her head to uncork a winner, while falling backwards — started pounding the snot out of the ball, and CHS eventually held off six set points before succumbing.
While the win had been decided at that point, the third set, even with nothing but pride riding on it, was the most-competitive frame.
Both teams took turns going on runs, with the score fluctuating wildly.
A 4-1 Coupeville lead became a 12-6 deficit, then a 17-14 lead, before La Conner closed on an 11-3 run to claim the sweep.
Schaffeld put together a strong set, mixing big hits with nimble tips, while Skylar Parker and Jordyn Rogers used their time on the floor to showcase their heart and hustle.
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