Coupeville Sports

Lucy Tenore smashed 16 kills Thursday as Coupeville’s varsity volleyball team won its season opener on the road. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

You find a way.

Opening the season on the road, in a conference clash, missing four players, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad proved incredibly resilient.

Getting big contributions from all seven players in uniform Thursday night, the Wolves found their groove, knocking off host Concrete 27-25, 25-12, 25-27, 25-19.

“It wasn’t always pretty, but we played just well enough to come out on the road with a win,” said CHS coach Cory Whitmore.

“It’s tough to go on the road for your first match and have it be league competition, but it’s made especially difficult being down a few starters,” he added.

“I’m really proud of how this group responded to direction, and we just relied on a full group effort.”

Concrete came out on fire, jumping ahead 18-8 in the first set, then Coupeville found its missing spark.

“Our first set was quickly slipping away from us, and so we changed our serving strategy to be more aggressive,” Whitmore said. “And Taygin Jump got that going.

“We climbed out by serving tough and swinging away on the attack,” he added. “Taygin did a great job of changing that mentality by pushing her serve tougher and tougher.”

After cruising through the second set, the Wolves let up a bit in the third frame, and paid for it.

But Coupeville responded to the momentary setback, earning a nod of approval from their coach, who kicked off his sixth season at CHS in style.

Now boasting a 56-24 mark in his time on the Wolf bench, Whitmore brought his winning percentage to a sizzlin’ .700.

“Sometimes it’s a win, sometimes it’s a lesson. And on lucky occasions, it’s both,” he said. “I’m excited for these girls and the experience we gained. Good way to start the season.”

Coupeville’s seven active players combined to rack up some impressive numbers, with freshman Katie Marti leading the way.

Subbing for team captain Maddie Georges at setter, Marti doled out 28 assists to go with nine digs, four aces, and three kills.

Freshman Katie Marti played like a veteran in her varsity debut.

Coupeville’s big hitters combined for 36 kills, with Lucy Tenore pounding home 16, while Grey Peabody smashed 11 in her varsity debut, and Jill Prince collected nine.

“Grey did such a great job, being pulled up from JV as needed and looked very comfortable out there,” Whitmore said. “Very happy for her.

“Lucy was phenomenal in this opener with just three errors on 28 swings on the right side, hitting .464. She played with control AND aggression.”

Olivia Schaffeld, who joined Peabody, Jump, and Marti in making their varsity debuts, went low for 10 digs and drew praise from Whitmore.

“Very proud of Olivia adjusting her position to play outside, a difficult move,” he said.

Jump chipped in with 13 digs and six aces, tying her for top team honors with Alita Blouin, who “really stepped up as a leader” and was hyper-efficient with 20 digs, four assists, and six aces.