Coupeville Sports

CHS spikers (l to r) Mia Farris, Jada Heaton, and Taylor Brotemarkle enjoy their trip to Eastern Washington. (Photos courtesy Jennifer Heaton)

It’s the promised land.

The Yakima SunDome is where the 2B state volleyball tournament goes down Nov. 10-11.

The Coupeville High School spikers, like every team in their classification, are aiming for a trip to the big dance.

If the Wolves get there, they’ll be familiar with their surroundings, having spent Friday busy on the same courts which will host the state tourney.

Coupeville made the long trip to Yakima to take part in the SunDome Volleyball Festival, and made a positive impression on folks, winning seven of 10 sets.

“Yakima was a great experience for the girls and this team,” said Wolf coach Cory Whitmore.

“We went hoping to experience the area in which state volleyball is played, to feel what it is like to play on sport-court, the lights, the sounds, the space, etc.

“We definitely got that experience from 8 AM when we played first until we finally left the SunDome at 6 PM. I am so proud of how the girls remained consistent throughout the day, and how they did it together.”

The Wolves won five of six sets in pool play, sweeping two sets from Selah and Sunnyside Christian, before splitting sets with Tri-Cities Prep.

That third match was a gut-check special, with Coupeville rallying to claim the second set 25-19 after dropping the opener 25-18.

Happy team, state tourney dreams.

Jumping out of pool play, the Wolves faced their toughest competition of the day with a showdown against Connell, and they lost a nailbiter 25-18, 26-24.

Coupeville closed a very long day with a final match against Northwest 2B/1B League rival Darrington — who they play for real this Tuesday, Sept. 20.

After a close first set, which went to the Wolves by the score of 25-20, CHS rolled in set two to the tune of 25-9.

“Fatigue had begun to set in as we made some uncharacteristic errors but pulled together a string of points at the end that allowed us to overtake them,” Whitmore said.

“Having to dig deep, despite some serious fatigue and compete for the win was exactly what we hoped to accomplish as far as post-season experience to rely on later.”

While Coupeville winning seven of ten sets in a day was a strong mark, it’s the intangibles which might loom larger as the season plays out.

“It was the bonding and playing experience that will have made the trip well worth it,” Whitmore said.

“Everyone had moments of brilliance throughout the day and it was fun to watch them work through the tournament challenges together.”