Coupeville Sports

Freshman Haylee Armstrong delivered a strong all-around performance Wednesday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They got hot late.

While the Coupeville High School JV volleyball team was unable to rally for a win Wednesday, the Wolves did garner a measure of respect by taking a hard-fought third set.

Visiting Neah Bay got back on the bus with a 25-16, 25-13, 26-28 non-conference victory, but CHS, which only had seven players on the night, proved resilient and chippy to the end.

Chloe Marzocca seized the spotlight, ripping off nine straight points on her serve to turn a 9-8 nailbiter into an 18-8 romp in the final set.

She got help from teammates Dakota Strong and Lexis Drake, who both delivered key offensive plays during the surge.

The fab frosh duo patrolled the net with intensity, with Strong bounding high for a tip winner and Drake plopping a note-perfect drop shot just out of the reach of the Neah Bay defense.

The visitors did fight back to make things interesting, as the teams battled through four ties late, with the Red Devils holding off three set points.

Strong came flying in from the side, tip-toed through the air, and redirected the ball for a snazzy tip winner to keep Coupeville in charge, and the Wolves finally clinched the frame with Capri Anter serving for the winning point.

Wolf spikers (l to r) Capri Anter, Armstrong, Chloe Marzocca, and Aby Wood await the serve. (Jackie Saia photo)

The third-set rally came on the heels of two sets in which CHS led only once, at 1-0 both times.

Neah Bay stretched its advantage out to 6-1 in the opening frame and held off several Coupeville rallies to maintain the lead (almost) start to finish.

Drake and Haylee Armstrong both had strong mini runs on their serve, with Marzocca delivering a nasty slicer on one spike winner, the ball shearing off some skin from a Neah Bay player as it zipped by.

Coupeville was hurt in the second set by an inability to get a run going off of its serve, with no Wolf able to win back-to-back points while firing the ball into play.

Marzocca did show off her guns again, with another loud spike winner, while Aby Wood lobbed a winner into the back corner, the ball catching the last flake of paint on the line.

Coming off the bench, Myra McDonald also gave the Wolves an injection of hustle, scrambling after the ball with intensity.

But it wasn’t enough, as Neah Bay closed the set on an 11-3 tear to seal the deal on its victory.

The Wolves and coach Ashley Menges have a few days to finetune things, not returning to play until Tuesday, Sept. 19, when they travel to Mount Vernon Christian.

That match, while against a Northwest 2B/1B League foe, will be considered a non-conference bout.