Arianna Cunningham rises up to destroy the volleyball. (Jacob Lujan photos)
They brought a bunch of knives to a Forks fight.
With their big hitters delivering plenty of daggers Friday night, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad swept the visiting Spartans off the floor.
It was a well-played match, with plenty of long rallies, but ultimately the Wolves had the answer for anything and everything Forks hit their way, scoring a 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 straight-sets victory.
With the non-conference win, Scout Smith’s spikers get to 7-7 on the season and have won six of their last nine.
Up next is the regular season finale (and Senior Night) this coming Tuesday, October 27, with Friday Harbor visiting Cow Town.
After that, the district playoffs, which may include a home match.
But, if the Wolves were thinking of the postseason, they didn’t get ahead of themselves, staying committed and focused against a well-balanced foe.
The opening set was a battle of surges, with Coupeville jumping in front 6-3 with Tenley Stuurmans slicing winners from the service line, followed by Forks flipping things and surging ahead at 19-13.
But things ended positively for the Wolves, as they closed the frame on a 12-3 tear, with Arianna Cunningham madly mashing at the net while Capri Anter and Rhylee Inman peppered the Spartans with fiery aces.
Forks, proving plucky to the end, held off two set points but then helped out by sailing a serve long to hand CHS the magical 25th point.
Set #2 opened with freshman Zariyah Allen roaring in from the side to slice winners on back-to-back plays, before Inman and Kennedy O’Neill showed off their muscles by brutalizing the innocent volleyball to end intense rallies.
Kennedy O’Neill (3) and Rhylee Inman (4), ready to start flexing.
Haylee Armstrong was feeling it at the service line, winning five straight points, with Cunningham drilling a ball off the backline to push Coupeville way out in front at 12-4.
The visitors found their own mini hot streak, cutting the margin back down to 14-12, but couldn’t get any closer.
More highlight reel worthy plays from Inman and Cunningham, plus a dazzling flip winner off of Stuurmans fingertips, put CHS ahead 24-16, though Forks once again proved to be hard to knock out, avoiding four set points before #5 proved to be fatal.
The third, and final frame, was Coupeville’s all the way, as the Wolves led from start to (almost) finish, with one brief burp when Forks turned a 14-8 deficit into a very brief 16-15 lead.
Once again, however, CHS had the answer, with Anter and Armstrong making a deadly duo on their serve, and fellow Wolf senior Lexis Drake delivering several tasty kills.
Forks, the masters of never saying die apparently, played one ball off both the gym lights and a raised basketball backboard, then fought off three match points.
Answer needed?
Answer given, as Drake swooped in, walking on air to deliver a tip winner for the night’s final point, before dancing off to embrace her celebrating teammates.
Friday stats:
Zariyah Allen –4 kills, 2 digs
Capri Anter — 4 digs, 3 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 5 digs, 8 assists, 3 aces
Arianna Cunningham — 9 kills, 13 digs, 2 block assists
Lexis Drake — 3 kills, 1 block assist
Rhylee Inman — 2 kills, 5 digs, 1 assist, 1 solo block, 1 block assist, 2 aces
Willow Leedy-Bonifas — 27 digs, 1 assist
Kennedy O’Neill — 3 kills, 2 digs
Tenley Stuurmans — 3 kills, 8 digs, 14 assists, 2 block assists, 5 aces
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