Coupeville Sports

Some nights you look for positives where you can find them.

On a Thursday night when both the Coupeville High School volleyball and girls’ soccer teams lost, there was one big, bright, glaring moment of magic to be found for the Wolves, and it shone from the talented toe of Amanda d’Almeida.

Back from her most recent college recruiting trip, the senior booter scored not one, but two goals (doubling Coupeville’s output on the season), dazzling the Sultan goalkeeper, who spent more time admiring d’Almeida’s shots than was probably necessary.

Unfortunately the heroics of the golden-footed one were not enough to save the Wolves from taking a 6-2 loss, dropping them to 0-6 on the season.

Still, even in defeat, it was a night to remember, as d’Almeida came agonizingly close to the school’s first hat trick. She had another shot deflect off of a teammate’s head (she hit the ball so hard there wasn’t a chance for the other player to duck) and had another beautifully timed shot waved off on a technicality.

Her two successful scores came on a penalty kick and on a play set up by a note-perfect cross by teammate Jennifer Spark.

Meanwhile, back on the Island, the CHS spike squad put up an admirable fight before falling in four tough sets to Cascade Conference juggernaut Archbishop Thomas Murphy. The 25-17, 25-17, 20-25, 25-22 loss snapped the Wolves two-game winning streak and dropped them to 2-4 overall, 1-4 in league play.

Hailey Hammer paced Coupeville with eight kills while Amanda Fabrizi (14 digs) and Breeanna Messner (four kills, 14 digs) sparkled in support of her.

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Wolf fans got a little excited…

The long national nightmare is over.

Two weeks and 12 events (four volleyball matches, four girls’ soccer matches, three football games and one boys’ tennis tussle) into a new school year, a Coupeville High School varsity team has finally corralled what was beginning to seem like that most elusive of prizes — a big, fat, shiny W.

The Wolf spikers answered the call of duty and became the team to break the curse, pounding host Port Townsend 21-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-20 Saturday afternoon in a non-conference tilt. Meanwhile, having taken the same ferry across the water, the Coupeville girls’ soccer squad almost made it a perfect afternoon, narrowly falling 2-1 to the Redskins in a game that went down to the final whistle, despite the Wolves playing without four starters.

The booters may not have won, but they did break a season-long scoring drought, as Makana Stone popped the ball into the back of the net for her first varsity goal. The Wolves, who were playing without star Amanda d’ Almeida — away on a college recruiting trip — and three others, kept the tie intact until the final two minutes of the game.

On the volleyball court, it was vintage Hammer Time, as sophomore sensation Hailey Hammer drilled 18 kills, served three aces and collected two stuff blocks. Madeline Strasburg nimbly backed her up, delivering seven kills, while Bessie Walstad (five kills, two stuff blocks, 30 digs) and Megan Oakes (30 assists and three aces) both chipped in with splendid all-around play.

Both teams return to action this coming Tuesday, Sept. 18, with the spikers heading off to Sultan and the booters hosting South Whidbey in an Island grudge match set to kick-off at 6 p.m.

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