Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Girls Tennis’ Category

CHS tennis court open for business

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , , on March 27, 2019| Leave a Comment »

CHS freshman Abby Mulholland and doubles partner Jaimee Masters displayed some impressive power Wednesday in their first varsity match together. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Finally.

After waiting a very, very long time, the Coupeville High School girls tennis squad kicked off its season Wednesday, falling 4-1 to visiting King’s.

While they would have preferred a win, just getting on the court and seeing a uniform other than their own was a victory.

The Wolf roster is jam-packed with young, talented, promising players, but thanks to scheduling issues, the netters sat while CHS baseball, softball, and boys soccer all played six games or more.

Once they were unleashed, the serve and volley crew brought tons of scrappiness and excitement while facing a seasoned foe.

Juniors Tia Wurzrainer and Avalon Renninger, making their debut as the new #1 doubles duo, lashed winners left and right, and were the only Wolves to win a varsity match.

Working effortlessly as one unit, the titanic twosome especially controlled the match at the net, pinging volleys which ripped off a chunk of the line as they flashed past their opponent’s rackets.

While the duo filled up a complete highlight reel with their work, one winner, in which Renninger hovered in the air for a solid minute before smashing a wicked left-handed slicer that tore a hole in the universe, was a thing of particular beauty.

While Wurzrainer and Renninger brought the biggest smile to longtime Coupeville coach Ken Stange’s face, there was plenty of other positive results to indicate a bright future ahead for the Wolves.

Freshmen Noelle Daigneault and Katelin McCormick, both lil’ sisters of former CHS tennis stars, made their debut an auspicious one.

When they weren’t entertaining the crowd (and themselves) with a freewheeling style of tennis (and giggling non-stop), they also zapped their fair share of service aces and wicked backhands en route to an opening day JV win.

While every one of the nine matches produced highlights, the best debut may have come from the final varsity team to take the court.

Sophomore Jaimee Masters and freshman Abby Mulholland fought through two tense sets, and while they fell just short to a King’s duo which made plays when they needed to the most, both Wolves brought a startling amount of raw power to the action.

A little more practice, a little more refinement of that power, and the duo should be a team to watch.

Even in its raw state, the power show was eye-popping at times, as Masters blasted winners which left both of her rivals glued to the court, and Mulholland brought big time heat with her serve.

 

Complete Wednesday results:

 

Varsity:

1st Singles — Genna Wright lost to Scarlett Ren 6-0, 6-4

2nd Singles — Jillian Mayne lost to Christina Wang 6-1, 6-0

1st Doubles — Tia Wurzrainer/Avalon Renninger beat Caroline Baker/Ava Dreon 6-2, 6-3

2nd Doubles — Eryn Wood/Emily Fiedler lost to Allie Kang/Grace Roberts 6-2, 6-3

3rd Doubles — Jaimee Masters/Abby Mulholland lost to Elma Lu/Jackie Cheung-Main 6-4, 7-5

 

JV:

4th Doubles — Elaira Nicolle/Bruna Moratori lost to Anika Poulsen/Olivia Vos 8-7(10-7)

5th Doubles — Noelle Daigneault/Katelin McCormick beat Elisabeth Kelly/Catherine Jones 8-5

6th Doubles — Maddy Andrews/Mary Milnes lost to Amelia Vander Wel/Abbie Gebrehiwot 8-6

7th Doubles — Cecelia Camarena/Cassidy Holmes lost to Holland Urie/Olivia Peterson 6-1

Read Full Post »

Small town America serves up new adventures for big city girl

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , , on March 23, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Brazilian foreign exchange student Bruna Moratori is playing tennis for Coupeville High School this spring. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Moratori and teammates stretch before a practice.

Talk about a change of pace.

When Bruna Moratori traveled to America to become a foreign exchange student, she swapped life in the most populous city in the Western Hemisphere for a town with one traffic light.

Back home in São Paulo, Brazil, she lives with her parents, brother and dog amid a sea of humans in “a big, beautiful, and dangerous city.”

This year, though, Moratori has swapped a bustling city which never sleeps for a much more laid-back Coupeville, where she’s attending high school and preparing to play tennis with the Wolves.

While she’s spent a little time on the courts, this will be the first time she’s been part of a competitive team.

“I don’t play any sports at home, just sometimes for fun,” Moratori said. “I played tennis a few years ago but it was just for fun; I’ve never played against someone.

“I decided to join because I really like it and I had a lot of free time, so why not.”

When she was thinking about trying out for the tennis team, it was support from back home which made it an easy decision.

“One of the main reasons that I joined tennis was because my father encouraged me since the moment that I told him that I was thinking about it,” Moratori said.

Taking time to enjoy new opportunities has been a key part of her American adventure.

“My mother always had the dream of me going somewhere and learning a new language, so she always talked about it and I said that it would be a good experience,” Moratori said.

“I like how right now I’m in sort of a “break” from my life and I get to know a lot of different things,” she added. “Also I like to learn new cultures and the new language.”

Moratori, who turns 18 in early April, spends her free time “listening to a lot of music, reading, watching TV shows, and many other things.”

When she returns to São Paulo, she plans “to enjoy the summer; that is actually at the end of the year.”

After that she will either start college or plunge into a job.

Coming to America has helped Moratori develop new skills and find new confidence in herself.

“Here is learning English and learning how to be on my own without my family,” she said. “I still want to know other cultures and maybe learn other languages.”

Whether at home or abroad, Moratori draws inspiration from those closest to her.

“I guess I’m a little bit of every woman that have been into my life and all the books that I’ve read,” she said. “But my biggest inspirations are my mother, my grandmothers and my godmother.”

Of all the memories she will take with her, one of the biggest will be how unique her new home away from home turned out to be.

“Coupeville is a very small and quiet city and I live in a huge city with a lot of people, a lot of things to do, a lot of noise, traffic and all of that,” Moratori said. “I miss there, but I really like here, it’s beautiful and people are so nice to each other.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m completely adjusted because it’s very different from there, but I’m sure that when I go back I’ll have to readjust to there,” she added.

“Coupeville reminds me a lot of our countryside, so it’s kind of what I expected, but a few things were very weird for me, like people waving at me, even though I don’t even know them.”

Read Full Post »

Let them play – today, tomorrow, some day

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , , on March 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »

CHS tennis ace Mary Milnes loves the sunshine, but she’d also love to get to play a real match. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Avalon Renninger gets limbered up for dropping wicked backhands.

Cecilia Camarena is one of several Wolves ready to make their hard-court debut.

Emily Fiedler is ready to lunge into a new season.

Girls tennis still exists at Coupeville High School.

It might not seem that way recently, as the netters have been largely relegated to the sidelines while other Wolf spring sports programs garner the spotlight.

A rain-out cost CHS tennis an early-season non-conference match, and, by the time they take the court Wednesday, Mar. 27, hosting King’s in the season and league opener, other sports will have a huge head start.

Barring weather issues or other shenanigans, boys soccer will have seven games under their belt, baseball will be playing its seventh game that same day, softball will have six games on the win/loss record, and even track and field will have two meets in the books.

With very few non-league options out there this spring, the Coupeville netters have a pared-down nine-match schedule, facing each of their four North Sound Conference foes — South Whidbey, Friday Harbor, King’s and Granite Falls – twice.

So, the pics above are both a reminder Wolf netters are still hard at work, and that soon, they will get to play someone other than their own teammates.

Hopefully.

Read Full Post »

Terrific trio top Wolf tennis roster

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , , on March 4, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Still on the mend after back surgery, longtime Coupeville High School tennis coach Ken Stange is back on the courts, though not hitting as much as normal. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Junior netters Tia Wurzrainer (left) and Avalon Renninger, the team’s #1 doubles duo, lead the Wolves.

You can’t keep a good coach down.

Though he’s still recovering from spinal fusion surgery after a fall from a ladder, Coupeville High School girls tennis coach Ken Stange is back on the court.

While he’s limited on how much hitting he can do this spring, the longtime Wolf net guru has help from Drake Borden, an ace boys player pulling manager duty.

Also, as CHS moves into a new league, Stange can rely on his top returning players to help guide the newcomers.

Juniors Tia Wurzrainer and Avalon Renninger inherit the #1 doubles slot, replacing the graduated Sage Renninger and Payton Aparicio.

After finishing third at districts during their sophomore season, the duo are back and ready to take the next step on the success chart.

“We have strong leadership in Avalon and Tia. They had a fantastic season last year,” Stange said.

“Depending upon progress made and allocations given, they have an excellent chance to go far!”

Joining them is sophomore sensation Genna Wright, who played #1 singles as a mere freshman.

“Genna should be in position to have a strong year as well,” Stange said.

After the top three, however, the rest of the roster is very much a work in progress.

Only four other letter winners return, and the group of Jillian Mayne, Jaimee Masters, Elaira Nicolle, and Emily Fielder doesn’t feature anyone who played varsity regularly a year ago.

“Our weakness is that we are inexperienced,” Stange said. “With only three full-time varsity players from last season, we have some work to do, if we want to make waves in our league.”

Two freshmen, Eryn Wood and Abby Mulholland, “have shown great promise during the first week of practice,” and Stange always looks forward to seeing who will rise to the occasion with each new season.

“We have quite a few young players this year, so I expect lots of development as the season progresses,” he said.

After four seasons of ruling the roost in the Olympic League, Coupeville has set up shop in the new North Sound Conference in 2019.

Tennis is its own thing, however, as not all of the league’s six schools field a team.

Sultan and Cedar Park Christian sit tennis out, but Friday Harbor, the only Northwest League team to play the sport, has bounced over to join up with Coupeville, South Whidbey, King’s, and Granite Falls.

“We are in a new league with higher standards, and it will make for a competitive group,” Stange said. “I expect South Whidbey to be the gold standard; although, we have been able to stay close with them in recent years.”

Like the best coaches, Stange keeps an eye on the win/loss record, while putting the bigger emphasis on improvement, as individuals and as a team, and how the Wolves conduct themselves.

“(The season will be a success if) we try hard, we are happy with our results, we improve each day, and we demonstrate excellent sportsmanship,” he said.

For longer-term goals, Stange would like his team to finish in the top two in the league standings, advance at least two entries to districts, and get at least one entry to state.

As he rebuilds his own strength, he expects his players to do the same.

“I feel fortunate to have Avalon and Tia leading the charge for me this season,” Stange said. “I am not at 100% this season, and they will be essential to our entire team’s success.

“Luckily the path was laid for them by Valen Trujillo, Payton Aparicio, and Sage Renninger.”

Read Full Post »

Seven days and counting

Posted in Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Softball, Track, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2019| Leave a Comment »

“So, we meet again, my old friend!” (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The CHS varsity softball squad, ready to take aim at nabbing a second-straight league title.

Eryn Wood limbers up her tennis elbows.

If this prairie spring plays out like most of the ones before it, this is the final time the Wolf JV sluggers will see the sun.

You shoot, Wolf goalie Dewitt Cole denies you. The circle of life.

Wolf netters throw down an old-fashioned gun show.

Chelsea Prescott comes up firing.

Megan Behan gets ready to launch her javelin into the (surprisingly sunny) sky.

One week until the games count.

Next Saturday, Mar. 9, brings with it the first regular season spring sports clash for Coupeville High School.

Chimacum is the foe, boys soccer is the game, and it all goes down starting at 12:30 PM at Mickey Clark Field.

After that, softball, track and field, baseball, and girls tennis will get going, and, before you know it, spring sports will be in full swing.

In the week to come, we’ll be running preview stories for all five programs.

I can’t tell you what order those articles will run, because it all depends on which coaches answer their questions first.

So, a little suspense.

As we take bets to see which CHS spring boss is first to finish their survey, and which ones waits until the final moments, some more pics from recent practices.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »