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Bow to your rulers! Twice!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged 1A Olympic League, Klahowya, tennis, two wins one day, Valen Trujillo on April 19, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Sage Renninger teamed with Payton Aparicio for a huge victory at first doubles Tuesday. (John Fisken photo)

Twice the wins. Twice the statement.

Bringing home two victories Tuesday, the Coupeville High School girls’ tennis squad moved a huge step closer to defending its 1A Olympic League title.

Knocking off host Klahowya twice, the Wolves improved to 3-0 in league play, 5-3 overall.

That puts them a game-and-a-half up on Chimacum (1-1, 3-6) and three up on Klahowya (0-3, 4-8).

Beat the Cowboys Apr. 26 on their home court and Coupeville clinches its second straight league title banner.

The Wolves effectively eliminated Klahowya from title contention Tuesday by finishing off a win from a match that was left unfinished Mar. 24, before rolling to a second win in the day’s regularly scheduled match.

The earlier match had been frozen at 3-3 for close to a month, with Valen Trujillo and Sydney Jackson locked at 5-5 in the third set of their singles bout.

Trujillo came out loaded for bear Tuesday, winning eight of nine points as she polished off a 6-7(0-7), 6-4, 7-5 victory.

After that, she and her teammates rolled to a 4-2 win in the nightcap.

Complete Match #2 results:

1st singles — Valen Trujillo beat Sydney Jackson 6-4, 6-3

“She had to work hard to win today’s match, but she came through, big time!,” said CHS coach Ken Stange.

2nd singles — Sydney Autio beat Sophie Kovaleskie 6-1, 6-3

“It was a very businesslike win for Sydney. She was in control the whole way.”

3rd singles — Bree Daigneault beat Ciara Perez 6-2, 6-0

“Bree absolutely rolled.”

1st doubles — Sage Renninger/Payton Aparicio beat Shania Rose/Haley Sargent 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7-4)

Hailed by Stange as “the match of the day,” the Wolf sophomores battled back from down 5-4 in the final set to knock off a highly-regarded duo.

With two wins in two matches against Klahowya’s top dogs, Aparicio and Renninger have clinched the league’s top seed heading into the postseason.

“The goal: win league, win district … and beyond,” Stange said.

2nd doubles — McKenzie Bailey/Maggie Crimmins lost to Mary Ann Marker/Maddy Reinks 6-1, 6-2

3rd doubles — Kenzi LaRue/Kameryn St Onge lost to Taylor Bruce/Domnique Sutton 6-3, 6-2

4th doubles — Julia Borges/Julianne Sem led Desiree Watts/Emma LaJoie 6-4, 1-4 (match stopped for Coupeville to catch ferry, but doesn’t affect outcome)

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Bring the brooms! It’s a sweep!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged CHS Wolves, Friday Harbor, pro sets, sweep, tennis on April 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »

McKenzie Bailey, seen here in an earlier match, teamed with Jazmine Franklin Monday for a big win. (John Fisken photo)

Road Warrior Week kicked off with a bang.

The Coupeville High School girls’ tennis squad is slated to play all or part of five matches in the next five days, all on the road.

And the Wolves took care of their tune-up, a trip to Friday Harbor, in style, sweeping their hosts quickly enough Monday that there was no absolutely no worries about getting back to the ferry on time.

The 5-0 decision was the second straight win for CHS, lifting it to 3-3 on the season.

Things get a bit more complicated the rest of the week, as the Wolves travel to Klahowya Tuesday and Granite Falls Friday.

Both of those trips will be super-sized, as Coupeville will play regular matches against both foes, while also trying to wrap up earlier-season matches which were put on hold midway through by weather or ferry concerns.

The Wolves and the Eagles were tied 3-3 back on Mar. 24, and that match will be decided by the end of a first singles match-up between Valen Trujillo and Klahowya’s Sydney Jackson.

When they left off, it was 5-5 in the deciding third set and the two netters had dueled for three-plus hours.

Jackson won the first 7-6(7-0), before Trujillo rebounded to take the second set 6-4.

If Trujillo can pull out the win, and then the Wolves, who were not at full-strength the first time around, win the regularly-scheduled match, it would take them to 3-0 in 1A Olympic League play.

When it caps the week in Granite Falls, Coupeville will carry a 3-1 lead onto the court to start the first non-conference match.

One singles match and two doubles matches were left unfinished when rain sent the teams scrambling way back on Mar. 14.

Survive three bus and ferry trips, and tons o’ tennis, and the Wolves will be rewarded with four of their final five matches at home.

Complete Friday Harbor results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Valen Trujillo beat Morgan Timmons 8-0

2nd Singles — Sydney Autio beat Madeline King 8-0

1st Doubles — Payton Aparicio/Sage Renninger beat Yasmin Sarah/Aida Must 8-1

2nd Doubles — McKenzie Bailey/Jazmine Franklin beat Julian Urbach/Lucy Urbach 8-3

3rd Doubles — Bree Daigneault/Maggie Crimmins beat Midi Thomas/Mariah Dannaher 8-5

JV:

1st Doubles — Kameryn St Onge/Kenzi LaRue beat Katy Kuleth/Renn DiBona 8-0

2nd Doubles — Julia Borges/Julianne Sem beat Cilena DePue/Nam Ketcharung 8-2

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Attack of the aces!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged air guitar, CHS Wolves, John Fisken photos, Kameryn St Onge, Payton Aparicio, tennis on April 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »

It’s all grins for Payton Aparicio, as she and doubles partner Sage Renninger roll to a quick win. (John Fisken photos)

Death from above! Maggie Crimmins beats the snot out of a wayward tennis ball.

With a flick of the wrist Sydney Autio sends another winner screaming over the net.

Having put a winner away, Julianne Sem basks in the positive vibes.

Renninger gets low and lets her racket take care of business.

Valen Trujillo prepares to get medieval on the tennis ball’s fuzzy yellow rear.

Port Townsend basketball/tennis ace Amelia Breithaupt, probably the most popular non-Coupeville athlete among CHS players and fans.

Kameryn St Onge knows there’s always time for air guitar between serves. Always.

The tennis was inspired, the photos even more so.

Battling back in the final match of the afternoon Friday, the Coupeville High School girls’ tennis squad pulled out a 4-3 thriller over visiting Chimacum/Port Townsend.

But the real MVP was rovin’ photo man John Fisken, who slid by and spent time bouncing from court to court in pursuit of snappy pics.

The photos above, which feature a surprise cameo from Port Townsend’s Amelia Breithaupt, who has been a Coupeville fan favorite the last two years, are courtesy him.

To see more of Fisken’s work, and possibly purchase some, thereby helping fund college scholarships for Wolf student/athletes, pop over to:

http://www.olympicleague.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=11251&league=21&page=1&page_name=photo_store&school=24&sport=0

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“I like playing against really nice people!!”

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged Bree Daigneault, Chimacum, CHS Wolves, Renee Woods, sportsmanship, tennis on April 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Chimacum netter Renee Woods is skilled with a racket, but it’s her grace and spirit which will carry her the farthest. (John Fisken photos)

The same could be said for Coupeville’s Bree Daigneault.

Tennis has always been viewed as one of the most polite of all sports.

Fans don’t typically scream during points, players applaud well-hit shots, they call their own lines at most levels of competition and on and on.

Now, there are some exceptions — the three years I played at Tumwater High School we were a pack of wild animals who took great delight in drilling each other in the groin with the ball as often as possible.

But, by and large, tennis stands as one of the last bastions of manners and good taste.

Having watched some Coupeville High School matches this year, both boys and girls, I have to say, the game seems to be at an all-time high for sheer politeness these days.

The Wolf girls, in particular, go way out of their way to compliment their rivals on a regular basis, whether they’ve just drilled a gorgeous shot or been the victim of one.

Now, it’s safe to say CHS singles ace Valen Trujillo would most likely serve her foes tea and cakes mid-match if she was allowed (she’s a top-notch baker and probably the most sincerely nice successful athlete I’ve ever covered), but she has a fast-rising rival or two.

Wolf junior Bree Dagineault is the queen of compliments, and she never seems less than 179% sincere as she bestows them on her hard-court opponents.

Friday, as she faced off with Renee Woods of Chimacum, she might have met her doppelganger and it produced maybe the most blissful match I have ever witnessed.

Now, this was a hard-fought duel, with both players going full-tilt, often bounding along the baseline and slugging it out.

But, in between every shot, they found new ways to rain down praise on each other, and, when they exited, without hearing the score, you would have had no idea who won by their expressions, which were both beaming and topped with smiles.

Now, I once drilled one of my own teammates in the face with an overhead ON PURPOSE (well, it wasn’t just once…), but these two young women are operating in a whole different world from us late ’80s ruffians, and it’s really incredible to witness.

At one point, the following exchange was made. I swear.

“That was a REALLY nice serve.”

“Thank you! Well, you made a REALLY nice return.”

“Well thank you! That was a great rally!!”

“It was, wasn’t it!!”

“Thank you.”

“Well, thank you!!”

It never came across as sappy or cloying or fake, just two really bright, really well-adjusted high school athletes living in the moment, thoroughly enjoying the experience and proving you can compete hard without being a jerk.

As they exited at the end, after much more two-way praise, Bree turned to the Chimacum coach and said one of the best things I have heard in 25 years of covering prep sports.

“That was fun! I like playing against really nice people!”

The entire match, from start to finish, speaks well of Daigneault and Woods, their coaches and their families.

Next time you read about something cruddy happening in the world of sports, let your mind wander back to this day, this match, and rinse your mind out. Let the sunshine in.

Be like Bree. Be like Renee. Be a winner.

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Surprise heroes carry the day!!

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged 1A Olympic League, Amelia Breithaupt, CHS Wolves, Kameryn St Onge, Kenzi LaRue, tennis on April 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Kameryn St Onge teamed with Kenzi LaRue for a win at fourth doubles Friday, lifting CHS to a 4-3 win. (John Fisken photo)

Kameryn St Onge teamed with Kenzi LaRue for a win at fourth doubles Friday, lifting Coupeville’s girls’ tennis squad to a 4-3 league win. (John Fisken photo)

There were wild twists and turns and unexpected detours.

And that was just getting the two teams together for a match.

Once Coupeville and Chimacum finally hit the tennis court Friday, it capped a wild 24 hours.

In a matter of hours Thursday, the match went from being on, to being postponed two weeks due to transportation issues, to being suddenly restored to its original date and time.

So, of course, that’s how the match itself played out, as the Wolves roared to three straight wins, took a step back with three straight losses, then won the match 4-3 on the basis of a victory from a doubles duo seeking its first win of the season.

When Kenzi LaRue and Kameryn St Onge exited their home court bearing a straight-sets win at fourth doubles, they were the final players still on the court.

Did they know they were playing to break a tie and put Coupeville into sole possession of first-place in the 1A Olympic League standings?

I kind of doubt it, since there seemed to be absolutely, positively no tension in their mid-match strut.

Or, they’re just super cool and composed at all times.

One of the two.

With LaRue wildly swatting bugs between points, St Onge skipping across the court after a particularly nice serve, or the duo repeatedly bumping rackets with enough fury to make onlookers think they would bust them, the CHS sophomores finished the day as unexpected stars.

The victory lifts the Wolf netters to 1-0 in league play, 2-3 overall and puts them atop Chimacum (1-1) and Klahowya (0-1) as they seek to defend their league title.

Coupeville came out looking for the rout, as their first two doubles teams were on and off the court in about the time it took their parents to unfold their chairs at court-side.

Toss in a win at second singles for Sydney Autio (over Coupeville Sports favorite non-Wolf athlete, Port Townsend’s eternally-smiling Amelia Breithaupt, who joins Chimacum for tennis) and the Wolves looked unbeatable.

Until, one by one, the remaining three matches still on court all began to go Chimacum’s way.

Stalking along the fence line, Coupeville coach Ken Stange never betrayed any nervousness as the match went from 3-0 to 3-1 to 3-2 to 3-3, but his voice reached a new, low growl as he verbally put the spurs to his final doubles duo.

It worked, with St Onge serving efficiently and LaRue dropping in a couple of sweet winners while their teammates gazed on, offering moral support as the rain clouds started to creep in around the edges.

Complete results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Valen Trujillo lost to Sophia Thurston 6-4, 6-3

2nd Singles — Sydney Autio beat Amelia Breithaupt 6-4, 6-3

3rd Singles — Bree Daigneault lost to Renee Woods 6-3, 6-2

1st Doubles — Sage Renninger/Payton Aparicio beat Amy Plastow/Emma Craighead 6-0, 6-1

2nd Doubles — McKenzie Bailey/Jazmine Franklin beat Tessa Rasmussen/Jordyn Johnson 6-1, 6-0

3rd doubles — Julianne Sem/Maggie Crimmins lost to Marley Music/Aurora Plunkett 6-1, 6-0

4th Doubles — Kameryn St Onge/Kenzi LaRue beat Emily Calkins/Alex Solomon 6-2, 6-2

JV:

5th Doubles — Julianne Sem/Maggie Crimmins beat Lacey/Natalie 6-0

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