Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Volleyball’ Category

Volleyball success a family tradition!!

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 2, 2017| 1 Comment »

Wolf freshman spiker Jaimee Masters. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

When Coupeville High School freshman Jaimee Masters takes the volleyball court, her role model isn’t too far away.

That would be her cousin, Wolf senior Hope “The Surgeon” Lodell, a lethal weapon waiting to be unleashed, who owns the school record for service aces in a season and a career.

As Masters fine-tunes her own game playing for the Coupeville JV and C-Team squads, she watches Lodell crush fools for the varsity and knows she wants to be in the same place one day.

“Hope has had a big impact on me,” Masters said. “When I was younger I always looked up to her; she was like the big sister for me.

“And during volleyball she’s the reason why I push myself constantly,” she added. “I strive to get on her level of skill or even better.”

Masters has two seasons of middle school volleyball, and another of club volleyball, under her belt, and her passion for the sport continues to grow.

“I started playing because I’ve always loved the sport,” Masters said. “I enjoy being a part of the team, and overall just playing.

“Volleyball has always sparked my interest,” she added. “I love the feeling of getting a perfect pass or a perfect set, or getting an ace when I’m serving.”

Masters, who plans to join her cousin on the softball field as well, spends a fair amount of her free time listening to music and drawing. At school, she most looks forward to classes revolving around art and poetry.

When she hits the gym, though, it’s all about improvement — taking the skills she currently has and constantly expanding them.

“I feel like my biggest strength would be passing,” Masters said. “An area I would love to work on would be my setting, because my team relies on me as a setter.

“My goals for this season are perfecting my setting ability, like being able to back set and having my thumbs back,” she added. “During my season of club volleyball, I got tendinitis in my thumb. And that really hurt me and my team because I was the setter. So hopefully I can perfect it again.”

Masters would also like to be “able to spot serve,” a skill her cousin excels in.

As she grows, on and off the court, Masters benefits from the support she gets from her family. It’s something she deeply appreciates.

“My parents have had a big impact on me. Without them I don’t know if I would be the person I am today,” Masters said. “They make me happy every day.

“Yes, we do have our hills and valleys, but they have helped me through so much.”

Read Full Post »

Free spikes for kids!!

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Want to play like Emma Smith some day? Get started learning volleyball skills now. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Know a kid who wants to learn volleyball skills and hang out with members of the most successful spiker squad in the Olympic League?

Then send them in the direction of Coupeville High School’s gym the next two Saturdays, when Wolf players and coaches will be running free volleyball skills clinics for students in grades 3-8.

The clinics are Oct. 7 and 14, with each event running from 9 AM-noon.

There’s no cost and no pre-registration necessary. Just show up at the gym ready to have fun.

If you have questions, you can reach CHS coach Cory Whitmore at cwhitmore@coupeville.k12.wa.us.

Read Full Post »

“I always want to make my family proud!!”

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Wolf freshman spiker Megan Behan. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

You never know what you’re going to get.

That’s part of what makes Megan Behan love volleyball so much — the reality that matches can take huge swings and go in unexpected directions based on just a few plays.

“I love that volleyball is unpredictable, and there is no predicting a game,” she said. “You have to keep your head in the game and always stay positive.”

Behan came to volleyball as a sixth-grader, after previously playing soccer, and it was an immediate match.

“I wanted to try something new and I ended up really loving volleyball,” she said. “You also create strong friendships with the people you play with.

“In any sport you really have to trust your team and I think your friendship on and off the court really benefits from that,” Behan added. “The team is not only a group of athletes who play together, but a family that helps each other improve and will always have your back.”

Now mid-way through her freshman season at Coupeville High School, the young spiker takes great delight in continuing to refine her game.

“I think my strengths include up-court skills like hitting, chipping, tipping, etc.,” Behan said. “But I think there is always room for improvement.

“I am working on tossing a lower toss while serving so I can get my timing and power just right,” she added. “I am also working on having a high block with full coverage.”

Right now she is a vital part of undefeated JV and C teams, but, as she goes forward, Behan wants to make the jump up the ladder. To do that, she has some areas she’s hard at work on.

“My goal for this season is to obtain a more aggressive and consistent serve,” she said. “My long term goal is to be able to play around the whole court, so I can be a more a versatile player.”

When she’s not working in the gym, Behan, who would also like to try tennis next spring, is the treasurer for her school’s freshman ASB.

Away from the court she enjoys alternative hip hop and “spending free time with my friends, exploring new places.”

A big fan of the ’80s classic “The Breakfast Club,” Behan picks math and science as her favorite school subjects.

“I adore astronomy and like dealing with numbers.”

As she’s grown, as a volleyball player, student and young woman, Behan has prospered thanks to a strong support group.

On the court, she’s picked up knowledge from all of her mentors.

“As a player, all of my coaches have had a huge impact on my improvement and have taught me countless things,” Behan said. “Coach (Casie) Dunleavy (7th and 8th grade) was my first volleyball coach and taught me how to stay positive on court and taught me the essential skills you need to play volleyball.

“Coach (Cory) Whitmore has taught me countless things, whether it’s a minor thing to improve or a bad habit I need to break in order to reach my full potential,” she added.

“Coach (Chris) Smith has taught me many things, like aiming my serve while still having it be powerful and approaching the ball at the right time while hitting.”

But, while sports are an important part of Behan’s life, they are just a part. It’s her family which is her biggest inspiration.

“My parents are the people who raised me, so they have made the biggest impact on me and have helped me through a lot,” she said. “They have done so much for me and I thank them for everything.

“I always want to make my family proud and that is my real inspiration for everything I do in life.”

Behan’s sister, who is a decade older, has been an ideal role model, she said. While the gap in ages is large, the two have always been close.

“It’s kind of a weird age difference, but watching her grow up as a kid really inspired me; so, in a way, the age difference was kind of a blessing,” Behan said. “She always gives me advice and has guided me through so much.

“I have gone to her at my worst times and she helped me through it all,” she added. “She is my best friend and I couldn’t ask for a better sister.

“I think everyone in my life has impacted me in some way to make me the person I am and I am extremely grateful to have such an amazing community surrounding me.”

Read Full Post »

Big hits, big growth!!

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Wolf freshman Catherine Lhamon. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Catherine Lhamon lives for the kill.

That moment when the volleyball pops up in front of her, just begging to be whacked, is a favorite for the Coupeville High School freshman.

“The part of volleyball I enjoy the most would be hitting, especially when it’s a good one!,” Lhamon said.

While put-aways are the most fun, it’s actually her passing skills which stand out as a calling card for the young spiker.

“I think my biggest strength is passing, although I could still use some improvement there,” Lhamon said. “The area I think I need the most work on would be serving; I am not as consistent as I would like to be.”

A three-sport athlete in middle school, where she added basketball and track to volleyball, Lhamon first started playing volleyball in seventh grade.

It was the perfect way to combine sports and friendship.

“I wanted to try it because a lot of my friends were doing it and I wanted to participate in a school sport,” she said.

Now deep into her third season of volleyball, playing for undefeated JV and C teams, Lhamon is hard at work trying to build her on-court skill-set.

“My main goal this season is to become a better server and learn to spot serve,” she said. “Although that might take a bit longer than a season.

“My goals for the future would be to become an all-around better and more experienced player,” Lhamon added. “If I had to narrow it down to one specific area I would want to get get more kills and pass right to the setter as much as possible.”

When she’s not at work in the gym, Lhamon enjoys hanging out with friends and has joined Coupeville’s ASB.

“Grease” and “Mean Girls” are her favorite films and science and language arts classes intrigue her the most.

Whether she’s busy in the classroom or on the court, or just needs a ride to practice, Lhamon knows she can always turn to one person to be her biggest cheerleader and supporter.

“I can’t think of any major events or people so far that would have dramatically changed who I am as a person,” she said. “I guess my mom (Helene), because she is the one who raised me and your childhood impacts the rest of your life.”

Read Full Post »

Get in, win, get out!!

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Willow Vick discusses her social media presence with the president of her fan club. (Maria Reyes photos)

   Some Wolf spikers used the early-morning ferry ride to work on their puzzle-solving skills.

Some, however, were not ready to give up their beds.

“Why yes, coach, I have had a LOT of caffeine this morning…”

When you’re too tired to chase away the paparazzi.

Hanging out in Sequim’s version of the green room.

Sleep? What’s that?

If Coupeville High School JV volleyball coach Chris Smith is a dead man walking today, it’s understandable.

After making the epic trek to Vashon Friday to watch middle son Hunter play a football game, Saturday was a non-stop whirlwind.

First, the JV Wolves headed off to Sequim at the crack of dawn for a tourney, where they won five of eight sets against strong competition.

Coupeville knocked off the host team in three sets, then matched that against Crescent, before finishing by splitting two sets against Port Angeles.

The first and third of those teams are large 2A schools, making the Wolves plucky performance even more impressive.

While Coupeville would have advanced to the championship bracket, it had to decline the opportunity and ankle out of town.

A chance to watch the Western Washington University volleyball team play Saturday night in Bellingham was also on the day’s crowded schedule, leaving the Wolves a “very tight timeline.”

Rest? That’s for another day.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »