Wolf seniors (l to r) Madison McMillan, Katie Marti, and Mia Farris celebrate their excellence. (Ashley Menges photo)
They’re charting new territory with every spike.
Going where no Coupeville High School volleyball team has before, the 2024 edition stepped in to the spotlight at the 2B state tourney Wednesday and refused to step back out.
Keeping alive their undefeated campaign, the fifth-seeded Wolves toppled #12 Tonasket, then stunned #4 Mossyrock, snapping that school’s streak of seven straight top three finishes.
Now, Cory Whitmore’s squad, which sits at 18-0, advances to the state semifinals Thursday, where it will clash with #1 Adna (20-0) in a 10:00 AM royal rumble on court #2 at the Yakima SunDome.
Meanwhile, #2 Manson (19-2) and #3 Freeman (19-2) meet in the other semi, with the winners playing for a state title at 5:30 PM.
The losers clash at 2:00 in the 3rd/4th place game.
Which means, win or lose Thursday, a CHS team featuring seven seniors will bring home the program’s first-ever state trophy.
The 18 wins are a Coupeville single-season record (besting the previous mark of 14), while this is the first time the Wolf spikers have won two matches during one state tourney.
Prior to Wednesday, CHS had captured a single win in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.
How the landmark day played out:
Tonasket:
With a big-hit offense operating at full roar, the Wolves pasted the Tigers 25-19, 25-23, 25-12.
The Wolves claimed the lead for good early in the first set, then never relented.
Three straight points at the service stripe from Lyla Stuurmans pushed CHS in front at 5-2, while lil’ sis Tenley Stuurmans slammed the door shut with her own service run to make it 21-16.
Lyla Stuurmans brought the heat on opening day of the state tourney. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Lyla’s fan club filled the bleachers in Yakima. (Photo courtesy Kimberly Bepler)
Along the way, the Wolves got key kills off the fiery fingertips of Mia Farris and Lyla Stuurmans, and smooth passing keyed by slick senior setter Katie Marti.
Tonasket proved it wouldn’t go easily, however, jumping out to a lead in the second set.
The Tigers roared out to a 9-5 advantage, before weathering a Coupeville comeback sparked by Farris delivering pinpoint serves and Madison McMillan and Teagan Calkins firing off winners at the net.
CHS slid ahead at 10-9, Tonasket rebuilt its advantage at 16-13, then the Wolves made their move.
Marti got nuclear-hot at the line, and once she pushed her squad back in front at 18-17, Coupeville couldn’t be stopped.
Closing the middle frame on a 12-7 tear, the Wolves kept the good times hoppin’ as they rolled through the final set.
An ace from Tenley Stuurmans made it 10-5, before Lyla Stuurmans crushed all of Tonasket’s hopes and dreams with a five-point run at the line.
Popping off back-to-back aces (in your face), the senior slugger pushed the lead all the way out to 20-9 and Tonasket had no answers as its state championship dreams faded and burnt up for good.
Kill machine Teagan Calkins, always a fan favorite. (Jackie Saia photo)
Mossyrock:
Coupeville was ranked as high as #2 by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association during the regular season but found itself slotted behind the Vikings on Selection Sunday.
Which was understandable based on Mossyrock’s stellar history.
But these matches are decided on the floor, and the Wolves put everyone on notice with a 25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 25-17 victory.
Coupeville went out in front at 2-1 in the opening set and never gave the lead back.
Big service runs from Lyla Stuurmans and Marti pushed the lead out to a sizable advantage, while “Mia the Magnificent” was a ball-destroying assassin, spraying kills and making all her rivals run.
Mossyrock made its big stand in the second frame, building a 16-6 lead, before Coupeville almost made it all the way back.
With McMillan spinning nasty serves and Jada Heaton raining pain at the net, the Wolves used a 15-4 surge to reclaim the lead at 21-20.
Unfortunately, the Vikings had just enough magic left to recover, becoming just the fourth team to take a set from Coupeville this season.
While that might have seemingly boded well for Mossyrock, the Wolves snapped right back into hunt and destroy mode.
Standing tall on the big stage. (Jennifer Marzocca photo)
The third set was close for a bit, all the way up to 12-12, when Calkins unleashed the full “Red Dragon” experience, peeling the paint off the floor for a kill.
Tenley Stuurmans, just a freshman and already playing in her second high school state tourney after making it to the big dance in tennis as an 8th grader, followed Calkins’ smash with a service ace.
From there, the Wolves steadily pulled away, then kept up the blistering pace in the night’s final set.
Farris went on a rampage at the line to put CHS up 9-4, before the Slammin’ Stuurmans Sisters peppered Mossyrock with unhittable balls.
Cue the celebration, as the Wolves joy ride continues for another day.
They head into Thursday having won 54 of 59 sets this season, ready to make new history shortly after breakfast.
But first, a snack. (Jennifer Heaton photo)
Coupeville Sports 