Coupeville 7th grade volleyball ace Kaielle Bepler ripped off nine straight points on her serve Thursday. (Kimberly Bepler photo)
The future has arrived.
From “The Slam Sisters” to “The Chosen One,” the next generation of Coupeville volleyball stars made their home debut Thursday afternoon, and they rocked the joint.
Facing off with ginormous Stevens, which feeds 2A Port Angeles High School, the Wolf 7th grade JV crushed their big school rivals 25-18, 25-15, while the 7th grade varsity was nipped 27-25, 25-22, 20-25 in a thriller.
Across the hall, in the high school gym, the CMS 8th grade squads had a rougher time, with the JV falling 25-17, 25-14 and the varsity losing 25-6, 25-15, 25-14.
But, with both contests going at the same time, and me being only one man, I had to choose. On this day, the 7th graders got my full attention.
So, they’re carrying this story.
Next Monday, when Forks comes to town, I’ll switch my focus to 8th grade.
For now, just know there are glossy photos from today’s match headed my way, so you will get some coverage in the next few hours … just not a whole lot of words.
And with that, we turn to the 7th graders, playing for Sarah Lyngra, who was flying solo while her coaching partner, Kimberly Bepler, was out of town.
Which means mama missed seeing her baby officially become a superstar.
Kaielle “The Chosen One” Bepler has a pedigree which is hard to match, but the youngest member of the family is already making a name for herself.
Her parents, big brother Ariah, aunts and uncles, grandpa and cousins, including current CHS volleyball supernova Payton Aparicio, are a who’s-who of Wolf greats.
Thursday, Kaielle went on a tear to rival any put up by a family member, as the Wolves fought off nine set points as she went on an ace-heavy run at the service stripe.
When Bepler ambled to the line, CMS trailed 24-16 in the first set of varsity action, and the Wolves were in trouble.
Jill Prince and Lucy Tenore had kept Coupeville close for a bit, but a Stevens player who looked like she was already a polished high school veteran was too much to handle.
Until the Wolves saved their first set point by breaking Stevens serve.
Enter Bepler and shake the rafters.
Ripping lasers and using every part of the court, she fired off nine consecutive points, turning a huge deficit into a shocking 25-24 lead.
And the miracle came within an inch of truly being a miracle.
Bepler’s 10th serve was one of only two Stevens returned, and, after a short, but intense rally, the visitors dropped a lucky winner in over the heads of the back three Wolf players.
To the dismay of all in the crowd, the falling ball bit the back-line just long enough to knot things back up at 25-25 and the full miracle was denied.
Sure enough, the assassin in the #3 Stevens uniform was next up to serve, and the highly-polished spiker, like a mini version of CHS star Hope Lodell in the way she moved and hit, served out the set.
The Wolves could have collapsed right there, and did, in fact, fall behind 7-0 at the start of the second set.
But then they reached down and found another level, with Harlee Ausman, Tenore and the ever-dangerous Bepler putting together strong runs on serve.
While they couldn’t pull out the win, the Wolves did end things strongly, capturing the third set behind note-perfect serving.
Prince, playing in front of mom Jennie, who has held CHS shot put and discus records for 27 years, delivered notice there’s another daughter of Wolf royalty ready to rock the joint.
Using her height and power to her advantage, Prince was a force all match, teaming up with Tenore to form a deadly duo.
The CMS varsity got a little something from everyone, with Gwen Gustafson, Alita Blouin, Jordyn Rogers and Brynn Schmid chipping in with hustle and spirit.
JV romps:
Say hello to the Slam Sisters.
Twin terrors Allie and Maya Lucero take after older brother Dane, a CHS football star, and hit with passion and power.
Crunching their serves with enough verve to make the volleyball scream for mercy, the dynamic duo overpowered their opponents with both their serves and their put-aways, helping the JV romp.
Maya had the shot of the day, sliding to her side, then punching the ball over her head for a winner which split the Stevens defense, which simply watched in horror as the shot sailed through a thicket of body parts to hit pay-dirt.
The Luceros got a big assist from Vivian Farris, who went on a tear at the service line, ripping off five consecutive winners to blow open the first set.
She also popped back in later with a nifty tip for a winner.
Taygin Jump added a gorgeous ace of her own, on a ball which arced over the net like a bird in flight, only to then drop like a rock, while Sofia Peters lashed a serve which burned the top of the net as it skidded across.
The Stevens player closest to Peters serve didn’t even wave at the ball. Already knowing she had been beat, she simply bowed her head in the direction of the Wolves, acknowledging complete surrender.
Cypress Socha, Hayley Fiedler, Karyme Castro and Trinity McGee rounded out the JV roster, with all seeing quality floor time.
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