Best in the biz. 14 of the 15 girls who played in a Wolf JV volleyball match this season. (John Fisken photo)
Screw the five-year waiting period.
Unlike some Hall of Fames that make you wait for induction, here at the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, we have no such guidelines.
So, less than 24 hours after it wrapped its season, we welcome the 2016 Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad to these hallowed digital walls.
As the sole inductee in the 71st class to be enshrined, the 15 players and two coaches who just finished one of the best seasons ever put together by a Wolf team, at any level, get the stage to themselves.
After this you’ll find them at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.
And why not? They played like legends.
Under the guidance of coaches Kristin Bridges and Ashley Herndon, the Wolf JV went 12-2, won 10 straight matches (a five-week-plus winning period) and dominated their league in a way few teams have.
Coupeville’s young guns went a flawless 9-0 in 1A Olympic League play, the fourth CHS squad to do so, but the first that wasn’t a girls’ basketball team.
And they did so in particularly convincing fashion.
Over the course of their showdowns with Port Townsend, Klahowya and Chimacum, the Wolves won an astounding 23 of 24 sets.
In fact, the only set they lost to a league rival came in the very final set they played this season.
Having already taken the first two sets (and the win) at Port Townsend Saturday, they apparently decided to give the rest of the conference the smallest glimmer of hope by surrendering just a smidge.
In a year where the Wolf varsity went 8-1 and roared to its first league title since 2004, the dominance of the JV is just further proof that Coupeville is ready to rule the volleyball standings for years to come.
With Bridges and Herndon meshing their styles expertly with that of first-year head coach Cory Whitmore, the spiker program is booming, both in terms of bodies in uniform and skills shown on the court.
The JV squad proved it had a short memory, as well, rebounding from a loss to 2A Sequim to drill their fellow Wolves while on the road later in the season.
So don’t think these spikers won’t remember that one lonely little set they gave up to the RedHawks and seek revenge next season.
How were they so good, so quick?
The CHS freshman class this year is extraordinarily deep in talented female athletes, young women who have honed their skills and grown used to winning in all of their sports, at the middle school, SWISH and little league levels.
They also show a willingness to learn and a commitment to hard work which bodes well as these spikers spill over into other programs such as basketball, softball and track.
Unlike a lot of JV teams, Coupeville didn’t struggle to get their serves in, which is huge at any level.
Every Wolf who served in matches operated strictly overhand and many of them laid down scorching aces on a regular basis, putting the burden squarely on the other team.
Then, once the ball was in play (or, in many cases, IF the ball was in play) they attacked as one, scrambling for balls and putting down kills with regularity.
They also seemed to enjoy themselves immensely, and while winning always helps with that, it seemed like more with this squad.
Every player who took the floor showed a burning desire to be good, to be winners, and, maybe most importantly, to pick each other up, in good times (and relatively few) bad times.
The young Wolves never splintered, never pointed fingers at each other on the rare missed shot and were quick to congratulate each other — all traits they shared with their varsity counterparts.
For the moment, though, they get to step away from their older teammates.
The Wolf varsity is a spiffy 11-4 entering the district tourney, the most wins by a CHS varsity squad since 2004, but only one volleyball team made it all the way through league play undefeated this season.
For this moment, we hail the JV’s achievement, for what it means today and what it will mean for tomorrow.
Inducted into the Hall o’ Fame, together, as a team:
Kristen Bridges (coach)
Ashley Herndon (coach)
Hannah Davidson
Maddy Hilkey
Nicole Lester
Emma Mathusek
Jillian Mayne
Lucy Sandahl
Scout Smith
Maya Toomey-Stout
Zoe Trujillo
Raven Vick
Willow Vick
Peytin Vondrak
Melia Welling
Allison Wenzel
Sarah Wright
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