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Rally queens can’t be denied

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Wolves institute a no-fly zone at the net. (Ana Oliveira photo)

Slow start, torrid finish.

The Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad stumbled out of the gate a bit Thursday night, then reached down deep inside and found its missing mojo.

Roaring back to life with a strong team-wide effort, the Wolves rallied to topple visiting La Conner 20-25, 25-17, 15-11 to the delight of their exuberant fan base.

The win gives Ashley Menges’ crew a season sweep of the Braves, while lifting them to 7-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 8-1 overall.

Next up for the JV is a trip to Bellingham Saturday, where the Wolves will take part in a tourney hosted by Meridian.

Thursday’s tangle with La Conner started off in favor of the visitors, as the Braves peppered the Wolves en route to building a solid first-set lead.

But even trailing 21-13, the Wolves showed some serious fight, battling back to make things interesting.

Lexis Drake ripped off one of her team-high five service aces to light a bit of a fire under CMS, and Dakota Eck and Capri Anter started to take control at the net.

With team sparkplug Haylee Armstrong collecting a series of floor burns while sliding across the hardwood in pursuit of wayward balls, Coupeville closed the set on a 7-4 run.

While they couldn’t quite catch the Braves, it was a positive sign of things to come, as the hometown spikers claimed control of the match early in the second set.

Flexin’ on the world. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Ari Cunningham, filling up the stat sheet and the highlight reel, was everywhere, firing off aces and shooting winners that caught the very top of the net and flopped over for Wolf points.

Up 20-9 at one point, Coupeville ran away with the set, getting a huge tip winner from Strong to knot things at a set apiece.

With the match hanging in the balance, the two teams raced to 15 points in set three, with five ties, the last coming at 7-7.

Strong, bounding into the air, dropped a floater between several Braves to push Coupeville ahead for good, while Isa Mc Fetridge and Drake backed her up with solid winners while patrolling the net.

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — 6 kills, 5 digs, 1 ace
Haylee Armstrong — 1 kill, 13 digs
Ari Cunningham — 2 kills, 8 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces
Lexis Drake — 3 kills, 5 digs, 5 aces
Adeline Maynes — 4 digs, 10 assists, 3 aces
Isa Mc Fetridge — 2 kills, 1 ace
Chelsi Stevens — 1 kill
Dakota Strong — 4 kills, 1 dig
Sydney Van Dyke — 2 digs

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“The kids are much more competitive!”

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Wolf coach Cris Matochi was a busy man Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was a long day, and they’ll do it all again in less than 24 hours.

Playing the first of back-to-back road trips Wednesday, the Coupeville Middle School volleyball squads held their own against feisty Sultan.

Jump forward to Thursday, and the bus wheels will be turning once again, with the Wolves headed off to Granite Falls as the end of the season approaches.

The finale arrives Monday, Oct. 21, when CMS hosts South Whidbey in a clash of next-door neighbors.

How Wednesday unfolded:

 

Level 1:

A loss, but an extremely close one which hinged on a play or two and a ref’s somewhat questionable interpretation of the rules at a key moment.

Sultan escaped with a 25-17, 25-23, 11-15 victory, aided by the official ruling in favor of the hometown Turks on a disputed substitution at 23-23 in the middle set.

That doesn’t take away from the Wolves ability to rally, as CMS nearly closed the gap in the opening set after falling behind by 10 points early.

Set two was a fierce back-and-forth affair, with Coupeville requesting a sub with things knotted late.

While the Wolves tried to swap players, Sultan jumped the gun and served for the go-ahead point, before fast-talking the ref into ruling in their favor.

Instead of stewing, the Wolves rebounded to take the third set, putting a nice punctuation point on the day, coach Cris Matochi said.

“Although we didn’t win that match, that tie break felt like the Olympics – it felt soooo good!” he said.

“And if the players had a chance to replay that match, we had the energy of an entire army!”

 

Level 2 and 3:

With fellow coach Kristina Hooks having the day off so she could welcome her Navy husband home from deployment, Matochi guided all three Wolf squads into Turk territory.

What he saw from the second two units brought a smile to his face.

“This was by far the best that teams two and three have played so far,” Matochi said.

“They were doing so much better with moving their feet to the ball, and some players were able to serve overhand for the first time!”

Level two lost 25-17, 25-12, 15-7, while Level three fell 25-12, 25-21, 15-9, but Matochi is a firm believer that solid improvement often means more than the won/loss record.

“The kids are much more competitive, and it is exciting to see them fight hard,” he said. “We even got to see some players diving today!”

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Wolf net crew chases history

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »

When she’s not clicking away, Wolf spiker Madison McMillan enjoys filling up the stat sheet. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

One step closer to a league title, one step closer to history.

Surviving and thriving Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad slipped past host Mount Vernon Christian in three action-packed sets.

Winning 25-20, 25-19, 25-23, the Wolves complete a season sweep of the Hurricanes, while moving to 7-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 9-0 overall.

It’s the second-best start in program history, behind just the Toni Crebbin-coached 2004 squad, which began 10-0 on its way to winning 14 matches.

Up next is a Thursday showdown in Cow Town with La Conner (5-1, 7-4) as Coupeville also holds its annual Dig Pink night to honor those fighting cancer.

Beat the Braves for a second time this season and the Wolves essentially clinch a league crown.

Coupeville’s seniors are enjoying their final run.

The tangle with La Conner is also Coupeville’s next-to-last regular season home match.

The Wolves play three straight on the road, with trips to Concrete, Neah Bay, and Orcas Island, before closing at home Nov. 5 against non-conference rival Sultan.

Tuesday’s trip to MVC featured a closer match-up than the first time the two teams tangled, but the ultimate result was the same — a straight-sets sweep for the spikers in red and black.

“It wasn’t always our cleanest gameplay we’ve had this season, but the girls got the job done,” said Coupeville coach Cory Whitmore.

“Hats off to MVC – they are much-improved and really pushed us to earn points and defend their attack a lot more.”

The Wolves were especially ferocious at the service stripe, with six players combining to notch 11 aces.

“We will need to smooth out our attack, but I thought our serving was very clean tonight, as well as tough for them to handle,” Whitmore said.

“That was definitely a takeaway from last Saturday’s tournament, so it was good to see us improve in that category.

“We also blocked pretty well and that was a new thing for us to be able to count on.”

A pack of Wolves make an appearance at an Oak Harbor match on a night off.

 

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 2 digs, 1 assist
Teagan Calkins — 5 kills, 5 digs, 1 solo block, 2 block assists, 3 aces
Mia Farris — 4 kills, 4 digs, 1 ace
Jada Heaton — 2 kills, 3 digs, 2 block assists, 1 ace
Katie Marti — 2 kills, 3 digs, 28 assists, 1 block assist, 4 aces
Madison McMillan — 6 kills, 9 digs, 1 assist, 2 block assists, 1 ace
Lyla Stuurmans — 12 kills, 7 digs, 1 assist, 1 solo block, 3 block assists, 1 ace
Tenley Stuurmans — 1 kill, 3 digs

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JV spikers deliver the big payback

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Lexis Drake brings the heat. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

In the words of one James Brown …

Hey! Gotta, gotta payback!
(The big payback)
Revenge! I’m mad!
(The big payback)
Got to get back!

I need some get-back!
Payback!
Payback! (The big payback)
That’s it! Payback!

Whether they cued up some 1973 funk or not, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad got that sweet, sweet payback Tuesday night.

Avenging their only loss of the season, the Wolves rallied to beat host Mount Vernon Christian 15-25, 25-16, 16-14, just the way coach Ashley Menges likes it.

The victory lifts the JV spikers to 6-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 7-1 overall heading into a home showdown Thursday with La Conner.

It also pushes Menges career winning percentage to an even .700, as the fifth-year coach is 42-18 since taking the reins of the second squad.

The Wolves watch the action unfold.

The first time the teams faced off, in mid-September, Coupeville actually won more points (62-61), but MVC escaped, nailing down two of three sets.

This time out, it was the Wolves taking both the moral victory and the victory-victory.

“It was a slow start to the night, and we definitely weren’t all there to begin the day, but it’s good to see they can turn it around,” Menges said.

“Something we always want to emphasize is that we get better with every set, which is what they did tonight and I’m very glad to see.

“They also took what I said pregame and started with that first point.

“As always, there’s more to work on, but for now I’m glad to see them pull out a win.”

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — 4 kills, 2 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 7 digs, 1 assist
Lexis Drake — 4 kills, 1 ace
Adeline Maynes — 3 digs, 11 assists, 5 aces
Isa Mc Fetridge — 3 digs, 2 aces
Chelsi Stevens — 1 kill
Dakota Strong — 3 kills
Tenley Stuurmans — 3 kills, 2 digs, 2 assists
Sydney Van Dyke — 1 kill, 5 digs

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Lessons learned, killer instinct honed

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Lyla Stuurmans denies you. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They excel under fire.

Hours after rallying to beat Okanogan in five sets Friday to stay undefeated in regular season play, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad returned to the Eastern Washington courts for a state tourney-like experience.

Playing in a tournament hosted by Liberty of Spangle Saturday, the Wolves went 4-2 against high-grade competition.

CHS beat Davenport (2-1), Omak (2-1) and Warden twice (2-0 both times) while falling to Liberty (2-0) and Oakesdale (2-0).

The losses were “both matches we would like to have back,” said Wolf coach Cory Whitmore.

“But that would be part of the lesson learned: play to potential against every possible matchup.

“I think the girls are pretty excited about the experience overall and as we debriefed today in practice, I’m hoping we have a clear vision moving forward.”

One of many celebrations for the Wolves this season.

Coupeville (8-0 overall, 6-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play) travels to Mount Vernon Christian (6-4, 2-3) Tuesday, then hosts La Conner (6-4, 5-1) Thursday.

As they chase a league crown and set themselves up for postseason success, a chance to play in a high-caliber mid-season tourney offers great rewards.

“The tournament was a really productive experience for the team,” Whitmore said.

“The timing was great because it was into the season enough where you’ve found a bit of a rhythm and lineup(s), so you aren’t going from scratch, but also with enough of the season left that you can make adjustments and work on those lessons learned.

While the wins and losses Saturday don’t affect anyone’s overall record, the time on the floor was invaluable.

“We definitely learned some lessons,” Whitmore said.

“As a team, we pretty much agree upon most of the things that need work and so we will attack those goals as we push in this half of the season.

“We definitely got better at a few key areas for future growth and having played against a few teams we could potentially see down the road, that experience will pay dividends in the end.”

 

Tourney stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 1 kill, 26 digs, 1 assist
Teagan Calkins — 33 kills, 12 digs, 1 assist, 2.5 block assists, 10 aces
Mia Farris — 35 kills, 55 digs, 1 assist, 0.5 block assists, 4 aces
Jada Heaton — 4 kills, 6 digs, 1.5 block assists
Katie Marti — 3 kills, 28 digs, 126 assists, 1 block assist, 4 aces
Madison McMillan — 23 kills, 39 digs, 1 assist, 4 aces
Lyla Stuurmans — 39 kills, 31 digs, 2 solo blocks, 2 block assists, 8 aces
Tenley Stuurmans — 11 digs, 2 assists

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