Coupeville Sports

Wolf seniors (l to r) Haley Sherman, Amanda Fabrizi, Megan Oakes, Breeanna Messner, Sydney Aparicio and Allie Hanigan.

Robert Bishop is a man of many talents.

When he’s not working as the Island County Coroner, the good doctor is a steady presence at Coupeville High School athletic contests, whether working the scoreboard at softball games or snapping photos court-side during basketball and volleyball.

His latest portrait captures the six seniors on this year’s Wolf spike squad, headlined by his daughter, Breeanna Messner.

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Mindy (left) and Lauren Grove rock out together.

Lauren Grove is not afraid to try something new.

A talented basketball and track athlete, the Coupeville High School freshman decided to kick off her journey through a new school by picking up a third sport. And so far it’s going exceedingly well.

“I love doing sports in general, so with a little push from my friends and family I decided to give volleyball a try,” Grove said. “So far I am loving it!”

The flow of the game intrigued her, and she has meshed well with her teammates on the Wolf JV squad. In recent matches, she has displayed a wicked serve and is improving her all-around game by leaps and bounds.

It all comes down to how much fun she has on the court.

“I enjoy doing volleyball, because, like basketball, it’s exciting to watch and play,” Grove said. “I also love to win!”

Like any first-year player, she has areas she’s working on fine-tuning. But her enthusiasm carries her through any rough spots.

“I would have to say one of my strengths is going for the ball and not being afraid to get on the ground,” Grove said. “I always work hard and try my best to improve on everything that I do.

“My goals for the season are to get better every day, have fun and win, of course!”

Grove, who mixes her commitment to sports with an equally strong effort in fulfilling the student part of student athlete, is a huge fan of the band Avenged Sevenfold and plans to return to basketball and track as a high schooler.

Through it all, she always knows she has the world’s biggest fan close to home.

“My mom (Mindy) has always had a huge impact on me and has helped me become the person I am today,” Grove said. “She is not only my mom but also my best friend!”

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      Foreign exchange student Merle Fitzenhagen has been an enthusiastic contributor to the Wolf spike squad. (John Fisken photo)

Sacrifice the body!

All the best volleyball players do it, and it’s a fad that’s catching on with the Coupeville High School JV spikers.

A match or two after Miranda Engle used the top of her shoulder to keep a ball in play, foreign exchange student Merle Fitzenhagen, a newcomer to the sport, used another part of her anatomy to keep a point going against King’s Thursday.

“We’ve been telling her if a ball hits off of a shoulder, a back, a head, etc., that it is legal,” said Wolf coach Amy King. “She was playing back row — King’s hit a ball over and it came over fast enough that we didn’t have a chance to play it, but it played off of Merle’s head, went up to the ceiling, which when it came down we played it and got it over the net for the point.

“Poor Merle couldn’t stop herself from laughing until she came out.”

Playing without big hitter Engle, who was out sick, the Wolves struggled with the powerful Knights, losing the second and third sets 25-12, 25-14. King declined to reveal the score of the first set (“We shall just completely look past it, because, yes, it was that ugly…”).

Things got better, however, as the Wolves, even down a woman, remained scrappy.

“There were at least good things here and there,” King said.  “Our girls went for everything and made the best of our games.”

The highlight reel:

“Monica (Vidoni) had a great block and many hits; Jae (LeVine) had a surprising and fun kill from the back row; Lauren (Grove) had a few hits from the front row; Valen (Trujillo) and Ally (Roberts) had hits from all parts of the court,” King said.

“We are young and still learning. We do have a good JV team, getting better with each week.”

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