Coupeville Sports

Lauren Grove

Forget about the score and it was a pretty exciting evening.

A number of players on the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad had big firsts Thursday in Everett, bright spots during an otherwise disappointing 25-10, 25-18, 15-13 loss to host Archbishop Thomas Murphy.

Freshman Lauren Grove, playing her first season as a spiker, got her first serves in a live game and was an immediate hit. She connected on four made serves, lashing two aces.

“She’s been working extra hard on those and really came through for us,” said CHS coach Amy King.

High-energy McKenzie Bailey flew high as well, collecting her first block of the season (“It was a pretty one; very exciting”), while even higher-energy Jae LeVine split time with the slightly more laid-back Emily Coulter at libero.

“Both did a very nice job for us in the back row,” King said. “We played hard as a team and had a lot of great rallies. I’m very proud of how the girls played.

“We will continue to work on the defensive side of the game, covering behind the block or hit as well as keeping our front line out of the net,” she added. “These things will hopefully help push us onto the winning side of some of these games.”

The team leaders all chipped in with strong play Thursday, as Miranda Engle was 11 of 11 at the service stripe, Tiffany Briscoe and Valen Trujillo sparkled on their serves and Monica Vidoni patrolled the net with a vengeance, frequently slamming kills.

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Wolf setter Sydney Autio stays focused on her task. (John Fisken photo)

They kept on getting closer.

Playing in Everett Thursday, the Coupeville High School volleyball squad narrowed down the gap against host Archbishop Thomas Murphy in each of its three games. Unfortunately, the Wolves couldn’t quite get to where that gap was gone.

The 25-15, 25-20, 25-21 loss dropped Coupeville to 1-5 overall, 0-5 in Cascade Conference play. A possible protest of a botched call late in their razor-thin loss to Sultan Tuesday is still in play, however.

Against a strong Wildcat squad, the Wolves leaned on the big power of junior Hailey Hammer, who put together a strong stat line. She was a flawless 17 of 17 at the service stripe, with three aces, while also collecting three kills and two blocks.

Kacie Kiel, who packs a surprising amount of punch in her slender frame, paced Coupeville with four kills, while Allie Hanigan topped the Wolves with four blocks.

Breeanna Messner, back after missing a chunk of the Sultan game with illness, teamed with Amanda Fabrizi to provide the first line of defense. The duo went 31 of 36 on service returns, while Messner was also 7 of 7 when she had the ball as a server.

Also getting some props were the Sydneys, as Autio (70 of 75 on passes) and Aparicio (9 of 9 on serves) were their usual inspired selves.

Coupeville returns home for its next match, hosting Granite Falls Tuesday, Oct. 1. Between now and then, the Wolves will look to tweak a few aspects of their game.

“We played well tonight, just need to control our side of the net and eliminate errors on things we control,” said CHS coach Kirsty Croghan.

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Monica Vidoni dominates at the net. (John Fisken photos)

Haley Sherman (left) and Madeline Strasburg get fired up.

Emily Coulter goes low in textbook style.

Sydney Autio outreaches her Sultan counterpart.

Ally Roberts is walking on air.

Kacie Kiel unleashes a little shot they like to call The Knee-Buckler.

Valen Trujillo is locked and loaded.

Volleyball is a game dominated by brief bursts of power.

Skillful sets and precision passing are necessary for a winning attack, but it’s the play at the net — the killer spikes and the thunderous rebuff of a well-timed block — that brings the crowd to its feet.

Showcasing a bit of all of it is John Fisken, who traveled down from the big city of Oak Harbor to document Coupeville’s match against Sultan Tuesday.

If you like the photos above, a mix of varsity and JV action, take a gander at these links: http://www.cascadeathletics.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=4399&league=2&page=1&page_name=photo_store&school=22&sport=0 (varsity) or http://www.cascadeathletics.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=4400&league=2&page=1&page_name=photo_store&school=24&sport=0 (JV).

Use the coupon code EB43994962 to purchase photos from this game before Wednesday, Oct. 9 and receive a 15% discount off your purchase.

And remember, a percentage of any purchases (as opposed to just lifting copyrighted stuff, usually with the giant C marring said photo) goes back to help fund scholarships for CHS student athletes.

Be part of the answer, not the problem.

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