Madison McMillan (14) is on a roll. (Jackie Saia photo)
They have some major fight in them.
Missing the team’s top kill specialist, and playing a red-hot rival, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball spikers rallied to pull out a four-set thriller Saturday.
Digging deep against a Neah Bay squad which entered play on a nine-match winning streak, the Wolves defended their home court, winning 23-25, 25-10, 25-22, 25-13.
The non-conference victory, coming in a match which was just recently added to the schedule, lifts CHS to 8-3 on the season.
Now winners of seven of their last eight, the Wolves have three regular season rumbles left.
Coupeville travels to La Conner Oct. 18 to face off with the three-time defending 2B state champs.
After that comes home tilts against Darrington Oct. 20 and La Conner Oct. 25, before a trip to the district playoffs.
Saturday’s showdown with Neah Bay replaced another home match lost to the scheduling shuffle and offered the Wolves a chance to face a top-notch, tough team.
The opening set showcased the visitors at their best, as the Red Devils made the Wolves scramble for every ball.
There were six ties in the first frame, the final at 23-23 after Coupeville rallied back from down 23-19.
Super sophomore Madison McMillan was key, crunching a laser from the side to collect Coupeville’s 20th point, before popping off three straight points on her serve.
Ryanne Knoblich knotted things at 23-23 with a superb kill, her body going one way and the ball the other, but Neah Bay proved resilient.
A gym-rattling spike from one of the Red Devil’s biggest hitters pushed her team back in front 24-23, and a Coupeville error on set point doomed the host squad.
That capped a first set which had more than its fair share of highlight reel-worthy plays, from Mia Farris spraying kills to Jill Prince getting artful with her tip game, freeze-framing her foes, then flicking the ball to paydirt.
Mia Farris is here to destroy you. (Jackie Saia photo)
Lyla Stuurmans, who was a wrecking ball unleashed at times, came up big at the service stripe, while numerous Wolves made often-stunning saves on balls which looked long gone.
Knoblich had a beautiful one-hander, while Alita Blouin, Taygin Jump, and Maddie Georges bounced off the floor and slid across the hardwood in pursuit of excellence.
If the first set was a nail-biter, the second frame was a blowout.
The Wolves bounded off the bench, seized control of things, and never relented, mixing in big service aces, inspired passing, and teeth-rattling kills to put Neah Bay down hard.
“It was good to see us shake off any hesitation and come out strong,” said Coupeville coach Cory Whitmore.
“Our defense was outstanding on the block, and our service game picked up,” he added. “Even when we weren’t getting aces, our serve set us up to win some easy points.”
Everyone on the floor was clicking, Stuurmans and Knoblich bringing the full fury at the net, while Georges popped from here to there, flicking passes high as she picked up some of her match-high 32 assists.
Set three opened with the afternoon’s best play, even if it ultimately didn’t count.
With the ball in the air on the opening serve, a Wolf player lost a shoe while scrambling, and McMillan promptly cleared the floor by sliding forward and kicking the wayward sneaker into the stands.
While Coupeville won the rally, and Farris snuck by to retrieve her missing footwear, the refs decided to replay the point, drawing a mix of (mild) boos and laughter.
With all of their shoelaces firmly tied, the Wolves led the set from start to finish, though Neah Bay never let the margin get too big.
The Red Devils actually held off two set points, cutting a 24-20 deficit to 24-22 before Blouin ended things, flipping a winner from mid-court which arced over the defense before slapping down, catching the backline as it landed.
While Neah Bay was talented and tough, it came out flat in the fourth set and the Wolves pounced, rolling out to an 18-6 lead in what would turn out to be the final frame.
Prince, Stuurmans, and Knoblich continued to light up the floor as a titanic trio, their kills getting more ferocious as the Red Devils begin to wilt.
Choose your poison. Jill Prince can beat you with a powerhouse kill, or an artful tip. (Jackie Saia photo)
Neah Bay had one last mini-rally to unleash, but even then, the Wolves methodically chipped away, climbing steadily towards their 98th and final point of the match.
It came from Prince, who hopped airborne, surveyed her surroundings, then, at the last possible second, angled a tip away from the Red Devils before returning to the surly bonds of Earth.
Ball hit court, and the celebration was ignited.
If you’re going to play on a Saturday, might as well win while you’re at it.
Saturday stats:
Alita Blouin — 10 digs, 2 assists, 2 aces
Mia Farris — 3 kills, 2 digs, 3 aces
Maddie Georges — 18 digs, 32 assists, 2 aces, 1 solo block, 1 block assist
Taygin Jump — 5 digs
Ryanne Knoblich — 11 kills, 12 digs, 1 ace
Madison McMillan — 5 kills, 20 digs, 2 aces
Jill Prince — 7 kills, 1 block assist
Lyla Stuurmans — 7 kills, 1 dig, 3 aces
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