Seniors (l to r) Jada Heaton, Lyla Stuurmans, and Mia Farris helped lead Coupeville volleyball to its best season in program history. (Jennifer Heaton photo)
They outplayed their seeding and sent a message across the state.
Listen up and hear it well — the young women in red and black have some serious bite.
Capping a season for the ages, a Coupeville High School volleyball squad led by seven seniors is returning from Yakima carrying the first state tournament trophy in program history.
Thursday didn’t go quite as well as Wednesday, with two hard-fought losses against highly ranked foes following two dynamic wins.
But you can’t dim the glow on the 2024 campaign, when the Wolves romped to an 18-2 record, a Northwest 2B/1B League crown, a Bi-District title, and a 4th place finish at the 2B state championships.
One team, one dream, start to finish. (Jennifer Marzocca photo)
And while seniors Taylor Brotemarkle, Katie Marti, Jada Heaton, Chloe Marzocca, Mia Farris, Madison McMillan, and Lyla Stuurmans depart, their legacies will live large through the coming years.
Meanwhile, when CHS coach Cory Whitmore returns next year for his tenth season at the helm of the program, he’ll have plenty of firepower to build around.
Junior Teagan Calkins led CHS in kills this season, while freshman Tenley Stuurmans emerged in the second half of the year as a player on the cusp of potential stardom.
Toss in a band of other Wolf spikers who led the JV team to a 12-1 mark — many of whom were at the SunDome, either in uniform or cheering in street clothes — and the future is as bright as the present.
Making its seventh trip to state, and third under Whitmore, the Coupeville volleyball program exceeded all expectations.
How Day #2 played out for the fifth-seeded Wolves:
Madison McMillan drops the hammer. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Adna:
Coupeville held off five set points, including four in one frame, but couldn’t topple the top-ranked team in 2B, falling 25-14, 26-24, 25-17.
It was a throwdown between the last two undefeated teams in the field, with Adna in the semifinals for the first time since 2011, and the Wolves exploring completely new territory.
In the end, the precision-hitting, powerful Pirates were just a little too much, and they advanced to the title bout for the first time in their program’s history.
Things started 45 minutes late, thanks to a slow-moving five-set thriller occupying their court, before the Wolves bolted out to a quick 2-1 lead.
Things turned sharply after that, with Adna seizing control and pushing its lead out to seven points.
Big-time kills from Calkins and Lyla Stuurmans provided hope, and the Wolves staved off a set point, but ultimately couldn’t get all the way back.
The second frame featured strong work from Heaton at the net and Tenley Stuurmans at the service line, but Coupeville once again was forced to play from behind.
Down 24-20, the Wolves caught fire behind Calkins, forcing a 24-24 tie after dodging one bullet after another.
While the effort was valiant, Adna had an answer, ending the set with back-to-back points to push CHS into a 2-0 deficit for only the second time this season.
The first time that happened, the Wolves rallied for the 3-2 reverse sweep in a non-conference win at Okanogan during a mid-season Eastern Washington road trip.
This time, there was no comeback.
Farris uncorked a series of potent kills to keep the Pirates jumpy, but Adna held on for the win, setting off a floor-storming celebration.
Katie Marti directs traffic. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Freeman:
After a lunch break, the Wolves returned to the floor to face a team which features three front-line players who stand between six-foot and six-three.
The Scotties, seeded #3, lost only to #2 Manson — once during the regular season and again Thursday in the state semifinals — and to undefeated 1A powerhouse Chelan.
Controlling the match from start to finish, Freeman jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first set and made life tough for the Wolves.
While the opening frame vanished in a puff of smoke, Coupeville put up a strong fight in the latter two sets, eventually holding off a set point and two match points before things reached an end.
Farris did her best to blunt the power of Freeman’s tree toppers and racked up a few more kills in her final moments on the court.
Trailing 24-17, CHS held fast, earning its final two points of the season on a side out and a service point from Marzocca.
Coupeville’s seniors with their trophy. (Jennifer Marzocca photo)
League rivals go different routes:
Two of Coupeville’s Northwest 2B/1B League mates also advanced to state, but one had a better trip to Yakima.
Darrington, while coming up just short of a trophy, survived through three matches in the 1B tourney.
The Loggers opened their two-day odyssey by waxing Willapa Valley 25-10, 25-15, 25-10, before being edged by Walla Walla Valley Academy in the final match (very late) Wednesday night.
Darrington came up just short in that one, falling 27-25, 25-14, 16-25, 28-30, 15-13 to narrowly miss a trip to the semifinals.
Returning to the floor early Thursday, the Loggers pushed Northwest Christian (Lacey) to four sets, before dropping an elimination bout 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 25-14.
Meanwhile, six-time state champ La Conner went two and out on Day #1 of the 2B tourney.
The Braves fell 25-19, 25-15, 25-18 to Adna in their opener, before being eliminated 25-8, 25-12, 25-23 by Tri-Cities Prep.
Coupeville Sports 