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
Coupeville Sports 