Madison McMillan stretches out to track down an incoming missile. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
This time they sealed the deal.
Striking with a great vengeance and not letting a talented team have too many opportunities to rally, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad delivered a win that some might call an upset.
That’s because Forks rolled into Cow Town Saturday sporting a fine ‘n dandy 6-2 record, while the Wolves have endured a series of near misses.
But on this sunny afternoon, the gym belonged to Coupeville, which recorded a 25-15, 25-17, 25-18 non-conference victory.
The win, the second-straight for the Wolves, pushes them to 3-4 and shows they can punch with the best of them if they stay focused.
Coupeville made its intentions known early, with superb sophomore Teagan Calkins kicking off her best performance of the season by launching a dagger which tore a chunk out of the floor.
That staked CHS to an early 3-2 lead in the first set, and while things stayed tight for a bit, the Wolves were already humming.
Down just 13-11, Coupeville made its move, riding another lightning bolt fired by the free-wheeling Calkins.
With the ball back in their hands, the Wolves sent Lyla Stuurmans to the service stripe, and she hurt some folks.
The joltin’ junior ripped off nine straight points on her serve to blow the set open, with a number of her teammates helping out.
Mia Farris rearranged the molecules around her rivals with a blast of hot air coming off a spike winner, while Katie Marti flipped the ball into a two-inch open space for another point.
Calkins continued to be a thorn in the side of the visiting Spartans, lashing frozen ropes which hit the back line, then kicked away, and CHS was rollin’ ‘n strollin’.
Katie Marti, doin’ what she does. (Photo courtesy Coupeville volleyball)
Coming out of the first set, the Wolves kept peppering Forks with nasty serves, with Marti, Madison McMillan, Calkins, and Issabel Johnson living large at the line.
The Spartans, led by Ron Bagby’s niece, Chloe Gaydeski, put up a good scrap, but Coupeville continually dropped the hammer to end points.
When Calkins wasn’t strafing everyone in her eye range, Grey Peabody and Jada Heaton proved to be nimble and deadly at the net, whether crunching balls or poking tip winners.
If there was a bit of suspense left in the air after set two, it was because Coupeville has had some trouble closing matches out this season.
Potential wins against South Whidbey, Orcas Island, and La Conner slipped away in the final frantic moments, and it’s not hard to picture the Wolves being 6-1 and not 3-4.
Saturday, CHS coach Cory Whitmore didn’t have to worry about heading into his free time with too many worries, however, as his squad slammed the proverbial door shut.
It began with Stuurmans cranking back-to-back winners, a feat repeated not too long after by Farris.
Forks was still hanging around in the third set, though trailing 16-14, when McMillan put an exclamation point on things.
Spinning the ball across her fingertips, then artfully dropping nearly unhittable serves, she ran off eight consecutive points on her serve, with Calkins and Farris dropping haymakers when Forks managed to get the return back in play.
The victory, which sends Coupeville into a week where it will host Northwest 2B/1B League rivals Concrete and Mount Vernon Christian, left the Wolf head coach mostly satisfied.
“We kept within our system and served really well and passed the ball consistently,” Cory Whitmore said.
“Teagan had herself a night, and Mia played really well,” he added.
“I’m very pleased with our consistency as a team today.”
Wolves (l to r) Taylor Brotemarkle, Issabel Johnson, and Mia Farris enjoy the taste of victory … and concession stand food. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Saturday stats:
Teagan Calkins — 8 kills, 1 dig
Mia Farris — 8 kills, 5 digs
Jada Heaton — 2 kills, 1 dig, 1 solo block
Issabel Johnson — 1 dig, 2 aces
Katie Marti — 1 kill, 6 digs, 21 assists, 3 aces
Madison McMillan — 9 digs, 1 assist, 3 aces
Grey Peabody — 3 kills, 1 solo block
Lyla Stuurmans — 6 kills, 4 digs, 1 assist, 3 aces
Coupeville Sports 