Big hitters Lyla (left) and Tenley Stuurmans, always killin’ it on the volleyball court. (Photo courtesy Scott Stuurmans)
Sister, my sister, let the spikes fly.
Coupeville siblings Lyla and Tenley Stuurmans continue to shine on the volleyball court, whether wearing school or club uniforms.
The dynamic duo and their SIVA Blue South team, which plays out of Burlington, swept to a championship win at last weekend’s Tulip Festival Tournament in Skagit Valley.
The Stuurmans sisters, and their associates, won two matches Saturday, Apr. 1, and four more the following day to claim first-place in the U16 Gold division.
Club volleyball runs for two more months, with Lyla and Tenley scheduled to play in several more tourneys.
They’ll wrap the season with an appearance at the Emerald City Classic at the University of Washington May 27-29.
SIVA Blue South features a strong group of coach’s daughters, with the offspring of La Conner’s Pam Keller and Sedro-Woolley’s Shawna Tesarik joining the Stuurmans sisters, whose mom, Sarah, has had great success coaching Coupeville and Oak Harbor teams in multiple sports.
Playing club volleyball, especially off of Whidbey Island, has made the siblings step out of their comfort zone and learn to adapt to new responsibilities and positions.
Tenley, who is just 12, is “playing up” with most of her teammates being several years older, while Lyla has been a plug-and-play whirlwind, stepping in to take the place of missing teammates, often with little prior notice.
All while juggling multiple sports, as school track and field runs parallel with club volleyball.
Lyla, a sophomore at Coupeville High School, is currently the fastest 400 female runner in the 2B classification, while Tenley, a 7th grader, is expected to be one of the frontrunners for the middle school squad.
Coupeville Sports 