Maddie Georges doled out 24 assists Friday as Coupeville whacked Orcas Island in straight sets. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Jaimee Masters and Co. controlled play all afternoon.
Life on the road is never boring.
It was an extremely long day for the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad Friday, with an early departure and an extended return.
But, in the end it was worth it for the Wolves, as the time spent in the gym on Orcas Island went right to script, with Coupeville plundering the host Vikings in straight sets.
Winning 25-8, 25-17, 25-22, CHS lifts its record to 4-1 and remains in sole possession of second-place in the Northwest 2B/1B League, trailing just two-time defending state champ La Conner.
Thanks to the constantly-shifting schedules of the Age of Coronavirus, Coupeville doesn’t return to action until next Saturday, May 1, when it hosts Concrete on Senior Night.
While the wait between matches is an extended one, it’s nothing compared to the one the Wolves endured just trying to get back to Whidbey from Orcas.
With the ferry falling behind schedule by a truly-impressive 70 minutes, there was plenty of time to kill.
“It was a fun trip though,” said Wolf coach Cory Whitmore. “And, in our wait for the return ferry, we explored the terminal and then some very entertaining rounds of charades took place.”
When his squad was on the floor, the Coupeville spike guru came away pleased with much of what he witnessed.
“Overall we played well,” Whitmore said. “We spent most of the week working on our attacking, fixing form and our connection.
“It was rewarding to see it pay off — as a team we hit .256, which is a pretty efficient clip.”
Multiple Wolves embraced the spotlight, something their coach appreciates.
“Maddie Georges was a trooper, delivering some very well-placed sets despite nursing a bit of a wrist injury,” Whitmore said. “She averaged eight assists per set, and got everyone involved in the offense.”
Fellow sophomore Alita Blouin, making her season debut Friday, immediately found a groove.
“I’m also proud of how Alita stepped up and collected 10 digs,” Whitmore said. “She covered a lot of ground to take the pressure off others having to take the first contact and then transition to hit.”
With the ball moving crisply, Coupeville’s big hitters dominated at the net, with Chelsea Prescott, Kylie Chernikoff, and Maddie Vondrak all raining down death ‘n destruction on the Vikings.
“Another great night for our outside hitters,” Whitmore said. “Chelsea was very smooth on her approach and swing, hitting .310, with Kylie right behind her at .267.”
A day after signing her letter of intent to play volleyball for Medaille College in New York, Prescott thumped a match-high 13 kills, while adding seven service aces and six digs.
Chernikoff unleashed seven kills, went low for six digs, and popped an ace, while Lucy Tenore (five kills, two aces), Georges (24 assists, five aces, four digs), and Jaimee Masters (four digs) filled up the stat sheet.
Also making contributions were Jill Prince (two kills, two block assists), Vondrak (two kills), Ryanne Knoblich (two aces), and Abby Mulholland (an ace).
Coupeville was very strong at the service stripe, piling up 18 aces with just eight errors.
Knoblich, a fast-rising sophomore, bounced off the bench late in the third set with her team trailing 21-20, and immediately broke the Vikings spirit with two nasty aces to turn the tide.
“We had productivity from everywhere, and it was a great night for us to gain more experience and continue to work on very specific areas of focus,” Whitmore said.
“Looking forward to more practice time, fine-tuning things with this team of high-level learners.”
