CMS 8th grader Tenley Stuurmans is on her way to rock your world with knee-quaking spikes. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Sweet revenge and big growth.
Monday was a rock-solid day for the Coupeville Middle School volleyball program, as it defended its home gym, going toe-to-toe with always-tough Sultan.
How the day played out:
Varsity:
Coupeville’s top squad garnered payback for a season-opening loss to the Turks, thrashing them in straight sets this time around.
The Wolves came out on top 25-19, 25-22, 15-8, bringing a smile to coach Cris Matochi’s face, even on a day when power-mad refs tried to slow his own personal roll.
“The varsity team had the best match so far this season,” Matochi said. “After a tough loss during the first game of the season, the girls decided to bring it all to the floor today.
“We made a statement to Sultan today and we showed that we were there to take care of business.”
Coupeville’s goals were to be “calm, focused and form-oriented,” followed up by adapting quickly and maintaining chemistry when the lineup was altered later in the match.
Give the Wolves three thumbs up.
“The girls did an incredible job being able to stay aggressive while being in control throughout the entire match,” Matochi said.
“What worked really well for us today, was the team being able to recover really quickly, while keeping the ball in play.”
Amidst the spikes and sets, Matochi, among the most exuberant of Wolf coaches, was dinged by the refs, handed a yellow card for “being too close to the court.”
In a CMS gym with very narrow sidelines…
The coach and his players shrugged it right off, however, and went back to the business in hand.
“That is the Brazilian in me,” Matochi said with a chuckle.
“I grew up playing volleyball with my coaches right on my ear and I find it quite impossible to sit and not be right there, close to them during the battle.
“What was nice, is that my players did not let it affect the game. They laughed it off, keep their heads up and used it as momentum for the match.”
At this point, Matochi is used to American middle school refs frequently acting like 100-year-old nuns wielding rulers.
“I just don’t understand why they are watching me like a hawk, and not the match, but I know that they are just doing their job,” he said.
“I don’t think I ever had a season without a yellow card so I will not let this one hurt my feelings,” Matochi added with another laugh.
“We Brazilians are passionate people … sometimes too passionate!”
When the refs let the players actually, you know, play, the Wolves were on point.
“I did a lot of substitutions today and I was so proud to see the players that are usually in the starting lineup leading and helping all players that were coming in,” Matochi said.
“They had an incredible chemistry throughout the entire match and that really made a difference.”
Five matches into an eight-match season, Coupeville’s varsity players, many of whom will move up to high school volleyball next fall, are showing great growth.
“We are at a point in the season where our game is changing and evolving and in order to keep up performing well, the players need to keep adapting and improving,” Matochi said.
“The game is getting faster, and the players are getting stronger, so it is really nice to see our hard work paying off.”
JV – A:
A nailbiter until the end, with Coupeville falling just short.
Sultan escaped with a 25-21, 17-25, 15-13 “victory,” though the Wolves actually won more points at 59-57.
“We were so close!” Matochi said. “Even though the game did not end up how we wanted, it was still such a great game and the players played really well.”
First-year coach Kristina Hooks brings passion and excitement to her job. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
“Coach Kristina (Hooks) has been working so hard with the JV teams and the players improvement has been so noticeable,” Matochi added.
“We saw some really nice plays today and the players are moving so much better and developing their skills so nicely. It is a jog, not a sprint.”
JV – B:
It’s the age-old quandary for middle school volleyball coaches – short-term success or long-term skill-building?
While a lot of teams like Sultan are content to rack up points now by using underhand serves, Coupeville’s coaches prefer their players learn how to compete at the next level.
That means having the young Wolves develop overhand serves, making the transition easier as they climb the rungs in the program.
Monday, the young CMS spikers may have lost the match, but they continued to prepare themselves for next year, and the years after that.
“The team had a great energy on the court,” Matochi said. “We are always focusing on the big picture, of where they need to be when they go to play for their high school team.
“No good deed goes unpunished because when we play other teams where the kids do not know how to serve overhand, the coaches had taught the players to serve underhand, so they get a lot of points on us.
“However, it is a short-term fix because if the players do not learn the proper form at young age, it can really come back to haunt them when they play at a higher level.”
While Monday’s scoreboard might not have reflected it, the steady growth shown by the spikers bodes well for the future – both as individual players, and as members of the Wolf program.
“The most important thing is to remember that a lot of these kids are playing volleyball for the first time,” Matochi said.
“So, although winning is nice, our focus is to learn volleyball properly and develop their skills while having a good experience with volleyball.”
Up next:
Back-to-back Island rivalry matches with South Whidbey.
The Wolves travel to Langley Oct. 11, then return home Oct. 17 for their final matches in their own gym.
After that comes the season finale Oct. 23 at Lakewood.
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