Emma Smith soars for a put-away. (John Fisken photos)
Kyla Briscoe (right), here getting braids from Abby Parker, returns after missing her junior season with an injury.
Last year was just the beginning.
In his first season at the helm of the Coupeville High School volleyball program, Cory Whitmore guided the Wolf spikers to their best season since 2004, winning 11 matches and an Olympic League title.
Now, with a deep, veteran squad at his disposal, the goal is to go further, to hold serve in a competitive conference, but also launch a successful postseason run.
If there was any disappointment after finishing 11-6 overall, 8-1 in league play (the JV went 12-2, 9-0 and the C-Team 3-1), not being able to get out of district play after hard-fought losses to Charles Wright Academy and Klahowya has provided incentive.
“Having gained some confidence from last season, this group is very much looking forward to pushing to and beyond our finishing position from last year,” Whitmore said. “While the goal is to push to make it to state, we know that we have to take each game as a step up the ladder, never looking past a team and an opportunity to improve.
“Starting at WWU Team Camp, this group has bought into “the process,” that small improvements, day in and day out can add up to the success we hope for.”
Coupeville has to replace three players — Ally Roberts, Tiffany Briscoe and Valen Trujillo, the school record-holder for digs, all graduated — but Whitmore has great depth to call on, with almost every player in the mix having extensive prior varsity experience.
Headlining the cast are seniors Katrina McGranahan, the 2016 Olympic League MVP, and Hope Lodell, who smashed school single-season and career records at the service line.
“We are very excited to get back on the court this fall and this time, with some significant varsity experience,” Whitmore said. “Katrina brings a ton of experience to the front row and the serving line.
“Hope will be making a switch in positions to focus on anchoring the back row as libero,” he added. “Her ball control and defensive tenacity helps to fill the vacancy Valen leaves.”
Junior Emma Smith will anchor the team at middle blocker (“with each practice she gets faster, making herself more of an available option for the setters,” while a pack of seniors provide Whitmore with multiple weapons.
Payton Aparicio, Lauren Rose, Kyla Briscoe, Mikayla Elfrank and Allison Wenzel join Lodell and McGranahan in forming an unusually deep senior class.
The return of Briscoe, a two-year letter winner who missed her entire junior season with a leg injury, is a particular bonus.
“I’m very proud of Kyla and her return to the court after her season-ending injury last summer,” Whitmore said. “She has worked so hard this off-season to become a dynamic outside hitter and has earned the opportunity to have a fantastic senior year.”
Aparicio sparkled at the team’s summer camp (“she has worked tirelessly to continue growth at the outside hitting position”), while the big-hitting, high-energy Elfrank has been busy in the off-season.
“Mikayla is our “stay-after” player, meaning she asks for extra work after practice, honing her abilities as a right-side hitter,” Whitmore said.
Junior Ashley Menges rounds out the varsity returners, and she will share time at setter with Rose.
“Lauren and Ashley both work incredibly hard and take responsibility for their hitters’ success, which is a great quality in a setter,” Whitmore said. “Both also step back to the service line and cause problems for opponents.”
With a senior-dominated roster, opportunities are somewhat limited for younger players, but, sophomore Scout Smith could be a break-through player.
“Scout had a fantastic summer and has put herself in a position to see varsity playing time, potentially at the other right-side position,” Whitmore said.
He also hailed sophomores Maya Toomey-Stout, Lucy Sandahl and Zoe Trujillo for their work at summer camp (“all three are incredibly coachable and also put forth great off-season effort”) and twin sisters Raven and Willow Vick, who were fixtures at SST workouts.
Raven Vick was a flawless 25 of 25 attending the strength and conditioning sessions.
Whitmore is also pleased with his first official look at the next wave of stars, who made their practice debut this week.
“Our freshman group is exciting as well,” he said. “They are excited to learn and improve and are making the jump from middle to high school as well as can be expected.”
With the core of the Wolf varsity being a group which has played together all the way through high school, Whitmore is looking forward to putting a well-oiled unit on the floor in any situation.
“We believe that our strengths this season start with solid team cohesion,” he said. “Having played with each other for numerous seasons, this team communicates well on and off the court and have already exuded a strong ability for cohesion.”
The Wolves were deadly at the line last season, with several players among the best in 1A.
Lodell had the third-most aces in her class, barely edged out by two girls whose schools played many more contests than Coupeville.
“Our serving will continue to be a focus of ours and the returning players all have varsity experience from the service line,” Whitmore said. “We also hope to push our passing line to be consistent and I’m pleased with what I have seen thus far.”
While Coupeville doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses, the Wolves are always looking to fine-tune their game, which will be key to making a deep run into the postseason.
“Being early in the season, there is plenty to work on,” Whitmore said. “Specifically, as a team, we sat down at the start of the off-season and decided we would focus on our hitting consistency, looking to eliminate unforced errors.
“We need to walk the line between “aggressive” and “consistent” and it has been on our hitters’ minds as we kick off the 2017 season.”
Klahowya won back-to-back league titles before Coupeville seized the throne last season, with the Wolves winning two of three regular season matches.
While the Eagles would seem to be the biggest regular-season hurdle for CHS, Whitmore is a firm believer in overlooking no one.
“Chimacum, Klahowya and Port Townsend, all of them, (are the team to beat),” he said. “We are focusing on each team across the net, one at a time.
“We will need to approach each match and team with the respect they deserve,” Whitmore added. “League or non-league, 1A or 2A, we look to compete at our own highest ability, seeing each match as a chance to improve and take a step closer toward our long-term goals.”
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