Lyla Stuurmans unleashes the fury of the Valkyries. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
“She mashes just like her mama used to!”
One by one, they pile up the wins, the milestones, and the records.
A senior-led Coupeville High School varsity volleyball squad continues to scale new heights and Monday night’s regular season finale was no different.
Dispatching visiting Sultan 25-10, 25-9, 25-22 in a non-conference rumble as the raging Whidbey early winter wind rattled the gym, the Wolves got to an impressive 14-0 on the season.
It’s the best start ever by a CHS volleyball team — by a solid four wins — and allows the 2024 spikers to tie the 2019 and 2004 squads for the most victories in a single season.
Win #15, which would put this team atop the pile, is due to come Thursday at home, when Coupeville hosts night #1 of the two-night District 1/2 tournament.
The #2 team from District 2 and the #3 team from District 1 square off at 3:30 at the CHS gym, with the loser eliminated, and the winner advancing to play Coupeville at 5:30.
Win or lose there, and the Wolves, the #1 seed from District 1, advance to Saturday’s second round of matches in La Conner.
CHS needs two wins total at Bi-Districts to punch a return ticket to the state tournament.
When the Wolves hit the floor Thursday in pursuit of win #15, they’ll also be on the cusp of a major personal milestone.
Senior setter Katie Marti, the sparkplug that powers the Wolf attack, is just one slim assist away from notching the 1,000th of her prep career.
She entered Monday needing 27 to get to the mark, though only Wolf coaches knew of the hush-hush fact, and finished with 26 assists against Sultan.
Every single one of those set-ups brought a huge smile to the face of Marti, likely the most emotional of Coupeville’s seven veterans honored on Senior Night.
Surrounded by a pack from both the Marti and Messner clans, Killer Katie marinated in the moment with a group of young women who have played together since elementary school.
Then she and her teammates, both “old” and “young,” went out and sliced up the Turk defense.
Coupeville’s seniors, putting a positive spin on their last run together.
Coupeville bolted out to a big lead early in the first set, with seniors Chloe Marzocca and Mia Farris launching a series of hard-to-return serves.
While the scrappy Turks, a former league foe of the Wolves now operating at a 2A school, put up a battle, the hometown net crew had an answer for almost everything.
The lone CHS junior, Teagan Calkins, showcasing the full fury of her “Red Dragon” persona, erupted from the right side to mash the crud out of the volleyball.
Then Jada Heaton, bounding high to protect the middle of the net, peppered the Turks with a mighty mash of a winner, and the rout was on.
Once Lyla Sturmans went from lurking on the left side to majestically rising into the clouds and throwing down lightning bolts, Sultan could do little but try and not take an incoming fastball off the face.
Calkins cracked a winner to end the first frame in lickity-split style, and the hits kept on coming as the match moved deeper into the night.
Set two was a greatest hits compilation, with Stuurmans, Farris, and Calkins trying to outdo each other in generating nasty kills.
Meanwhile Madison McMillan was off on a glorious rampage, spraying winners from the service line, while Taylor Brotemarkle and Tenley Stuurmans kept the floor polished by digging the ball off the hardwood time and again.
Coupeville went up 2-0 with a bang, as sophomore swing player Dakota Strong rotated in and delivered a set-ending kill which sent her teammates into hysterics as the ball tore off the backline.
Sultan came in with a 10-5 record, and wasn’t going to go down without a fight, however.
The third set was the night’s toughest battle, with the Turks taking an 11-7 lead at one point.
To which the Wolves said, “nah, nah, nah,” Timothee Chalamet-style, as they roared back to reclaim the lead, the momentum, and then the match.
Farris and Stuurmans both fired off ear-popping kills which split multiple defenders and CHS broke a 21-21 tie with a strong push to the finish line.
A brutally beautiful ace off the fingertips of the quietly dangerous Calkins pushed the Wolves in front for good, while Lyla Stuurmans delivered the knockout punch with one last crowd-pleasing swing of her furious fist.
The pack, ready to attack.
Taking a brief break to savor the end of one thing — the regular season — and the start of another thing — the postseason run towards trophy town — Coupeville coach Cory Whitmore enjoyed the moment.
“It was a good night for our group of seniors, and a nice way to honor them, their families, and all the people who have supported them over the years,” he said.
“I’m really proud of Chloe (Marzocca) – she served up a good game, as did Madison as well.”
And while 14-0 is sublime, there’s great potential for more.
“This group, everyone is playing their role and rising to the moment and giving us quite a show,” Whitmore said. “But they want more, a lot more, so we’ll keep working.”
Monday stats:
Taylor Brotemarkle — 6 digs
Teagan Calkins — 7 kills, 1 dig, 1 block assist, 2 aces
Mia Farris — 11 kills, 6 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces
Jada Heaton — 1 kill, 1 block assist
Katie Marti — 1 dig, 26 assists, 2 aces
Chloe Marzocca — 1 ace
Madison McMillan — 2 kills, 3 digs, 3 assists, 5 aces
Dakota Strong — 1 kill
Lyla Stuurmans — 11 kills, 4 digs, 1 assist, 2 solo blocks
Tenley Stuurmans — 7 digs, 2 aces
Avery Parker (left) and Halle Black brought down the house by belting out the national anthem to kick off the night’s festivities.
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