Willow Leedy-Bonifas unleashes a wicked serve. (Julie Wheat photo)
In the end, they wanted it more.
Storming back from a set down, then holding off two match points before ending things with the biggest kill of Lexis Drake’s volleyball career, the Coupeville High School varsity spikers stunned visiting La Conner Monday night.
Instead of cracking in the glare of the spotlight, the Wolves rose to the occasion, knocking off the Braves 25-23, 13-25, 20-25, 25-22, 17-15 to capture their third-straight win and continue their rise up the league standings.
Now 4-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-4 overall, Scout Smith’s renegades are a half-game off conference leader Mount Vernon Christian (4-0, 8-0) and travel to Darrington (1-0, 8-2) Thursday for another big test.
For the moment, however, the Wolves can bask in handing La Conner (2-1, 4-3) its first league loss and doing it by refusing to buckle under pressure.
Arianna Cunningham delivers a winner.
After a strong service run from Drake sparked Coupeville to a win in the fourth set, things got dramatic in the final frame.
A flip winner from Tenley Stuurmans, followed by three straight points on Haylee Armstrong’s serve — with Drake delivering a key spike — staked CHS to a quick 4-0 lead.
It didn’t last long, though, as La Conner pulled ahead 8-5, and was still in front at 10-7 before a winner at the net from fab frosh Rhylee Inman kept things close.
Coupeville forced ties at 10-10 and 11-11, but couldn’t pull ahead, finding itself grasping at the very last straw down 14-12.
Needing a spark, the Wolves got one, holding off two match points thanks to a thunderous kill from Arianna Cunningham and an ace from Armstrong.
Stuurmans stuffed a Braves hitter to finally push CHS ahead at 15-14, but the visitors staved off a match point of their own to offer up the night’s final stalemate at 15-15.
Enter the wham-bam sisters, with Cunningham and Drake connecting on back-to-back kills to emphatically slam the door shut on a program which has won six state titles.
Monday stats:
Zariyah Allen — 6 kills, 5 digs, 2 block assists
Capri Anter — 17 digs, 1 ace
Haylee Armstrong — 13 digs, 9 assists, 7 aces
Arianna Cunningham — 15 kills, 9 digs, 3 block assists, 1 ace
Lexis Drake — 4 kills, 2 digs, 1 solo block, 1 block assist, 2 aces
Rhylee Inman — 4 kills, 1 dig, 2 block assists
Willow Leedy-Bonifas — 28 digs, 1 assist, 1 ace
Kennedy O’Neill — 1 kill, 2 digs
Tenley Stuurmans — 16 kills, 10 digs, 19 assists, 4 block assists, 3 aces
Current Wolf coaches (left to right) Hope Lucero, Alita Blouin, and Scout Smith reunite with the spike master, Cory Whitmore. (Charlotte Young photo)
