Katie Marti delivered another solid all-around performance Thursday. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Ball meets fist. Game over.
Showcasing their power Thursday, both at the net and at the service line, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball spikers chopped down visiting Darrington with ease.
The Wolves rolled to a convincing 25-13, 25-8, 25-10 win on their home floor, rising to 8-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play.
Now 9-2 overall, best record of any CHS fall sports team, the JV crew is off until an all-Island rumble next Monday, Oct. 18 at South Whidbey.
Coupeville only trailed once in Thursday’s match, and that was a brief 1-0 burp to start the second set.
Other than that, the Wolves dominated in every facet of the game, making coach Ashley Menges smile (under her mask).
CHS seized control early in the opening set, thanks to a thunderous winner delivered by Grey Peabody and a soaring tip by Mia Farris which split the Logger defense.
Issabel Johnson, Gwen Gustafson, and Taylor Brotemarkle were nearly flawless at the service stripe, spinning the ball, then lashing lasers.
The biggest blow came off the fingertips of Katie Marti, however, as she blew an ace right down the middle of the court at one point, the ball leaving a divot in the floor as it tore by the Loggers.
Madison McMillan cracked a winner to close the set with a bang, then came back around to rip off her own string of sweet serves in set #2.
When Darrington did get the ball into play, the Wolf heavy hitters soon brought an end to things.
Whether it was Aby Wood pasting a winner while elevating on the right side of the floor, or Farris slicing off kneecaps with a wicked kill, the joy was spread around amongst the Coupeville mighty mashers.
Gwen Gustafson and Co. brought the power all night long.
Brotemarkle, who was an assassin on her serve all night, unleashed an especially-wicked ace as the second set closed, with teammate Jada Heaton notching the 25th point with a note-perfect tip.
While the match was decided after two sets, the teams played a quick third set for practice, with Coupeville pulling away after a close start.
Up 6-0 to start the final frame, the Wolves took a brief nap, then roused themselves when their lead was sliced back to 10-8.
Lifting her team on her back, Brotemarkle went on a run of six-straight points on her serve, before McMillan and Johnson closed things out with their own barrage of aces.
Wood and Heaton delivered crackin’ kills, with Johnson ending the match in the most appropriate way possible, by whistling an ace past a Logger defense which was both bent and broken by that point.
Thursday stats:
Taylor Brotemarkle — 1 kill, 3 assists, 8 aces
Mia Farris — 4 kills, 2 digs, 1 assist
Gwen Gustafson — 4 aces
Jada Heaton — 2 kills
Issabel Johnson — 5 aces
Katie Marti — 2 kills, 8 assists, 4 aces
Madison McMillan — 3 kills, 6 digs, 6 aces
Grey Peabody — 2 kills
Aby Wood — 3 kills
Coupeville Sports 