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Posts Tagged ‘CMS Wolves’

Fab finale for CMS spikers

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Tenley Stuurmans warms up her spiking arm. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The Wolves delivered a knockout punch in the finale.

Wrapping its season in style Monday, the Coupeville Middle School varsity volleyball squad rallied on the road to stun Lakewood in a three-set thriller.

It was only the second loss this season for the Cougars, who funnel players to a large 2A high school.

Before Monday’s KO, Lakewood had only fallen to private school terror King’s.

While Coupeville’s JV teams weren’t able to win in their matchups, both of those squads capped seasons of improvement, especially the “B” unit.

How the finales played out:

 

Varsity:

Coming off of a tense two-match duel with South Whidbey last week, the Wolves pulled off the win of the season.

Building strongly through the match, Coupeville came out on top 19-25, 26-24, 15-8 to capture its third win of the season.

“Our girls truly demonstrated their determination and resilience, making it an unforgettable last game,” said CMS coach Cris Matochi.

“Despite facing some ups and downs, our team was more than prepared to face Lakewood and pressed on the gas pedal when it mattered the most.”

Adie Maynes defies the laws of physics.

Everything was seemingly against the Wolves — a long bus ride, a highly rated foe, the absence of key player Sydney Van Dyke, who was nursing an injury.

None of it mattered, as Coupeville’s active players pulled together and played as a well-oiled unit.

“A remarkable display of teamwork,” Matochi said. “Our players exhibited an impressive ability to keep the ball in play throughout the game.

“Their determination to take care of business was evident,” he added.

“The fact that the team rallied together and leaned on one another in Sydney’s absence speaks volumes about the strength and unity within our squad.”

Lakewood actually had match point at 24-23 in the second set, only for the Wolves to snatch the momentum back.

“We were not ready to go home and came back from the ashes stronger than ever,” Matochi said.

“Our serving was great tonight, and our defensive performance and serve receive were solid.

“The rallies were long and intense, but our players kept fighting for every point, demonstrating unwavering commitment and teamwork.”

As he looks back on the season, with its highs and lows, Matochi is grateful for the experience.

“(Fellow coach) Kristina (Hooks) and I would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our players, as well as the parents and guardians who have supported us throughout this incredible season,” he said.

“Their dedication and unwavering support have been instrumental in our growth, and we couldn’t be more appreciative.”

In the moment, he wants his players to bask in their ability to mesh as a team, while also casting an eye on what they can accomplish in the future.

“As we reflect on this fantastic season, let’s celebrate this remarkable victory against Lakewood and look forward to what the future holds for our team,” Matochi said.

“The hard work, passion, and unity that define us will undoubtedly lead to more memorable moments on the volleyball court within years to come.”

Maynes and fellow 8th graders Rhylin Price (14) and Willow Leedy-Bonifas exit with a win.

 

JV – Level A:

The Wolves ran into a buzzsaw, falling 25-9, 25-7, 15-10.

While there were some bright moments for Coupeville, inconsistency killed any chances of mounting a truly strong fight.

“It seems like the team may have faced some challenges in today’s game due to a lack of focus and preparation during their recent practice sessions,” Hooks said.

“Additionally, Lakewood’s strong serving may have posed a tough challenge for our team’s serve receive.”

 

JV – Level B:

While the Wolves lost 25-20, 25-10, 15-13, the young guns continue to impress Hooks with their work as individuals and as a team.

“These girls are just happy to be out on the court and it shows,” she said. “They didn’t pay attention to the score at all and were always supportive of their teammates.”

Hooks offered particular praise for Alexandra Lo, whose upbeat personality has provided a guiding light for the team.

“I was impressed to see Alex step up and be a leader on the court,” Hooks said.

“She would tell her teammates to move up or back depending on how deep or short the serve had been landing.

“She always has a positive attitude, and you can tell that she wants her AND her teammates to do well.”

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One final run, for glory and success

Posted in Cross Country, Middle School, tagged , , , , on October 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Blue skies and fast feet. (Amber Wyman photos)

They hit the tape for the final time this season.

Running Wednesday at the Cascade League Championships in South Whidbey, the Coupeville Middle School cross country squad put a bow on the 2023 campaign.

The Wolf girls, led by top finisher Mikayla Wagner, claimed 3rd place in the team standings, while the CMS boys finished 4th.

South Whidbey’s girls and Lakewood’s boys earned top honors at the seven-team event.

For Coupeville’s 8th graders, the meet was just one part of a busy day.

After zipping across the 3,000-meter course, they joined Coupeville coach Amber Wyman in hitting the road for a class field trip to Camp Moran.

And, since their destination sits on Orcas Island, that meant a late ferry trip.

But even with a long day, the Wolf team leaders were still going strong as they moved from one adventure to another.

Livin’ the ferry life.

 

Wednesday results:

 

GIRLS:

Mikayla Wagner (8th) 13:43.55
Laken Simpson (11th) 14:20.28
Lillian Ketterling (12th) 14:24.25
Allie Powers (15th) 14:38.75
Marin Winger (21st) 15:17.62
Anna Powers (23rd) 15:25.28
Hazel Goldman (26th) 15:34.72
Elizabeth Marshall (49th) 17:38.34
Devon Wyman (53rd) 17:58.93
Ava Lucero (58th) 18:07.65
Claire Lachnit (59th) 18:08.16
Mary Western (61st) 18:16.84
Hailey Goldman (72nd) 18:43.49

 

BOYS:

Beckett Green (16th) 12:35.80
Henry Purdue (17th) 12:38.25
Isaiah Allen (18th) 12:52.06
Archer Schwarz (26th) 13:37.81
Edmund Kunz (29th) 13:44.20
Avery Eelkema (40th) 14:29.45
Ossian Merkel (42nd) 14:33.65
River Simpson (46th) 14:47.55
Christopher Zenz (53rd) 16:03.82

To the start line, one last time.

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Flip the ball, click the camera

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Adie Maynes flicks a set skyward. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville Middle School volleyball played at home for the final time this season Tuesday, and the festivities drew in wanderin’ photographer John Fisken.

The pics above and below capture the Wolves in action, but he also snapped glossy images of visiting South Whidbey.

It was a busy day for the Diet Coke-fueled paparazzi, so he departed after the varsity match to get back up to Oak Harbor for other events.

While you won’t find any JV photos waiting for you, those varsity pics we spoke of earlier can be found at these links.

 

Coupeville:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/CHS-Volleyball-2023-2024/MSVB-2023-10-17-vs-South-Whidbey/

 

South Whidbey:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/South-Whidbey-HS/MSVB-2023-10-17-vs-Coupeville/

Point, Wolves.

“You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?? Then who else are you talking … you talking to me? Well, I’m the only one here.”

Willow Leedy-Bonifas gets low for a return.

Wolf coach Cris Matochi dares the ref to tell him he’s too close to the court.

“Celebrate good times, come on!” 

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All the fight, all the heart

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Adie Maynes, a three-sport star with a strong work ethic. (Lara Maynes photo)

Longer than a Taylor Swift movie, and with more hits.

Tuesday’s Coupeville Middle School volleyball home finale clocked in at three hours and 24 minutes, with 334 points spread across nine sets.

And while next-door neighbor South Whidbey made off with three victories, the Cougars had to work for the W’s, with the scrappy Wolves putting up a strong fight.

How the day played out:

 

Varsity:

The first match of the day featured the most points — 117 for those keeping track — with South Whidbey eking out a 25-20, 23-25, 15-9 victory.

The deciding third set was tied three times, the last at 4-4 after CMS 8th grader Willow Leedy-Bonifas sliced a winner through the defense, but then the Cougars pulled away.

South Whidbey had skill, it had grit, and it had luck.

Case in point, a late play in which the Cougars bounced a serve return off a light lashed to the gym roof, eventually winning the rally even as the light bucked and bobbed like it was trapped in an earthquake.

While no glass hit the gym floor below, a fair share of spikes did make contact with the hardwood as the two teams pummeled each other.

Coupeville trailed the entirety of the first set but did manage to fight off three set points as Adie Maynes sprayed bombs from the service stripe.

Tenley Stuurmans unleashed a knee-buckler of a kill to put the ball into Maynes hands, and the Wolves played their best under stress.

Inconsistent serving beforehand, however, put them in the position of chasing the Cougars.

Sydney Van Dyke and Leedy-Bonifas were the only Wolves to score on their serve in the opening frame until Maynes put together her torrid run at the end.

The second set was a different story, however, as this time it was CMS leading start to finish.

Van Dyke and precocious 6th grader Rhylee Inman scorched South Whidbey with nasty aces, while Maynes was a wild woman, sprinting from side to side, tracking down balls, and delivering several flips which froze multiple defenders.

“Adie has been the backbone for our team,” said Wolf coach Cris Matochi.

“I’ll bet she ran five miles today; she ran everywhere and was always trying to get our passing going.”

Inman, the lone 6th grader to see varsity time, also impressed her mentor.

“For a younger player, Rhylee is not intimidated at all,” Matochi said. “So good to see.”

South Whidbey refused to buckle, forcing several ties in the latter stages of set two, but Coupeville had the magic touch when it mattered most.

A Cougar serve went wide at 23-23, with Matochi bellowing “OUT!!” then eyeballing the ref, who hesitated for the briefest of seconds before confirming he agreed.

That set up Stuurmans, who flipped the set winner into the narrowest of available cracks during the next rally, knotting things up at a set apiece and setting the stage for the frantic finale.

 

JV – Level A:

The only match South Whidbey swept, as it came out on top 25-19, 25-19, 15-8 in a match closer than the score might seem at first glance.

While the Wolves dropped the opening set, they were poppin’ from the service line.

Cami Van Dyke, Emma Leavitt, Zoe Winstead, Cheyanne Attebury, and the Energizer Rabbit of Wolf Nation — the fist-swinging, lung-busting whirlwind of destruction known as Olivia Martin — all scored while firing BB’s.

Martin, rocking back and forth, then flinging her entire body into every serve, cracked off a particularly impressive string of serves, punctuating her run with an ace which caused her to holler like a Viking laying waste to a hapless village.

Win, lose, or draw, the CMS 7th grader, younger sister of former Wolf volleyball ace Emma Mathusek, is very likely the most entertaining middle school athlete in Cow Town.

In this pic from last season, Olivia Martin contemplates 1,001 different ways she will destroy your hopes of winning the volleyball match. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The second set was a lot like the first one, but this time around Brooklyn Pope was the one laying waste to any fools who dared to step into her path.

She scored twice on balls she flipped over her head, with her back to the net, and seemed to be in the thick of things on every other play.

And then there was Miss Martin again, this time crunching a service ace which soared over a Cougar head, then suddenly, violently crashed to the court, bit a chunk out of the floor, and skipped away for a winner.

While the Wolves top JV squad didn’t end the day with a win, they did end it with a great deal of hard-won respect.

The future is bright for these young women, who have grown each time I have seen them on the floor this season.

Their spirit is big, their fight is bigger.

 

JV – Level B:

So close.

Seeking their first win, Coupeville’s second JV squad staggered South Whidbey, winning the opening frame 25-19.

Sparked by a huge day from 6th grader Scarlett Spencer, and strong work from running mates like Emma Cushman and Mila Gesing, the Wolves brought the house down, and kept their fan club rocking even after rock-hard bleachers wore out even the most resilient of tired tushes.

While the Cougars rebounded to win the final two sets 25-12 and 15-10 to claim the match, CMS left coach Kristina Hooks smiling.

“They have improved so much!!” she said.

Samantha Howard and Finley Helm added service aces in the first set, while an exuberant Alexandra Lo cranked out a run of winners from the line in set #2.

The deciding set — a quicksilver race to score 15 points — was up for grabs, as Coupeville overcame a 9-5 deficit to seize the lead at 10-9.

Helm, a pedal-through-the-medal race car driver picking up a new sport, reeled off four straight service winners, with the Cougars bouncing one return off a low-hanging basketball backboard.

South Whidbey had a pack of dangerous underhanded servers at its disposal, however, and rode a variety of moonballs at the end, surging back to claim the victory.

 

Next up:

Coupeville wraps its season with a trip to Lakewood Monday, Oct. 23.

After that, middle school athletes transition to basketball, with the Wolf boys playing first, before the girls return to the court in early 2024.

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“I couldn’t be happier with their growth”

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Chelsi Stevens and her fellow CMS spikers continue to show great growth. (Photo courtesy Kristi Stevens)

It was only the first chapter.

While the Coupeville Middle School volleyball squads fell at South Whidbey Wednesday, the Wolves will get an immediate chance at redemption.

That’s because the next-door neighbors are playing back-to-back matches with each other, with the South Enders scheduled to travel up to Cow Town Tuesday, Oct. 17 for a rematch.

That’s the home finale for Coupeville, and a perfect opportunity for Wolf Nation to pack the CMS gym and create a wall of sound.

With that in mind, how Wednesday played out:

 

Varsity:

Unforced errors stung the Wolves in a 25-17, 25-17, 15-8 loss.

“We started every set strong, but we had so many errors that led South Whidbey to take the lead mid set, while we kept trying to keep the ball in play,” said CMS coach Cris Matochi.

“South Whidbey is way better than they were last year,” he added. “They were keeping the ball in play very consistently.

“They have an incredible and well-trained libero that was running for everything. She is the backbone of their team.”

Matochi also praised the Cougar staff — “They have two great coaches that are doing an incredible job training those kids” — while finding positives for his team, as well.

“Now we know what they look like, and I hope that the players step up their game so we can fight for every point next week,” he said.

“Our setter Addy (Maynes) played her heart out,” Matochi added. “She was getting to every single ball, and she always plays with her full heart.”

Giving her some help is job #1 before the rematch.

“There is only so much a setter can do when the passes are not coming to her,” Matochi said.

“We will be focusing on our serve receive and serve, and keeping the ball in play as those two skills will be imperative for us to be able to perform well.”

The Wolf coach is already counting down the days until Coupeville gets a second crack at its archrivals.

“Next week we will need to fight, and it won’t be easy,” Matochi said. “I’m hoping that being at home and having our incredible fans will boost the players confidence and give them a boost.

“I’m hoping that the girls will use this opportunity to bring their A-game next week.”

 

JV – Team A:

“I feel like I always say this but, although my teams didn’t win the game, they played so well I couldn’t be happier with their growth and progress.”

That was the feeling Wolf coach Kristina Hooks carried away from Langley after her team bounced back to claim set #3 by a 16-14 score, after South Whidbey won the first two frames 25-14, 25-18.

Battling both talented rivals and their own frustration over some questionable calls from the ref — whose seeing-eye dog had been possibly locked out of the gym — the young Wolves got stronger as the match played out.

Hooks has been working with her players on passing — “That’s really the fundamental skill of volleyball” — and was pleased with her team’s growth.

“If you can’t pass, you can’t really do anything else and all of a sudden during this game their passes started being amazing,” she said.

“This was the first game where I had my players practice being setters and getting the second ball and Brooklyn (Pope) and Cami (Van Dyke) did amazing.

“They were running all over the court to get to that second ball.”

 

JV – Team B:

Growth was again the word of the day.

While the Wolves lost 25-19, 25-8, 15-7, Hooks sees progress every time out.

“This team’s performance had a significant increase from our last game,” she said. “They played so well.

“Their passes were doing really well, and almost all of my girls were making their serves over the net, which was amazing and a little surprising.”

On a team with very inexperienced players, Hooks especially enjoys seeing how her young spikers remain positive, helping each other.

“I love the girls on this team,” she said. “They’re all so sweet to each other.

“After every point, especially a mistake, they run towards their teammate that missed a serve or shanked a pass and are encouraging them; it’s the sweetest thing to see.”

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