Emma Leavitt, seen here at a football game with her parents, is one of many talented middle school spikers playing for Coupeville this fall. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Any foe, any time, any place.
Showing resiliency, teamwork, and solid match-to-match growth, the Coupeville Middle School volleyball squads put a scare into big baddy King’s Thursday afternoon.
While the Wolves came up just short of staggering the private school power while playing in Shoreline, the Island spikers made a solid statement.
“I will tell you that the kids have improved tremendously from last match,” said Coupeville coach Cris Matochi. “I am so proud of them.
“This is an incredible group of kids. They are growing their leadership, their court presence, their confidence. We are heading in the right direction.”
Varsity:
Coupeville thrashed their hosts 25-15 in the first set, before dropping the next two by a razor-thin margin at 27-25 and 15-8.
So, while the Wolves came up just short at 2-1 in sets, they actually won more points at 58-57.
“We came in and had an incredible start,” Matochi said. “The team was playing the best volleyball that I have seen for that age group in a long time.
“Our game was so fluid. We were passing so well, we were serving so well and most importantly, we were playing IN SYSTEM. The girls were on fire!”
A huge part of Coupeville’s success came from walking into the gym at Shoreline with confidence and a solid game plan.
“The energy was incredible,” Matochi said. “Before the match started, I told the players — there is a big difference between playing to win versus playing not to lose. Today we play to win.
“Today we are going big. We will play big, and the main focus is to play in system.
“The girls took those words and flew with them.”
Coupeville had a chance to win the match in set two, engaging in “super intense” rallies, but King’s, with a roster full of seasoned vets, managed to eke out the victory.
“We struggled with finishing the points while King’s was growing their game,” Matochi said.
“King’s was fighting hard, but even when we were several points down, we used all of our energy to finish the set strong.”
JV:
Team A hung tough through three sets, also falling 2-1, while Team B was swept 3-0.
Coupeville’s top JV squad lost a thriller, coming up just short at 25-20, 23-25, 15-3, while the second unit lost 25-7, 25-11, 15-6.
Wolf coach Kristina Hooks returned to Whidbey pleased with the effort she saw from her players, who pushed the Knights to the limit all day.
“I’m so impressed with how my girls played tonight,” she said.
“They’ve shown so much improvement already from the first game and I have girls stepping up to be leaders, which is amazing to see.
“The energy during this game was so different compared to our first game,” Hooks added. “They are starting to trust each other and work as a team.”
While the hunt for a W is still on, the young, largely inexperienced Wolves continue to improve from set to set, something their first-year coach prizes.
“They may not have won their matches, but I’m impressed with how much their skills have grown in a short amount of time,” Hooks said.
“We definitely need to work on moving our feet more and being more aggressive on the court but I’m excited to see them keep improving and honing their skills.”
Next up:
Coupeville plays three straight matches at home, starting with an Oct. 2 rumble with Granite Falls. Tipoff is at 3:15 PM in the CMS gym, and there is no cost to attend.
After that comes bouts with Northshore Christian Academy (Oct. 4) and Sultan (Oct. 9) as the Wolves wind their way through an eight-match season.
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