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Posts Tagged ‘Dakota Strong’

Young Wolves rule the gym

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The freshmen are here to take photos and win matches. Don’t get in their way. (Jackie Saia photo)

First came growth, now comes wins.

The Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad is young — five of seven active players are freshmen — but they’re learning under the guidance of coach Ashley Menges.

Lately, that’s translated to victories, with the Wolves winning two of their last three matches.

The victim Tuesday was visiting Concrete, which fell 25-17, 25-16, 25-8 to a CHS squad which got more efficient as the night progressed.

The victory lifts Coupeville to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 3-5 overall, with Mount Vernon Christian scheduled to travel to Whidbey Thursday.

The Wolves struck early, they struck late, and they struck with a vengeance, never trailing at any point in the match.

In fact, the only tie came at 1-1 in the second set.

Cousins Haylee Armstrong and Capri Anter kicked off the evening with back-to-back runs at the service stripe, shooting the Wolves out to a 10-2 lead in the opening frame.

From there, Coupeville kept firing BB’s and the Lions kept being unable to return most of the nasty offerings.

JV coach Ashley Menges doles out wisdom on the same court where she once played. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Chloe Marzocca kept Concrete on its heels with several aces, while Carly Burt and Armstrong kept up the attack from the line.

Set two was more of the same, with Dakota Strong joining Anter and Marzocca in controlling the match with sizzlin’ serves, while Armstrong, Myra McDonald, and Lexis Drake made the net a no-passing zone.

The play of the match came from Armstrong, who soared up into the clouds, hovered for a second or two while an incoming shot hit the net and bounced high, then drilled a winner cross court.

While the third set was only for practice, Coupeville turned up the heat even more.

Spike winner. Tip winner. Serve winner.

Didn’t matter where the ball came from Tuesday night, as long as the Wolves were swinging the hammer of the Gods, it was all good.

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — 5 kills, 3 digs, 8 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 5 kills, 1 dig, 8 assists, 3 aces
Carly Burt — 1 dig, 1 assist
Lexis Drake — 2 kills, 2 solo blocks
Chloe Marzocca — 1 kill, 3 digs, 3 assists, 5 aces
Myra McDonald — 1 kill, 2 aces
Dakota Strong — 1 ace

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Wolves, Spartans battle to final point

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong prepares to launch a serve earlier this season. (Jackie Saia photo)

It was a beautiful brawl.

Playing with just one girl on the bench Saturday, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad almost pulled off a stunning upset.

Rallying from a set down against visiting Forks, the Wolf young guns came all the way back to hold a match point in the third frame before the Spartans slipped away with the victory.

While Coupeville drops to 2-5 on the season with the 25-13, 21-25, 16-14 loss, not all defeats are created equal.

This royal rumble, with multiple moments of grit and heart shown by a Wolf squad with five freshmen, bodes well for the future.

After grabbing a quick 2-0 lead in the opening set, with Capri Anter blasting a knee-quaking spike winner off the back line, CHS fell behind and couldn’t recover.

The Wolves had some individual bright moments early, such as Chloe Marzocca ripping a nasty slicer and Haylee Armstrong flipping another winner between a pair of rivals, but serving derailed any comeback bid.

Armstrong was the lone Wolf to earn a point at the stripe until fellow frosh Myra McDonald zinged an ace with her team trailing 23-12.

Coupeville’s JV spikers have a bright future. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The second set, after a brief delay caused by one of the refs having to leave the gym suddenly, was far different.

The two teams went at it with intensity, carving out eight ties before Coupeville made its move late in the frame.

Dakota Strong and Lexis Drake set the Wolves up for success with power and finesse at the net, and their teammates caught the point-scoring bug.

Coupeville, riding a string of strong serves from Marzocca, broke open a 19-19 stalemate, finishing the set on a 6-2 tear.

Anter delivered two winners during the surge, and while Forks fought off a pair of set points, CHS was intent on forcing a tiebreaker.

That third and deciding set featured six ties, even with the teams playing to just 15 (or so) and not 25.

Coupeville led by as many as three points, as Drake bobbed, weaved, and bounced all around the court, droppin’ winners, while Forks pushed back hard to regain the edge at 12-9.

A skin-shredding ace from Armstrong highlighted a 5-1 mini-run from the Wolves, as they pushed the Spartans to the very edge.

But down 14-13, the visitors reached deep and found a little extra moxie, holding off a match point and capturing the final three points of the match.

Coupeville’s plucky band of spike-happy warriors gets multiple chances next week to continue their strong play.

The Wolves host Concrete Tuesday on Dig Pink Night, then welcome Mount Vernon Christian to Cow Town Thursday night.

The JV caps a busy week with a trip up-Island to Oak Harbor Saturday for a tournament, with the Homecoming dance lurking that evening.

 

Saturday stats:

Capri Anter — 3 kills, 3 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 5 kills, 7 assists, 1 ace
Carly Burt — 1 assist
Lexis Drake — 6 kills, 1 solo block
Chloe Marzocca — 1 kill, 1 dig, 1 assist, 2 aces
Myra McDonald — 1 ace
Dakota Strong — 2 kills

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Wolverines nip, Wolves chomp

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The Wolf freshmen are ready to rip up the gym. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They were down, but far from out.

Rallying after dropping a tight first set Tuesday, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad roared back to knock off visiting Friday Harbor.

With all seven girls in uniform putting up stats, the Wolves pulled out a 21-25, 25-16, 15-9 victory.

The rousing home win lifts CHS to 1-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 2-4 overall, and snaps a four-game losing skid.

Coupeville actually led for much of the first set, thanks to some pinpoint serving from Chloe Marzocca, Capri Anter, and Co.

A winner off the fingertips of freshman Dakota Strong put the Wolves up 18-16, but the visitors staged their own rally to steal the set away.

Dakota Strong floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. (Jackie Saia photo)

Ashley Menges’ squad didn’t crumble, however, immediately taking back control of the match.

Anter sliced a winner just out of the reach of a rival to stake Coupeville to an early 3-2 lead in set two, and she and her teammates never gave the lead back.

Myra McDonald ruffled some feathers with a laser-like serve for an ace, while Lexis Drake lobbed a winner which arced high through the heavens, before plunging down to catch the very back of the line.

Through it all, cousins Haylee Armstrong and Anter were a titanic twosome, popping up everywhere on the court to track down ball after ball.

Riding high after the second set, Coupeville led from start to finish in the deciding frame.

The Wolves built a 10-3 lead in the race to 15 points, thanks to Drake throwing down a variety of winners on tantalizing tips ‘n wicked slicers, while Marzocca singed the net with a spike which slid the length of the barrier before dropping in for a point.

Lexis Drake is a star in both volleyball and cheer. (Photo by CHS Yearbook staff)

Carly Burt provided hustle off the bench for the Wolves, injured Aby Wood carefully kept stats for her teammates, and Anter sealed things, punching home a final winner.

The victory gives the Wolves a nice burst of energy heading into a non-conference home rumble Saturday with always-tough Forks.

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — 7 kills, 3 digs, 1 assist, 3 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 2 digs, 10 assists, 8 aces
Carly Burt — 1 dig, 1 assist
Lexis Drake — 3 kills, 3 digs
Chloe Marzocca — 2 kills, 2 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces
Myra McDonald — 1 dig, 3 aces
Dakota Strong — 1 kill, 2 digs

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JV spikers young and feisty

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Chloe Marzocca goes airborne to punch a volleyball in the face. (Jackie Saia photos)

They’re headed home for a long stretch.

Fresh off a hard-fought loss at La Conner Tuesday night, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad gets five straight matches at home.

The Wolves, who have been playing with the minimum six players, five of whom are freshmen, return to action Tuesday, Oct. 3 against Friday Harbor.

After that comes tilts with Forks, Concrete, Mount Vernon Christian, and Providence Classical Christian.

Neither the Wolf varsity nor JV spikers have to play away from Coupeville again until Oct. 17.

Freshmen (l to r) Capri Anter, Myra McDonald, Dakota Strong, and Lexis Drake show great promise.

CHS fans who catch the JV squad (0-2 in league play, 1-4 overall) during their homestand will see a scrappy band of ballhawks who continue to fight hard even when giving up the advantage in terms of bodies on the bench.

While the wins may not have come as frequently as in the past, Wolf coach Ashley Menges has her squad on the upswing, teaching them to play with passion and courage.

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — 2 kills, 7 digs, 8 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 3 kills, 1 dig, 2 assists, 2 aces
Lexis Drake — 3 kills, 1 ace
Chloe Marzocca — 9 digs, 2 assists, 4 aces
Myra McDonald — 2 digs, 1 assist
Dakota Strong — 1 kill, 4 digs

Haylee Armstrong and Co. play at home for the next three weeks.

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Plenty of fight in JV spikers

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Freshman Haylee Armstrong delivered a strong all-around performance Wednesday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They got hot late.

While the Coupeville High School JV volleyball team was unable to rally for a win Wednesday, the Wolves did garner a measure of respect by taking a hard-fought third set.

Visiting Neah Bay got back on the bus with a 25-16, 25-13, 26-28 non-conference victory, but CHS, which only had seven players on the night, proved resilient and chippy to the end.

Chloe Marzocca seized the spotlight, ripping off nine straight points on her serve to turn a 9-8 nailbiter into an 18-8 romp in the final set.

She got help from teammates Dakota Strong and Lexis Drake, who both delivered key offensive plays during the surge.

The fab frosh duo patrolled the net with intensity, with Strong bounding high for a tip winner and Drake plopping a note-perfect drop shot just out of the reach of the Neah Bay defense.

The visitors did fight back to make things interesting, as the teams battled through four ties late, with the Red Devils holding off three set points.

Strong came flying in from the side, tip-toed through the air, and redirected the ball for a snazzy tip winner to keep Coupeville in charge, and the Wolves finally clinched the frame with Capri Anter serving for the winning point.

Wolf spikers (l to r) Capri Anter, Armstrong, Chloe Marzocca, and Aby Wood await the serve. (Jackie Saia photo)

The third-set rally came on the heels of two sets in which CHS led only once, at 1-0 both times.

Neah Bay stretched its advantage out to 6-1 in the opening frame and held off several Coupeville rallies to maintain the lead (almost) start to finish.

Drake and Haylee Armstrong both had strong mini runs on their serve, with Marzocca delivering a nasty slicer on one spike winner, the ball shearing off some skin from a Neah Bay player as it zipped by.

Coupeville was hurt in the second set by an inability to get a run going off of its serve, with no Wolf able to win back-to-back points while firing the ball into play.

Marzocca did show off her guns again, with another loud spike winner, while Aby Wood lobbed a winner into the back corner, the ball catching the last flake of paint on the line.

Coming off the bench, Myra McDonald also gave the Wolves an injection of hustle, scrambling after the ball with intensity.

But it wasn’t enough, as Neah Bay closed the set on an 11-3 tear to seal the deal on its victory.

The Wolves and coach Ashley Menges have a few days to finetune things, not returning to play until Tuesday, Sept. 19, when they travel to Mount Vernon Christian.

That match, while against a Northwest 2B/1B League foe, will be considered a non-conference bout.

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