Coupeville Sports

Emma Morano slaps a winner. (Jackie Saia photo)

The Helen Strelow express continues to rumble.

Winning a well-played bout at first singles Friday, the Coupeville High School senior netter ran her season record to 5-0, though the Wolves fell 4-1 to visiting South Whidbey.

The non-conference loss, which came on a rare sunny, non-breezy spring afternoon on the prairie, drops CHS to 1-4, though that comes with a caveat.

All four of Coupeville’s defeats have come to bigger schools, with the Wolves still primed to capture the Northwest 2B/1B League crown.

Strelow and Co. are 1-0 in conference action and close the regular season with three-straight matches against NWL rival Friday Harbor.

Coupeville is at home Apr. 21 and May 12 — which will be Senior Night — and makes the island-to-island hop May 2.

After that comes the postseason, with districts and, hopefully, the state tourney as CHS net guru Ken Stange guides his 18th Wolf girls’ tennis team along the path to serve and volley nirvana.

The Wolves had 10 active players Friday, while 1A South Whidbey brought 18 on the road trip, so many Coupeville netters played multiple times to make sure all the Falcons got court appearances.

Emma Morano and Elizabeth Lo played three matches, with Morano, a foreign exchange student, getting big congrats from fellow CHS students Kai Wong, Josh Upchurch, Maylin Steele, and others after notching her first win as a Wolf.

The doubles duos of Brynn Parker/Kaitlyn Leavell and Lucy Tenore/Skylar Parker also played twice on the afternoon.

Kaitlyn Leavell watches her serve take flight. (Jackie Saia photo)

The day’s premier match came on court #1, with Strelow and Falcon ace Catie Beech squaring off in a tense struggle.

Both players had strong runs, forcing the second set to a tiebreaker, before the Wolf captain reached down deep to pull out the victory.

Lashing an approach shot over her foe’s shoulder, the ball picking the lint off of her shirt before diving and tearing a chunk out of the court just inside the line, Strelow earned a double fist pump from her coach.

A two-time state meet qualifier as a cross country runner, and an accomplished photographer and painter, she rolls on to the next challenge.

Friday’s varsity results:

1st Singles — Helen Strelow beat Catie Beech 6-4, 7-6(7-5)

2nd Singles — Djina Radenovic lost to Katya Schiavone 6-2, 7-6(8-6)

1st Doubles — Hayley Fiedler/Vivian Farris lost to Pearl Buck/Mikaela Nelson 6-2, 6-1

2nd Doubles — Skylar Parker/Lucy Tenore lost to Carlie Kuschnereit/Baylie Kuschnereit 6-2, 6-1

3rd Doubles — Kaitlyn Leavell/Brynn Parker lost to Natalie Olson/Izzy Wood 8-0

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Skylar Parker moves in for the kill. (Jackie Saia photo)

The sun will come out tomorrow, or maybe today if you wait long enough.

Getting the better of Mother Nature and weather forecasters alike Tuesday, the Coupeville High School girls’ tennis squad managed to get its match played at South Whidbey.

And while the Wolves ultimately fell 4-1 to the perennial powerhouse Falcons, it was the first on-court action against a rival for CHS in two weeks.

Better to play the best and get tested than sit on the sidelines.

Now 1-3 on the season, with all of its losses coming to bigger schools, Coupeville will try and make it two Island rivalry duels in one week.

South Whidbey is slated to travel to Central Whidbey Friday, allowing the 2B Wolves and 1A Falcons to finish off their non-conference home-and-away clash for 2023.

After that, CHS plays Friday Harbor — the only other Northwest 2B/1B League foe which fields a tennis program — three straight times.

Tuesday’s results:

1st Singles — Helen Strelow beat Baylie Kuschnereit 6-1, 6-0

2nd Singles — Djina Radenovic lost to Carlie Kuschnereit 6-2, 6-1

1st Doubles — Hayley Fiedler/Vivian Farris lost to Pearl Buck/Mikaela Nelson 6-0, 6-0

2nd Doubles — Skylar Parker/Lucy Tenore lost to Cate Beech/Katya Schiavone 6-1, 6-4

3rd Doubles — Kaitlyn Leavell/Brynn Parker lost to Natalie Olson/Alyssa Staats 6-0, 6-0

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