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Posts Tagged ‘Gwen Gustafson’

Droppin’ haymakers and takin’ names

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

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

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Wolves ace Friday Harbor

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Katie Marti and Coupeville’s JV volleyball team are a perfect 5-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

You can cut their floor time, but you can’t stop them crushing you.

With the last ferry off of Friday Harbor sounding its whistle Tuesday, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball team didn’t get to play a full match.

But that didn’t matter, as the Wolves crushed their hosts quickly and efficiently during the time they had, strolling to a 25-8, 20-7 win.

The victory, the JV’s second in less than 24 hours, lifts them to 5-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 6-1 overall.

Coupeville took command at the service line and never let up, peppering the host Wolverines from every angle.

“It was good!,” said CHS coach Ashley Menges. “It was a night full of serving for the girls; stats will show that for sure.”

Six of the nine Wolves notched at least one ace, with Madison McMillan, Issabel Johnson, and Gwen Gustafson recording five apiece to pace the team.

Issabel Johnson cranks up the ace machine.

After a crush of games in a short stretch of days, Coupeville is off until next Tuesday, Oct. 5, when it hosts Concrete.

With her team back in practice mode over the next six days, Menges will continue to preach improvement and fine-tuning of skills.

“As we’re getting to the end of our first round playing the league, we’re gonna start challenging the girls to hold a standard,” she said.

“I’m wanting these girls to continue to have great games as they continue to progress in their skills.

“I’m proud of the accomplishments we’ve already made, but I’m even more excited for what’s to come.”

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 1 assist, 3 aces
Mia Farris — 3 aces
Gwen Gustafson — 3 kills, 5 aces
Jada Heaton — 1 kill
Issabel Johnson — 5 aces
Katie Marti — 2 assists, 4 aces
Madison McMillan — 1 kill, 1 dig, 6 aces
Grey Peabody — 1 solo block
Aby Wood  — 1 kill

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Lots of action, not many words

Posted in Boys Soccer, Cheer, Cross Country, Football, Girls Soccer, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Gwen Gustafson rises up to smite the volleyball. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Let’s ease into the new week.

Here’s a collection of photos to kick things off – some very-light “reading” — featuring all of Coupeville High School’s active fall sports teams.

To see more pics from John Fisken, and possibly purchase glossies for that third cousin in Walla Walla, pop over to:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/

 

It’s a celebration on the pitch after Wolf sharpshooter Miguel Puente beat the rival goalkeeper.

Alex Clark is ready to run all day.

Be vewy, vewy quiet … Audrianna Shaw is hunting rascally soccer balls.

“Bye!” Scott Hilborn has other places to be.

Savina Wells strikes a dramatic pose.

CHS yearbook teacher Jackie Saia discusses camera angles with her best paparazzi.

Anna Myles scoops up an incoming shot.

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Eagles topple Wolf JV spikers

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Jada Heaton, soaring in an earlier match, crunched two kills Monday night. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Consider it a bump in the road, with lessons learned.

At least that’s the hope for the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad, which dropped its first sets, and first match, Monday night.

Facing off with non-conference foe Cedar Park Christian-Bothell, the previously-undefeated Wolves fell 25-16, 25-13, 25-23 at home.

The loss drops Coupeville to 3-1 on the season, though it will get a chance to jump right back into action.

The Wolf JV heads to Darrington Wednesday for a Northwest 2B/1B League rumble, before appearing Saturday at a tourney in Oak Harbor.

The clash Monday with CPC reunited Coupeville with a former rival from the 1A North Sound Conference, and the private school spikers certainly played up to past performances.

Controlling the action most of the way, the visiting Eagles closed the first set on a 7-1 run to bust open what had been a fairly close battle.

Coupeville’s only lead in the first frame came at 2-1, but the Wolves did force three ties, the last at 8-8.

That came courtesy a zinger of a serve from Gwen Gustafson, the lone Wolf to put together a strong run at the service stripe in the early going.

Gustafson also had two of her team’s three biggest hits in the first set, launching a pair of sharply-angled kills to complement one by teammate Madison McMillan.

The second set may seem lopsided if you just look at the score, but Coupeville was in it for the first half, with six ties and a lead as late as 10-8.

Jada Heaton delivered a resounding kill which ripped down the middle of the court, rising up and smacking the crud out of the ball, to fuel the run.

Meanwhile, McMillan artfully dropped a pair of tip winners, and Grey Peabody stuffed a CPC hitter just as the Eagle was about to unload.

Madison McMillan (left) and Issabel Johnson both filled up the stat sheet.

Unfortunately, Cedar Park then hit a major hot streak, closing the set on a 17-3 tear to officially seal the win.

Despite the match being decided, the two teams had time to kill, so played a third set for practice, and it was a tense affair not decided until the final second.

Issabel Johnson, Mia Farris, and McMillan were sharp at the service line, with the latter running off six straight points to stake CHS to a 23-21 lead.

Cedar Park finally broke her run, however, then closed out the set and match for the sweep.

Monday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 1 dig, 11 assists, 1 ace
Mia Farris — 1 kill, 1 ace
Gwen Gustafson — 5 kills, 4 digs, 2 aces
Jada Heaton — 2 kills, 1 dig, 1 assist
Issabel Johnson — 6 digs, 2 aces
Madison McMillan — 4 kills, 6 digs, 4 aces
Grey Peabody — 2 kills, 1 solo block
Aby Wood  — 1 dig

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“We will be ahead of the game”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on July 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville High School softball sensations Izzy (left) and Savina Wells will be a senior and freshman, respectively, this coming school year. (Katy Wells photo)

Wolf juniors Gwen Gustafson (middle) and Sofia Peters hang out with coach Lark Gustafson. (Paula Peters photo)

They exited with a roar.

Handing the previously-undefeated Skagit Bats travel team its first loss of the summer, the Coupeville High School softball squad earned a doubleheader split Wednesday night.

Following up a 5-4 win in the opener with a narrow 6-3 loss to a well-rested Burlington squad in the nightcap, the Wolves finished their off-season run with a strong 6-3 record.

Coupeville nailed down the victory when Gwen Gustafson lifted a sac fly to the heavens in the bottom of the seventh inning, sending Savina Wells scooting for home with the deciding run.

The Bats have spent the summer blowing people out, but Coupeville came close to toppling them the first time around, falling 13-10.

Take that narrow earlier defeat, then flip the script with Wednesday’s win, and CHS coach Kevin McGranahan came away pleased, noting it as “a great measure of development.”

After a tense opening game in the July heat, the 2B Wolves hung tough with 2A Burlington, before running out of gas at the end.

“We were hot and exhausted, and Burlington was fresh with only one game,” McGranahan said. “We lost, but definitely could beat them if fresh.”

With a full roster for summer ball, the Wolves can only benefit from the additional playing time.

“This was a great summer and the team gelled very well,” McGranahan said. “We will be ahead of the game come season start.

“I am so proud of all the girls that practiced and played through the summer; their commitment and work ethic will pay off.”

McGranahan also praised the player’s families, and his coaching staff, which includes Ron Wright, Lark Gustafson, Katrina McGranahan, and Aaron Lucero.

“I want to make sure and thank all the parents; without their support this doesn’t work,” he said. “We had packed stands every Wednesday evening.

“This coaching staff is amazing; these girls are in good hands.”

While he won’t work with his players as a group again until next spring, Kevin McGranahan hopes each diamond warrior takes the initiative to keep improving.

“Well, about six months off now, and the team needs to work on their own through fall and winter to maintain where we are,” he said. “Well done, ladies! See you in about six months.”

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