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Posts Tagged ‘Haylee Armstrong’

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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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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New season, same winning style

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s JV spikers are off to a winning start. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Ashley Menges is putting up some nice numbers.

The former Wolf volleyball star kicked off her fourth season as Coupeville High School JV spiker coach Wednesday, leading her team to a 25-18, 25-17, 10-8 win over visiting South Whidbey.

The only thing slowing down Menges‘ mashers was the clock, with the third (practice) set ending prematurely to allow the varsity to take the floor.

Coupeville’s second squad is 31-8 under its current coach, giving the fiery one the best winning percentage (.795) of any active Wolf coach in any sport, varsity or JV.

The spike squad actually started a bit slowly against South Whidbey, then roared to life midway through the first set.

Freshman Dakota Strong, making her debut for the school where mom Danette Beckley was a CHS Athlete of the Year, launched a spike crosscourt to spark the Wolves, and the match turned for the better in an instant.

Chloe Marzocca zipped one of her team-high four service aces past the Falcon defense to stake Coupeville to its first lead at 9-8, with Haylee Armstrong, Capri Anter, and Aby Wood adding lethal support from the service stripe.

Bounding back into the spotlight, Strong tipped a winner over a rival’s outstretched arm to ice the opening set.

Round two was a back-and-forth affair, with seven ties, the last at 14-14.

Coupeville closed like champs, running off an 11-3 surge to capture the match win.

Wood stood tall, collecting winners via both spikes and tips, while Myra McDonald, Lexis Drake, and Carly Burt chipped in with big-time hustle plays.

While the third set was just for show and destined to end when the clock hit 6:00 PM regardless of the score, Coupeville took care of business.

Marzocca sacrificed her body to save a ball, sliding across the floor to flick the falling orb back skyward, while Armstrong dropped a gorgeous tip winner which froze three Falcons in place.

Coming off their season-opening win, the Wolf JV heads back to practice.

Up next on the schedule is a non-conference home match Sept. 13 with Neah Bay.

 

Wednesday stats:

Capri Anter — 1 kill, 2 digs, 1 ace
Haylee Armstrong — 4 kills, 1 dig, 3 assists, 1 ace, 1 block assist
Chloe Marzocca — 1 kill, 2 digs, 4 aces
Myra McDonald — 1 ace
Dakota Strong — 4 kills, 1 block assist
Aby Wood — 1 kill, 5 digs, 2 aces

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Spikers ready for their close-up

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on September 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville freshmen (left to right) Myra McDonald, Dakota Strong, Haylee Armstrong, and Lexis Drake are ready for their debut. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The spikes are incoming.

Coupeville High School volleyball, which has racked up seven-straight winning seasons at the varsity level, is ready to kick off a new campaign.

The Wolves head to Oak Harbor Saturday for a jamboree, before hosting non-conference rival South Whidbey Sept. 6.

CHS, which has three consecutive second-place finishes since rejoining the Northwest 2B/1B League (trailing just four-time defending state champ La Conner) is at home for seven of its first nine matches.

Coupeville’s varsity squad is gunning for a league title.

The future is bright for the JV spikers.

Success breeds success.

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“My goal is to work harder every day”

Posted in Basketball, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , , on July 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong hangs out with dad after a summer softball tourney win. (Michelle Armstrong photo)

“It’s nice to have a scare every now and then.”

That’s why, away from the world of sports, where she plays volleyball, basketball, and softball — both school and travel ball versions — Haylee Armstrong enjoys horror flicks like The Conjuring.

But it also carries over to the diamond and court, where the incoming Coupeville freshman often delivers performances which freak out rival players and coaches.

Case in point was this past spring, when Armstrong spent most of the season as a starter for the CHS varsity softball team — while still attending classes in middle school.

She hit .467 at the plate as an 8th grader, showed off a strong glove (and arm) as an outfielder and pitcher, and slammed an out-of-the-park home run to dead center.

Fresh off winning Rookie of the Year honors from Wolf coaches, Armstrong is spending a chunk of her summer traveling with the Whidbey Island Thunder select softball squad, while also prepping for high school volleyball and basketball.

She enjoys all of her sports, but has a special connection to diamond life.

“Softball is my favorite because you get to throw the ball as hard as you want and take your anger out during batting,” Armstrong said.

“I’ve been told I’m like a Swiss Army knife; I can play any position where I’m needed.”

While she’s likely to pile up strong individual stats, Armstrong is a team player through and through, looking to elevate her teammates and reveling in their accomplishments as much as her own.

“I love the joy when everybody screams at that last game winning point or run during games,” she said.

Dancing into a bright athletic future. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A strong math student who likes that class because “once I learn a lesson, it snaps instantly,” Armstrong also enjoys the music of Olivia Rodrigo, “because her voice is really beautiful.”

As she enters high school, the hard-working teen has her eyes set on leaving her mark.

“My goal is to make varsity, be a leader to younger athletes, and work harder every day to be a better person than I was the day before,” Armstrong said.

She wants to work on her “hitting form and shooting form” going forward, while listing her athletic strengths as “leadership, listening, and following the instructions given to me by my coaches.”

Her parents, Joe and Michelle, are her role model, her primary support crew, and her chauffeurs, and she deeply appreciates them.

“They have made an impact on showing me I can do anything I set my mind on,” Armstrong said.

Playing sports year-round, she’s had plenty of mentors, all with something to teach her.

“My coaches have always encouraged and pushed me to do my best,” Armstrong said.

“Coach Aaron (Lucero), Coach Kevin (McGranahan), Coach Lark (Gustafson), Coach Cris (Matochi), Coach Kassie (O’Neil), and Coach K (Katrina McGranahan) have made a huge impact on how I play and where I learned to play.”

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