Coupeville Sports

Back alley brawlers Valen Trujillo (left) and Micky “Two Fists” LeVine rule the tennis courts.

Jacki Ginnings

Ken Stange may need some time to unwind.

The Coupeville High School girls’ tennis coach saw his squad get not one, but two, victories in third set tiebreakers Wednesday, lifting the Wolves to a barn-burner of a 3-2 win over visiting Lakewood.

“It was tense for awhile,” Stange admitted afterwards.

The second straight victory for the CHS netters, as they head towards postseason play, it lifted the Wolves to 5-7 overall, 3-4 in Cascade Conference play.

It also gave Coupeville, the smallest 1A school in the state, a season sweep of one of the biggest 2A schools in the league.

McKenzie Bailey and Samantha Martin were the wrecking machine of the afternoon, strolling to a 45-minute win at first doubles.

“They outmatched the opposition and played very aggressive tennis,” Stange said. “They got off to a hot start, and Lakewood played on their heels for the entire match. It was a strong win for the sophomore duo.”

With three matches in the books, Coupeville trailed 2-1, then rallied in its final two contests.

Sydney Autio and Bree Daigneault, who was making her varsity debut, teamed to pull out a huge doubles win, before Jacki Ginnings iced the win.

Ginnings dropped her opening set at #2 singles, and found herself trailing 5-2 in the second set, then pulled off a comeback for the ages.

Battered by a recent battle with illness, the still-exhausted Wolf junior dug down deeper than deep.

First she roared back to rip off five straight games, then she held on for an epic 10-7 tiebreaker win with both teams (and their coaches) hanging on every shot.

“I told her that we just needed ten more successful extensive rallies–just ten,” Stange said. “She did it!

“Statistically speaking, most three-setters are won by the player/team who won the first set,” he added. “We won two matches today, after losing the first set. We bucked the odds today. The girls played their hearts out!”

Complete results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Allie Hanigan lost to Christina Barber  6-4, 6-4

2nd Singles — Jacki Ginnings beat Jackie Stover 4-6, 7-5, 10-7

1st Doubles — McKenzie Bailey/Samantha Martin beat Alex Wolfe/Maddie DeYoung 6-1, 6-0

2nd Doubles — Sydney Aparicio/Wynter Thorne lost to Kylie Staley/Hannah Krutsinger  6-3, 6-0

3rd Doubles — Sydney Autio/Bree Daigneault beat Lexi Zbiegien/Zaya Tsengelmaa 4-6, 6-3, 10-5

JV:

4th Doubles — Micky LeVine/Valen Trujillo beat Courtney Young/Courtney St. Jean 8-0

5th Doubles — Ana Luvera/Ivy Luvera lost to Gillian Romeis/Paige Boersma 8-0

6th Doubles — Jazmine Franklin/Haleigh Deasy beat Devina Weafer/Anna Drobloes 8-3

7th Doubles — Maureen Rice/Hanigan beat Freddie Strothoff/Kathryn Winder 8-2

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Jacki Ginnings, seen here last season, won her first varsity singles match Monday. (John Fisken photo)

Ginnings, sporting her Player of the Match reward. (Ken Stange photo)

Not even the combined forces of two schools can topple the Wolves.

Coupeville High School ran into its future Olympic League rivals, Port Townsend and Chimacum, Monday in its girls’ tennis opener and overcame the wind and the unholy union of Redskins and Cowboys, pulling out a 4-3 win.

With two wins in both singles and doubles, the Wolves avenged a loss from last season and had multiple highlights.

Freshman Valen Trujillo won her first time out, teaming with Ana Luvera for a key doubles win, while a former doubles player who has converted to singles won the first Player of the Match honor (it comes with a stylish necklace) from CHS coach Ken Stange.

Soccer star Jacki Ginnings played in several varsity doubles matches as a sophomore, teaming with Micky LeVine, but Monday she stepped on the court alone for the first time.

Having earned the squad’s #2 singles position in a preseason tourney, she more than held her own against a player not from her own team.

“Jacki played with both aggression and finesse,” Stange said. “She gutted out a tough second set to earn her first-ever singles victory. Hooray for her!

“She opened big, playing consistent tennis as she cruised in the first set,” he added. “She was mentally tough, scrapped and hustled.”

Complete results:

Varsity:

#1 Singles — Allie Hanigan beat Frances Sheldon-O’Neal 6-3, 6-1

“Allie was at her best today when she was keeping the ball low to the ground, making her opponent unable to tee off on a big shot. It was excellent counter-punch tennis.”

#2 Singles — Jacki Ginnings beat An Nguyen 6-1, 7-6 (9-7)

#3 Singles — Micky LeVine lost to Olivia Baird 6-1, 6-2

“Micky found out she’d be playing singles about four days ago. She’s very athletic, and handled herself well against a player who was basically a wall. The girl just didn’t miss.”

#1 Doubles — Samantha Martin/Sydney Aparicio lost to Rachel Maki/Sara Allen 6-2, 6-4

“This was Sydney’s first-ever high school tennis match, and she, as well as Sam, played well. They may face some struggles early, but they both have skills and they both have high ceilings. I think they will find their groove.”

#2 Doubles — McKenzie Bailey/Wynter Thorne lost to Vy Nguyen/Casi Rowland 3-6, 6-2, 10-5

“This one was a heart breaker. They learned a couple of valuable lessons that will serve them well. They are going to be a fierce #2 team.”

#3 Doubles —  Ana Luvera/Valen Trujillo beat Amy Plastow/Rachel Smith 6-2, 6-1

“They were too much for their opponents. No matter who they play at #3, they’ll be tough to beat.”

#4 Doubles — Maureen Rice/Haleigh Deasy beat Neena Milton/Makenzi Richie 6-0, 6-1

“Maureen and Haleigh took it to a couple of rookies.”

JV:

#5 Doubles — Jazmine Franklin/Aura Corredor beat Jordyn Johnson/Tessa Rasmussen 8-3

“It was the first ever match for our girls, and they won against another pair of rookies. What a great way to start the year for Jazmine and Aura!”

#6 Doubles — Ivy Luvera/Maureen Rice led 3-0 when the call of the ferry ended the match.

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