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Posts Tagged ‘JV’

Rally queens can’t be denied

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Wolves institute a no-fly zone at the net. (Ana Oliveira photo)

Slow start, torrid finish.

The Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad stumbled out of the gate a bit Thursday night, then reached down deep inside and found its missing mojo.

Roaring back to life with a strong team-wide effort, the Wolves rallied to topple visiting La Conner 20-25, 25-17, 15-11 to the delight of their exuberant fan base.

The win gives Ashley Menges’ crew a season sweep of the Braves, while lifting them to 7-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 8-1 overall.

Next up for the JV is a trip to Bellingham Saturday, where the Wolves will take part in a tourney hosted by Meridian.

Thursday’s tangle with La Conner started off in favor of the visitors, as the Braves peppered the Wolves en route to building a solid first-set lead.

But even trailing 21-13, the Wolves showed some serious fight, battling back to make things interesting.

Lexis Drake ripped off one of her team-high five service aces to light a bit of a fire under CMS, and Dakota Eck and Capri Anter started to take control at the net.

With team sparkplug Haylee Armstrong collecting a series of floor burns while sliding across the hardwood in pursuit of wayward balls, Coupeville closed the set on a 7-4 run.

While they couldn’t quite catch the Braves, it was a positive sign of things to come, as the hometown spikers claimed control of the match early in the second set.

Flexin’ on the world. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Ari Cunningham, filling up the stat sheet and the highlight reel, was everywhere, firing off aces and shooting winners that caught the very top of the net and flopped over for Wolf points.

Up 20-9 at one point, Coupeville ran away with the set, getting a huge tip winner from Strong to knot things at a set apiece.

With the match hanging in the balance, the two teams raced to 15 points in set three, with five ties, the last coming at 7-7.

Strong, bounding into the air, dropped a floater between several Braves to push Coupeville ahead for good, while Isa Mc Fetridge and Drake backed her up with solid winners while patrolling the net.

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — 6 kills, 5 digs, 1 ace
Haylee Armstrong — 1 kill, 13 digs
Ari Cunningham — 2 kills, 8 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces
Lexis Drake — 3 kills, 5 digs, 5 aces
Adeline Maynes — 4 digs, 10 assists, 3 aces
Isa Mc Fetridge — 2 kills, 1 ace
Chelsi Stevens — 1 kill
Dakota Strong — 4 kills, 1 dig
Sydney Van Dyke — 2 digs

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JV spikers deliver the big payback

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Lexis Drake brings the heat. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

In the words of one James Brown …

Hey! Gotta, gotta payback!
(The big payback)
Revenge! I’m mad!
(The big payback)
Got to get back!

I need some get-back!
Payback!
Payback! (The big payback)
That’s it! Payback!

Whether they cued up some 1973 funk or not, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad got that sweet, sweet payback Tuesday night.

Avenging their only loss of the season, the Wolves rallied to beat host Mount Vernon Christian 15-25, 25-16, 16-14, just the way coach Ashley Menges likes it.

The victory lifts the JV spikers to 6-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 7-1 overall heading into a home showdown Thursday with La Conner.

It also pushes Menges career winning percentage to an even .700, as the fifth-year coach is 42-18 since taking the reins of the second squad.

The Wolves watch the action unfold.

The first time the teams faced off, in mid-September, Coupeville actually won more points (62-61), but MVC escaped, nailing down two of three sets.

This time out, it was the Wolves taking both the moral victory and the victory-victory.

“It was a slow start to the night, and we definitely weren’t all there to begin the day, but it’s good to see they can turn it around,” Menges said.

“Something we always want to emphasize is that we get better with every set, which is what they did tonight and I’m very glad to see.

“They also took what I said pregame and started with that first point.

“As always, there’s more to work on, but for now I’m glad to see them pull out a win.”

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — 4 kills, 2 aces
Haylee Armstrong — 7 digs, 1 assist
Lexis Drake — 4 kills, 1 ace
Adeline Maynes — 3 digs, 11 assists, 5 aces
Isa Mc Fetridge — 3 digs, 2 aces
Chelsi Stevens — 1 kill
Dakota Strong — 3 kills
Tenley Stuurmans — 3 kills, 2 digs, 2 assists
Sydney Van Dyke — 1 kill, 5 digs

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JV spikers in a groove

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Tenley Stuurmans (left) and Chelsi Stevens get pumped. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re on a roll headed for the rematch.

The Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad has only one small ding on its record this season — a three-set loss to Mount Vernon Christian in which the Wolves actually won more points than the Hurricanes.

Now, after shredding visiting Friday Harbor 25-16, 25-15, 15-10 Tuesday, the Wolves have won four straight and are primed for some revenge.

Sitting at 5-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 6-1 overall, Coupeville’s JV spikers get that rematch a week from now, when they travel to MVC Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Between now and then, the Wolves will practice, some of their players will join the varsity on an Eastern Washington trip this weekend, and the squad will bask in the glow of its current winning streak.

CHS made sure to keep the good times rolling by immediately pouncing on Friday Harbor, seizing the advantage from Adeline Maynes opening serve and never letting go.

With the fab frosh joining teammates Ari Cunningham and Tenley Stuurmans in ripping off torrid runs at the service stripe, the Wolves dictated play all night.

Cunningham craftily snapped off one of her team-high seven aces to key an early run, before coming back around to end the opening set with a six-point run at the line.

She got some help from Stuurmans, who crunched a crosscourt winner at the net, and Dakota Strong, who froze the defense with a well-placed tip for another point.

But Cunningham wasn’t finished there, peppering the Wolverines all night with her serves, while Sydney Van Dyke and Haylee Armstrong also showcased their love of aces during the second set.

The Wolves congratulate their teammates for a job well done.

Friday Harbor stayed scrappy, but the Wolves had a height advantage at the net, with Strong and Stuurmans instituting a no-fly zone for any volleyballs attempting to sneak back over the twine.

The set and match-clinching point came on a rally where Coupeville dug the ball off the floor, then popped it into position for Maynes to get magical.

With her back to the net, the Wolf setter flipped a winner over her head, the ball slicing right through a pack of defenders, before skidding merrily away.

While the third set was for practice, Coupeville didn’t let up, getting big winners from Cunningham and Isa Mc Fetridge to stay close, before finishing things off by scoring the night’s final five points.

The very last one came courtesy Armstrong, who like running mates Chelsi Stevens and Capri Anter, locked the court down from side to side, never allowing the visitors to get in a rhythm.

With work at the service line from Myra McDonald, and bench support from Delilah Castellanos, Willow Leedy-Bonifas, and Lexis Drake, everyone on the roster had a role in the win.

Two in particular earned an extra bit of praise from Wolf coach Ashley Menges, however, with the volleyball guru noting the continued growth and hard work of Stevens and Mc Fetridge.

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — 1 dig, 1 assist
Haylee Armstrong — 1 kill, 4 digs, 1 assist, 3 aces
Ari Cunningham — 1 kill, 1 dig, 1 assist, 7 aces
Adeline Maynes — 2 kills, 1 dig, 8 assists, 5 aces
Isa Mc Fetridge — 1 kill
Dakota Strong — 3 kills
Tenley Stuurmans — 6 kills, 2 digs, 3 assists, 3 aces
Sydney Van Dyke — 5 kills, 3 digs, 1 ace

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Balanced Wolves sink Vikings

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Tenley Stuurmans chases down a wayward volleyball. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They beat the clock and beat the Vikings.

Playing second Thursday night, the Coupeville High School JV volleyball squad knew that visiting Orcas Island would have to sprint back to the ferry at a certain time, regardless of the score.

So, the Wolves made quick work of their foes, rolling to a 25-15, 25-18, 13-15 win which left their foes plenty of time to amble back to the boat.

The victory lifts Coupeville’s JV to 4-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 5-1 overall, with another home game — this one against Friday Harbor — next up on the schedule.

That one won’t be until Oct. 8, however, so the Wolves have time to bask in the afterglow of Thursday’s methodical dismembering of the Vikings.

Getting floor time for all 12 girls on her roster, JV coach Ashley Menges spread out the love, and her spikers responded.

Freshman Tenley Stuurmans sprayed kills in the first set, while Adeline Maynes provided a game-busting run of excellence at the service stripe.

The Wolves rebounded from an 11-9 deficit, finishing the frame on a 14-6 tear to claim supremacy.

Lexis Drake and Dakota Strong, who both nailed their first-ever varsity kill in the night’s opening match, closed out the first set with winners, and the rout was on.

Point, Coupeville.

Coupeville led from start to finish in frame #2, with Sydney Van Dyke punching a pair of service aces to put the Vikings back on their heels.

Isa Mc Fetridge and Maynes also came up big on their serve, while the play of the night came late in the set.

Waxing the floor with her uniform, Haylee Armstrong went face-first to the hardwood, somehow getting her fingers barely under a ball preparing to kick away for an Orcas point.

Instead, the sensational sophomore flicked the orb skyward at the very last moment, then two hits later, Maynes froze the defense with a tip for a winner to drive a stake through the heart of Viking Nation.

While Orcas did eke out a win in a shortened third set, it was just for practice, with the match already decided in favor of Cow Town.

Willow Leedy-Bonifas and Armstrong dominated at the service line in the late going for the Wolves.

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — 2 digs
Haylee Armstrong — 3 digs, 1 assist, 3 aces
Lexis Drake — 6 kills, 1 ace
Willow Leedy-Bonifas — 1 assist, 1 ace
Adeline Maynes — 1 kill, 1 dig, 9 assists, 6 aces
Isa Mc Fetridge — 2 aces
Chelsi Stevens — 1 kill
Dakota Strong — 6 kills
Tenley Stuurmans — 6 kills, 3 assists, 1 ace
Sydney Van Dyke — 1 kill, 1 dig, 2 aces

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JV girls’ basketball snags impressive new coach

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on October 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Scout Smith, seen with Lyla (left) and Tenley Stuurmans, is the new Coupeville High School JV girls’ basketball coach. (Sarah Stuurmans photo)

She was born for this.

The daughter of two coaches, and sister of two more, Scout Smith was always among the most cerebral of athletes during her playing days at Coupeville High School.

Now, the former three-sport star, who was a CHS Athlete of the Year winner as a senior, is joining the coaching fraternity herself.

Well, Scout has already been working with the school’s volleyball program as a volunteer assistant, but Tuesday she was tabbed as the new JV girls’ head basketball coach.

She replaces Kassie O’Neil, who left due to a family move, and her hire will be official once approved by the school board.

Scout played volleyball, basketball, and softball during her Wolf days, before moving on to earn degrees from the University of Washington and Gonzaga with an eye on becoming a teacher.

Dad Chris Smith coached through all three seasons for several years at CHS, working with volleyball, boys’ basketball, and baseball, while mom Charlotte Young was an accomplished little league guru.

Scout’s brothers, CJ and Hunter, have also coached at their alma mater in the past, with the former calling the shots for JV baseball, and the latter leading the JV boys’ hoops program.

Like having another coach on the floor. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

While Scout, a 2020 CHS grad, is the youngest of Charlotte’s three-pack, she quickly made a name for herself.

In her first athletic event as a high school student back in 2016, she reeled off 27 points on her serve, including 18 straight at one point, in a straight-sets volleyball win over Mount Vernon Christian.

The final serve almost broke the Hurricane receiver’s elbow in half, and Scoutasouras Rex was born.

By the time she wrapped up her CHS sports career, she had helped lead both volleyball and softball to state tourney success.

A team captain in all of her sports, she often played positions (setter, point guard, pitcher) which put her in leadership roles, something she always accepted and lived up to.

Scout racked up stats, brought home All-Conference and team honors, and earned respect from fellow players, coaches, and rivals by being one of the hardest-working, smartest athletes to ever pull on a Wolf uniform.

Across a span of six years (two middle school, four high school) she was a rock for Coupeville sports teams, as dependable as any athlete this blog has ever covered.

Scout with the parental figures. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It wasn’t just that Scout could make the play, but that she was so deeply ingrained in her knowledge, that she always knew what the right play was — even during a few times when everyone else was (incorrectly) screaming at her to do something differently.

She played through pain — refusing to come off the court even after turning half her face into a giant bruise after slamming into the floor during a playoff volleyball match — and she handled good times and bad with style and grace.

Scout lost her senior softball season, and a chance to make back-to-back state tourney runs, when the pandemic wiped out all spring sports.

That stung badly, and I have no doubt she would return to the field today in a heartbeat if given a replay, but she has moved on to find new milestones to make.

She’s taught two of my three nephews as a substitute PE teacher this fall, and the CHS volleyball players have benefited greatly from her presence.

Every coaching change comes with unknowns.

Falling back on sports cliches, some hires become home runs, while a rare few are closer to strikeouts.

This one? Bringing Scout into a leadership position where she can continue the family tradition of coaching excellence?

That feels like destiny coming true.

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