Ivy Leedy and the Wolf JV volleyball team capped a successful season with a rout of Sultan. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
They closed with a scream.
A scream of triumph and joy, yes, but also a warning to other teams – the next generation of Coupeville High School volleyball stars is here, and they’re ready to kick your fanny.
Back-to-back sizzlin’ aces off of the fingertips of freshman Izzy Wells capped the Wolf JV’s three-set sweep of visiting Sultan Wednesday, and it gave Chris Smith’s players the perfect punctuation to their season.
Riding a 25-15, 25-15, 26-24 win over the Turks, Coupeville’s next gen team finished the season 4-6 in North Sound Conference play, 6-7 overall.
The young Wolves, a work in progress, were a play or two from winning as many as nine matches this season, with a few rumbles slipping away in the final points.
That wasn’t the case on the last night of the regular season though, as CHS, with predominantly freshman on the floor in the final set, drove a stake through the heart of the Turks.
The two teams waged a tense back-and-forth affair in the final frame, with Anya Leavell rising up and giving a star performance.
She lashed a kill to stake the Wolves to an early 10-4 lead, and strong runs at the service stripe from Noelle Daigneault and Abby Mulholland sent the third set in the direction of a runaway, much like the first two frames.
Sultan fought back, however, trying to scratch out some redemption, and eventually held a set point at 24-23.
With the home crowd vocal in its support, the Wolf JV forced a side out to even things, then tossed the ball to Wells, who has been aces with her serve game all season.
One swing of the arm, two swings of the arm, and the celebration was on, as Sultan couldn’t get a finger on either of her offerings, as both serves skipped merrily by.
The late comeback capped a match that Coupeville otherwise dominated.
The opening set was all about power, with Maddie Vondrak mashing the ball, scattering Turks before her with every titanic blow.
When she wasn’t launching rockets, the Wolf sophomore showcased a complete game, flying high to stuff a would-be Sultan kill, before twirling in mid-air on another play, flicking a winner between two Turks.
Vondrak had plenty of help, as Zoe Trujillo lashed lasers from the sides, while Leavell smashed a kill from mid-court which ripped off some paint on the back line as it landed.
Coupeville was on point with its service game, as well, getting strings of points from Jaimee Masters, Lucy Sandahl and Ivy Leedy.
The second set was a virtual repeat of the first, started off with a run of aces by Sandahl, then punctuated by a stuff at the net from Kylie Van Velkinburgh and a low, screaming winner which sprang off of the palm of Masters and scorched the net as it went over.
Willow Vick pounded away at the service line to finish the middle set, and her run of four straight points ended on a perfect note.
Twirling the ball, she glanced at twin sister Raven, then fired a scorcher which slammed into the court, then exploded upward into a Sultan players face, completely knocking the hapless Turk off her feet.
Across the net, Willow Vick stamped her feet and pumped her fists while her teammates jumped in joy, providing a clear portrait of what’s likely to come in the future.
A whole lot of Wolf celebrations and a whole lot of time spent picking themselves off the floor for their rivals.
