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Posts Tagged ‘Raven Vick’

Coupeville volleyball coach Raven Vick and boyfriend Phillip Galvan enjoy a moment together. (Photos courtesy Vick)

It was a bittersweet homecoming.

Former Coupeville High School volleyball ace Raven Vick returned to the courts of her youth this fall, joining Cris Matochi in coaching the Wolf middle school spiker squads.

Being active in the same gym where she once played alongside twin sister Willow, helping a new generation of young women embrace a sport she loves, was fulfilling and gave her momentary respite from the real world.

What very few have known during this time is the journey Raven and her boyfriend of a year, Phillip Galvan, have been on.

The couple met while students at Seattle Pacific University, brought together initially by their work as resident advisors.

Raven, who was focusing on Communications and Women’s Studies, was wrapping up her degree.

Meanwhile, Phillip, whose family lives in Colorado, was in his third year of Mechanical Engineering.

The duo became an official couple Nov. 19, 2021, only to have their world upended several months later.

Phillip was diagnosed this past March with acute myeloid leukemia, an especially aggressive form of blood cancer.

Standing strong, together.

Phillip returned to Colorado for treatment, with Raven joining him there after her graduation from SPU in June.

In August, Phillip celebrated his 21st birthday and received a bone marrow transplant from his sister, Allie, which sent him into remission for two months.

Raven returned to Coupeville at the end of the summer, applying for the middle school coaching position as a way to help “clear my head and readjust to life at home.”

She chose to keep her boyfriend’s cancer fight largely private during the season but is publicly acknowledging it now as Phillip has recently relapsed.

“It was caught quickly,” Raven said. “So, we are hoping for this treatment to get him right back into remission.”

With the CMS volleyball season done, she plans to return to Colorado in the next few weeks to spend time with Phillip as he continues his fight.

As they move forward, the duo draw solace from their religious faith, and the emotional support of their many supporters.

Raven’s request is simple and heartfelt.

“We just ask for all of the prayers and good thoughts for him and his family.”

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Raven Vick fires off a serve during her high school days. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

She’s coming home.

Coupeville grad Raven Vick, a two-sport star during her time as a Wolf, has been tabbed to coach middle school volleyball in the same gyms where she once played.

Vick replaces Katie Kiel, who moved to California, and will work with Cris Matochi as they prepare young spikers for the journey ahead of them.

The hire was confirmed Friday by Coupeville Athletic Director Willie Smith and will be official after the school board approves it.

Middle school volleyball practice kicks off this coming Monday, Sept. 12, with the first match Sept. 29 at Langley.

Vick’s first home match as a coach is Oct. 3, with Lakewood visiting Whidbey.

The twin sister of Willow, Raven Vick graduated in 2020 after a successful run as a volleyball and track athlete at CHS.

Raven (left) and Willow Vick await the serve. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

During their senior season, the sisters were part of a Wolf spiker squad which tied the program record with 14 wins.

A strong all-around player, Raven’s best work came at the service stripe, where she ripped off lasers on a regular basis.

On the track oval, she put in three seasons, losing out on her senior campaign when the pandemic erased all spring sports.

Raven ran the 1500 and 1600 as a freshman, before moving full-time into throwing events.

She advanced to the league championships in the shot put, discus, and javelin, while making it to districts and bi-districts in the last of those three events.

Raven celebrates track and field success. (Brian Vick photo)

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Raven (left) and Willow Vick – bright, shining superstars. (Maria Reyes photo)

Kindness matters.

Long after the memories of their high school athletic achievements fade, Willow and Raven Vick will be remembered for the grace they showed others.

Through their schools days in Coupeville, from little tots to whip-smart high school grads, the twins amazed and dazzled.

As they grew up, they each found their own path, forged their own personalities, reached their own goals.

But, together or apart, they have one thing very much in common — the way they treat those around them, in good times and bad.

Willow and Raven benefit from having great parents, and Brian and Maria have much to be proud of when they watch their daughters.

That extends to the community which has helped shape them, and been shaped, in a very positive way, by the duo.

As they have followed their path through Cow Town, the Vick sisters have excelled in the classroom, in the music world, and on the sports field.

Always up for a photo shoot with dad. (Brian Vick photo)

They both played volleyball, finishing their prep careers as part of a highly-successful Wolf team which tied the program record for wins a year ago.

Coupeville started 12-1, won 14 matches in all, and claimed its fourth-straight top-two league finish and 10+ win season.

Along the way, the Wolves benefited from Raven’s crackling serves and Willow’s hustle and heart.

While the Vicks were denied a senior track and field season by the COVID-19 shutdown, they both took advantage of their time at the oval in previous seasons.

Raven celebrates after a successful track meet. (Brian Vick photo)

As a junior, Raven threw the shot put, discus, and javelin, competing in the league championships in all three events, and making it to bi-districts in the latter event.

Willow rounded out what would turn out to be her final track season by vying in the discus and javelin as well, along with performances in the 1600 and long jump.

And, like her sister, she qualified for the North Sound Conference Championships in three events.

Earlier in her track career, Willow, who also played for a Central Whidbey Little League juniors softball squad which went 13-3, made a splash.

As a freshman, she bounded past the competition to claim the title in the high jump at the Olympic League JV Championships.

Willow, ready to crank it. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

So, there’s ribbons, and memories, and moments which mattered to Willow and Raven, and to their family, and to their fans.

Add in all the high points in the classroom and with a musical instrument in hand, and you have a pair of young women who exemplify a lot of really great attributes.

They’re strong, they’re committed, they’re smart, they carry themselves with a sense of grace.

But, and in a world where things are out of sorts and 10,000 different versions of suck, Willow and Raven are kind.

Not because they have to be, but because they want to be.

I have seen it in public, with how they interact with their teammates on the court and around the track oval, and I have seen it in private, while sharing a car with them while driving back from volleyball postseason tournaments.

They are the same serene spirits when people are watching, and when they aren’t, and that goes a long way to why I have been so impressed with the twins.

So today, as the duo jointly celebrate their 19th birthday, I want to give back at least a little to them by inducting them into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

After this, if you pop up to the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, you’ll find them there.

Our Hall of Fame, since it’s picked by one person, has no set rules for who gets through the doors.

Sometimes, selection is for awe-inspiring play and big stats. Other times, it’s for being the absolute best you can be, in whatever way you can be.

Willow and Raven make Coupeville a better place. It’s as simple as that.

Through their actions over the years, the twins have soared as high as any prep athletes I have written about, and I know, without a doubt, their accomplishments in the future will likely be extraordinary.

So, Miss Vick, and Miss Vick, thank you.

Thank you for choosing to reach for greatness, and for always being the best of what Coupeville has to offer.

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Graduation in the time of a pandemic for Marenna Rebischke-Smith. (Photo by Gail Rebischke-Smith)

Bouncing through Facebook I go, plucking photos left and right.

Here a grad, there a grad, everywhere a grad.

Coupeville High School’s Class of 2020 may have had a unique ceremony Saturday, thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but, in the end, one thing matters – they’re done.

Off to the real world they go, diploma in hand.

Willow Vick and Aram Leyva. (Brian Vick photo)

Emma Somes and dad Ian. (Photo courtesy Somes family)

A pack of Wolf grads congregate in the woods. (Brian Vick photo)

Melia Welling and mom Charlie. (Melissa Losey photo)

Willow Vick (left), Natalie Hollrigel (center), and Raven Vick. (Brian Vick photo)

Hunter Wilkinson (center) with brothers Ethan Boyd (left) and Riley Boyd. (Carrie Wilkinson photo)

Raven Vick and Hannah Davidson. (Brian Vick photo)

A truly awesome graduation cake for Zach Ginnings. (Frank Stephan photo)

Willow Vick and Sean Toomey-Stout. (Brian Vick photo)

Ulrik Wells. (Katy Wells photo)

Maya Toomey-Stout (left), Tia Wurzrainer (center), Scout Smith. (Brian Vick photo)

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Start playing volleyball young, and you might be as good as Raven Vick when you hit high school. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Love volleyball and are currently a 4th, 5th, or 6th grader in the Coupeville School District?

Then do I have a deal for you!

Coupeville High School coaches and players are bringing back the ultra-popular Wolf Pup Volleyball program for a third go-round this spring, and they want you to join them in the gym.

The event runs across six weeks, with two-a-week practices for young athletes looking to have fun and learn the fastest-growing sport in town.

Cost is $50 per player, with payment due on the first day of practice, which breaks down to a hair over $4 a pop if you hit every day.

Though CHS varsity volleyball coach Cory Whitmore is quick to stress the number of practices each athlete attends is completely optional.

If your child is involved in other activities or sports, volleyball is flexible.

“If they’re only available for one of the two days a week, that’s perfectly fine,” Whitmore said. “We are just looking to introduce eager young players hoping to learn and play the game!”

Practices run Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6 PM in the Coupeville Middle School gym.

Planned sessions are April 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, and 30, as well as May 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, and 21.

Each day will feature drills to teach the players various skills, followed by fun and competitive games at the end of each session.

All money raised by Wolf Pups goes to enhance the CHS volleyball program.

Players need to be registered by April 7, which you can do by popping over to https://bit.ly/3adpIuo

For any questions, contact Whitmore at cwhitmore@coupeville.k12.wa.us or (509) 347-6301.

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