An injury kept Maddie Vondrak on the bench Thursday, but she was invaluable as a sideline reporter. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
The road warriors continue to rock.
Half the team has yet to play a high school volleyball match at home, but Coupeville’s JV spikers haven’t let unfamiliar courts throw off their game.
After running host North Mason off the floor to a 25-15, 25-14, 25-27 tune Thursday, the Wolf young guns are a crisp 3-0 on the season.
And now, finally, their new players will get a chance to play in front of their home fans for the first time, when Coupeville hosts Klahowya next Tuesday, Sept. 26.
While the trek to the wilds of Belfair (72.6 miles one way) made for a long day, CHS pulled things together quickly against their 2A opponents.
“The JV played well today after enduring the long trip to North Mason,” said Wolf coach Chris Smith. “Our bus legs had us playing a little slow out of the gate but we mustered up the energy.”
Raven Vick put the punctuation mark on both of the first two sets, ending the first with a service ace and the second with an emphatic kill.
Camped on the bench for a night with an ankle injury, Maddie Vondrak put in time as an unpaid assistant coach, and she was a treasure trove of info.
Documenting the Wolves high points (of which there were many), she hailed Chelsea Prescott, Maya Toomey-Stout and Zoe Trujillo for “aggressive swings” and Lucy Sandahl for “awesome sets and passes.”
Coupeville passed the ball strongly all night, with Emma Mathusek, Vick and Trujillo leading the way.
The Wolves stayed on the attack in the second set, with Sandahl firing multiple aces to key the offense.
Prescott was a constant threat, praised by Vondrak for “always reading, looking for spots when serving/hitting, reaching when hitting and nice covering.”
Her other fellow freshmen were on top of their game, as well, with Kylie Chernikoff delivering “an awesome hit on the 17th point,” while Savannah Smith had “good reads and transitions.”
With the win in hand for Coupeville, the two teams opted to play a largely meaningless third set, then promptly went to war whether it mattered or not.
Vondrak gushed over her teammates hustle and refusal to let plays die, even when the ball was seemingly dead in the net.
Whether it was Mathusek’s “awesome down-balls,” Sandahl dealing with “tricky tips,” or Chernikoff and Prescott spraying service aces, everyone chipped in on the victory.
Coupeville Sports 