Coupeville Sports

Wolf coach Cris Matochi was a busy man Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was a long day, and they’ll do it all again in less than 24 hours.

Playing the first of back-to-back road trips Wednesday, the Coupeville Middle School volleyball squads held their own against feisty Sultan.

Jump forward to Thursday, and the bus wheels will be turning once again, with the Wolves headed off to Granite Falls as the end of the season approaches.

The finale arrives Monday, Oct. 21, when CMS hosts South Whidbey in a clash of next-door neighbors.

How Wednesday unfolded:

Level 1:

A loss, but an extremely close one which hinged on a play or two and a ref’s somewhat questionable interpretation of the rules at a key moment.

Sultan escaped with a 25-17, 25-23, 11-15 victory, aided by the official ruling in favor of the hometown Turks on a disputed substitution at 23-23 in the middle set.

That doesn’t take away from the Wolves ability to rally, as CMS nearly closed the gap in the opening set after falling behind by 10 points early.

Set two was a fierce back-and-forth affair, with Coupeville requesting a sub with things knotted late.

While the Wolves tried to swap players, Sultan jumped the gun and served for the go-ahead point, before fast-talking the ref into ruling in their favor.

Instead of stewing, the Wolves rebounded to take the third set, putting a nice punctuation point on the day, coach Cris Matochi said.

“Although we didn’t win that match, that tie break felt like the Olympics – it felt soooo good!” he said.

“And if the players had a chance to replay that match, we had the energy of an entire army!”

Level 2 and 3:

With fellow coach Kristina Hooks having the day off so she could welcome her Navy husband home from deployment, Matochi guided all three Wolf squads into Turk territory.

What he saw from the second two units brought a smile to his face.

“This was by far the best that teams two and three have played so far,” Matochi said.

“They were doing so much better with moving their feet to the ball, and some players were able to serve overhand for the first time!”

Level two lost 25-17, 25-12, 15-7, while Level three fell 25-12, 25-21, 15-9, but Matochi is a firm believer that solid improvement often means more than the won/loss record.

“The kids are much more competitive, and it is exciting to see them fight hard,” he said. “We even got to see some players diving today!”

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CMS volleyball coaches Kristina Hooks and Cris Matochi continue to impart wisdom to their young players. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A big step forward.

Returning to their home court Wednesday, Coupeville Middle School volleyball players put forth their best effort of the season.

While the still-developing Wolves fell to always-tough Sultan, the CMS coaches came away pleased with a lot of what they witnessed.

“Today’s match was the first time that we played good volleyball,” Cris Matochi said. “The level one team did a great job with implementing a lot of the things that we worked on at practice.

“It was a huge improvement from the match on Monday,” he added. “I am so proud of these girls.

“I know that the score doesn’t do justice to how well they played, but I told the players that I am not concerned about the score or wins as much as I am with them improving and playing good volleyball.”

How the day developed:

Level 1:

The visiting Turks escaped with a 25-16, 25-13, 15-8 victory in a match where Coupeville was stung by unforced errors.

“However, what I was really proud of them was to see their determination to bounce back and fight all the way to the end,” Matochi said.

“I told them at yesterday’s practice that Sultan always has a solid team, and that we were going to have to fight today. That is exactly what they did.”

Continuing her strong early-season run, Rhylee Inman paced CMS in kills, with Sage Stavros, Jade Peabody, and KeeAyra Brown backing her up.

The net mashers were set up by Cassie Powers and Cameron Van Dyke, who were “always running for every single ball, and they worked really hard with getting to the ball and giving good sets.”

Coupeville also had a strong day at the service line, with Van Dyke, Inman, Zariyah Allen, and Olivia Martin delivering aces while Emma Leavitt showcased why she is “a powerhouse with her serve.”

Matochi praised Allen, who made her debut at libero.

“It was almost like this was meant to be her position!” he said. “That kid was just getting to every ball and delivering great passes, while playing defense and serving so fearlessly! I am so proud of her.”

Also garnering a shout-out was 6th grader Laurel Crowder, who continues to excel beyond her years.

“Laurel is learning the game so quickly,” he said. “That kid is just so coachable, and I am so excited for what the future holds for her with this sport.

“She is improving so quickly, and I am proud of her for being an athlete that just absorbs information so well, while being so disciplined and tenacious.”

From Inman, who “is just so selfless, while also being such a supportive teammate to everyone” to Kennedy O’Neill, “who was not able to play today, but was showing great spirit and support from the bench,” Matochi saw growth everywhere.

“I cannot tell you how great it is to coach this group of kids,” he said. “Although we have a long way to go and we have a lot of work to do, this year among levels one, two, and three, I am seeing a group of kids that are so strong mentally.

“I am safe to say that this is a group which Kristina (Hooks) and I do not have to sugar-coat things to,” Matochi added.

“We actually do have a very honest and caring mutual relationship with these young athletes. We push them hard because we love them, and they seem to know it.”

Matochi also took a moment to praise his athlete’s support crew, who are crucial to their development.

“These kids are tough, and it is so nice to have a team that seems to see us pushing them hard as tough love,” he said.

“These players are so mature that sometimes I feel like I am dealing with little adults! They are not intimidated to ask questions and tell us how they feel.

“You can tell that they were raised well and that their parents are doing an incredible job. This is the result of great parenting!

“We are so lucky to have a group of parents that are trusting us to lead these players through their journey in becoming strong-as-they-can-be athletes.”

Levels 2 and 3:

Sultan swept to straight-sets wins, taking the former 25-11, 25-2, 15-5 and the latter 25-16, 25-8, 15-5.

“Though we didn’t win the girls were moving their feet a lot more than previous games,” said Wolf coach Kristina Hooks.

“Now we just have to work on their passing once they get their feet to the ball,” she added.

“There were some good passes from both teams, and we are still working on getting three touches before the ball goes over the net.”

Up next:

Coupeville returns to action Monday, Oct. 7, when it hosts King’s, with action kicking off at 3:15 PM.

After that the Wolves play three straight on the road, then close at home Oct. 21 against South Whidbey.

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