Wolf seniors (l to r) Jill Prince, Maddie Georges, Alita Blouin, Taygin Jump, and Ryanne Knoblich. (Photo courtesy Cory Whitmore)
It takes a perfect performance to beat the La Conner High School varsity volleyball team.
Coupeville was not perfect Tuesday night.
The Wolves did play steadily better as the night progressed, but whether it was emotional lag from Senior Night, or just the sometimes-overpowering fists of fury employed by the Braves, a win was not in the cards.
Instead, Coupeville fell 25-7, 25-8, 25-16, as the three-time defending state champs wrapped up another flawless run through the Northwest 2B/1B League.
La Conner finishes 8-0 in conference play and sits at 12-1 with three non-conference tilts still to play.
Meanwhile, the Wolves finish their regular season at 7-2 in league action, 9-5 overall.
Next up for CHS is a trip to La Conner Nov. 2 for the District 1/2 tourney.
The Wolves open against Auburn Adventist Academy, which is 5-4 heading into its regular season finale.
That’s a loser-out match, with the winner returning to the court to face La Conner for a trip to the state tourney.
To upend the Braves as they attempt to four-peat as La Conner coach Suzanne Marble closes a 30-year career, rival teams will need to “create chaos.”
Which Coupeville did at times Tuesday. Just not enough times.
“We had trouble both creating points and not making errors at the same time,” said Coupeville coach Cory Whitmore.
“When we were creating points, we were making errors, and when we weren’t making errors, we weren’t creating anything.”
La Conner, led by wham-bam twin towers Ellie Marble and Makayla Herrera, dominated at the net, rifling kills which put the Wolves on their heels, then dropping dead-eye tip winners if the defense backed off too far.
Coupeville, a strong-serving team, was unable to generate any points at the service stripe until late in the second set and struggled to end rallies while on the attack.
Jill Prince did paste one especially noisy winner down the middle of the floor, while Grey Peabody smacked several kills, but the Wolves were on the run most of the match.
Coupeville’s best play might have been a block, where Peabody and Maddie Georges combined to stuff an Ellie Marble cannon shot.
The third set was the closest thing to a back-and-forth affair, and featured the varsity debut of sophomore Taylor Brotemarkle, who recorded an ace while firing off serves.
Taylor Brotemarkle brings the heat. (Bailey Thule photo)
The Wolves did prove plucky, holding off four match points before La Conner finally drove home its 75th, and final, point to end the night.
The biggest positive to come from the loss was the solid play of Coupeville’s seniors, who handled the pressures of their farewell night with class.
“Alita (Blouin) had a great game,” Whitmore said. “She covered a lot of court and was a real leader out there for us.
“Jill took advantage of her hitting opportunities, and, as a team we passed well.
“I’m really proud of our seniors, and how they helped build our program through the tough Covid years,” Whitmore added. “They’ve helped reset our culture.”
Tuesday stats:
Alita Blouin — 6 digs, 1 assist
Taylor Brotemarkle — 1 ace
Mia Farris — 2 kills
Maddie Georges — 7 digs, 11 assists, 1 block assist
Taygin Jump — 2 digs
Ryanne Knoblich — 3 kills, 3 digs, 1 ace
Madison McMillan — 1 dig
Grey Peabody — 3 kills, 1 ace, 1 block assist
Jill Prince — 3 kills
Lyla Stuurmans — 1 kill
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