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Posts Tagged ‘Tenley Stuurmans’

Fab finale for CMS spikers

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Tenley Stuurmans warms up her spiking arm. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The Wolves delivered a knockout punch in the finale.

Wrapping its season in style Monday, the Coupeville Middle School varsity volleyball squad rallied on the road to stun Lakewood in a three-set thriller.

It was only the second loss this season for the Cougars, who funnel players to a large 2A high school.

Before Monday’s KO, Lakewood had only fallen to private school terror King’s.

While Coupeville’s JV teams weren’t able to win in their matchups, both of those squads capped seasons of improvement, especially the “B” unit.

How the finales played out:

 

Varsity:

Coming off of a tense two-match duel with South Whidbey last week, the Wolves pulled off the win of the season.

Building strongly through the match, Coupeville came out on top 19-25, 26-24, 15-8 to capture its third win of the season.

“Our girls truly demonstrated their determination and resilience, making it an unforgettable last game,” said CMS coach Cris Matochi.

“Despite facing some ups and downs, our team was more than prepared to face Lakewood and pressed on the gas pedal when it mattered the most.”

Adie Maynes defies the laws of physics.

Everything was seemingly against the Wolves — a long bus ride, a highly rated foe, the absence of key player Sydney Van Dyke, who was nursing an injury.

None of it mattered, as Coupeville’s active players pulled together and played as a well-oiled unit.

“A remarkable display of teamwork,” Matochi said. “Our players exhibited an impressive ability to keep the ball in play throughout the game.

“Their determination to take care of business was evident,” he added.

“The fact that the team rallied together and leaned on one another in Sydney’s absence speaks volumes about the strength and unity within our squad.”

Lakewood actually had match point at 24-23 in the second set, only for the Wolves to snatch the momentum back.

“We were not ready to go home and came back from the ashes stronger than ever,” Matochi said.

“Our serving was great tonight, and our defensive performance and serve receive were solid.

“The rallies were long and intense, but our players kept fighting for every point, demonstrating unwavering commitment and teamwork.”

As he looks back on the season, with its highs and lows, Matochi is grateful for the experience.

“(Fellow coach) Kristina (Hooks) and I would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our players, as well as the parents and guardians who have supported us throughout this incredible season,” he said.

“Their dedication and unwavering support have been instrumental in our growth, and we couldn’t be more appreciative.”

In the moment, he wants his players to bask in their ability to mesh as a team, while also casting an eye on what they can accomplish in the future.

“As we reflect on this fantastic season, let’s celebrate this remarkable victory against Lakewood and look forward to what the future holds for our team,” Matochi said.

“The hard work, passion, and unity that define us will undoubtedly lead to more memorable moments on the volleyball court within years to come.”

Maynes and fellow 8th graders Rhylin Price (14) and Willow Leedy-Bonifas exit with a win.

 

JV – Level A:

The Wolves ran into a buzzsaw, falling 25-9, 25-7, 15-10.

While there were some bright moments for Coupeville, inconsistency killed any chances of mounting a truly strong fight.

“It seems like the team may have faced some challenges in today’s game due to a lack of focus and preparation during their recent practice sessions,” Hooks said.

“Additionally, Lakewood’s strong serving may have posed a tough challenge for our team’s serve receive.”

 

JV – Level B:

While the Wolves lost 25-20, 25-10, 15-13, the young guns continue to impress Hooks with their work as individuals and as a team.

“These girls are just happy to be out on the court and it shows,” she said. “They didn’t pay attention to the score at all and were always supportive of their teammates.”

Hooks offered particular praise for Alexandra Lo, whose upbeat personality has provided a guiding light for the team.

“I was impressed to see Alex step up and be a leader on the court,” Hooks said.

“She would tell her teammates to move up or back depending on how deep or short the serve had been landing.

“She always has a positive attitude, and you can tell that she wants her AND her teammates to do well.”

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Flip the ball, click the camera

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Adie Maynes flicks a set skyward. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville Middle School volleyball played at home for the final time this season Tuesday, and the festivities drew in wanderin’ photographer John Fisken.

The pics above and below capture the Wolves in action, but he also snapped glossy images of visiting South Whidbey.

It was a busy day for the Diet Coke-fueled paparazzi, so he departed after the varsity match to get back up to Oak Harbor for other events.

While you won’t find any JV photos waiting for you, those varsity pics we spoke of earlier can be found at these links.

 

Coupeville:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/CHS-Volleyball-2023-2024/MSVB-2023-10-17-vs-South-Whidbey/

 

South Whidbey:

https://www.johnsphotos.net/Sports/South-Whidbey-HS/MSVB-2023-10-17-vs-Coupeville/

Point, Wolves.

“You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?? Then who else are you talking … you talking to me? Well, I’m the only one here.”

Willow Leedy-Bonifas gets low for a return.

Wolf coach Cris Matochi dares the ref to tell him he’s too close to the court.

“Celebrate good times, come on!” 

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“We were there to take care of business”

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

CMS 8th grader Tenley Stuurmans is on her way to rock your world with knee-quaking spikes. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sweet revenge and big growth.

Monday was a rock-solid day for the Coupeville Middle School volleyball program, as it defended its home gym, going toe-to-toe with always-tough Sultan.

How the day played out:

 

Varsity:

Coupeville’s top squad garnered payback for a season-opening loss to the Turks, thrashing them in straight sets this time around.

The Wolves came out on top 25-19, 25-22, 15-8, bringing a smile to coach Cris Matochi’s face, even on a day when power-mad refs tried to slow his own personal roll.

“The varsity team had the best match so far this season,” Matochi said. “After a tough loss during the first game of the season, the girls decided to bring it all to the floor today.

“We made a statement to Sultan today and we showed that we were there to take care of business.”

Coupeville’s goals were to be “calm, focused and form-oriented,” followed up by adapting quickly and maintaining chemistry when the lineup was altered later in the match.

Give the Wolves three thumbs up.

“The girls did an incredible job being able to stay aggressive while being in control throughout the entire match,” Matochi said.

“What worked really well for us today, was the team being able to recover really quickly, while keeping the ball in play.”

Amidst the spikes and sets, Matochi, among the most exuberant of Wolf coaches, was dinged by the refs, handed a yellow card for “being too close to the court.”

In a CMS gym with very narrow sidelines…

The coach and his players shrugged it right off, however, and went back to the business in hand.

“That is the Brazilian in me,” Matochi said with a chuckle.

“I grew up playing volleyball with my coaches right on my ear and I find it quite impossible to sit and not be right there, close to them during the battle.

“What was nice, is that my players did not let it affect the game. They laughed it off, keep their heads up and used it as momentum for the match.”

At this point, Matochi is used to American middle school refs frequently acting like 100-year-old nuns wielding rulers.

“I just don’t understand why they are watching me like a hawk, and not the match, but I know that they are just doing their job,” he said.

“I don’t think I ever had a season without a yellow card so I will not let this one hurt my feelings,” Matochi added with another laugh.

“We Brazilians are passionate people … sometimes too passionate!”

When the refs let the players actually, you know, play, the Wolves were on point.

“I did a lot of substitutions today and I was so proud to see the players that are usually in the starting lineup leading and helping all players that were coming in,” Matochi said.

“They had an incredible chemistry throughout the entire match and that really made a difference.”

Five matches into an eight-match season, Coupeville’s varsity players, many of whom will move up to high school volleyball next fall, are showing great growth.

“We are at a point in the season where our game is changing and evolving and in order to keep up performing well, the players need to keep adapting and improving,” Matochi said.

“The game is getting faster, and the players are getting stronger, so it is really nice to see our hard work paying off.”

 

JV – A:

A nailbiter until the end, with Coupeville falling just short.

Sultan escaped with a 25-21, 17-25, 15-13 “victory,” though the Wolves actually won more points at 59-57.

“We were so close!” Matochi said. “Even though the game did not end up how we wanted, it was still such a great game and the players played really well.”

First-year coach Kristina Hooks brings passion and excitement to her job. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“Coach Kristina (Hooks) has been working so hard with the JV teams and the players improvement has been so noticeable,” Matochi added.

“We saw some really nice plays today and the players are moving so much better and developing their skills so nicely. It is a jog, not a sprint.”

 

JV – B:

It’s the age-old quandary for middle school volleyball coaches – short-term success or long-term skill-building?

While a lot of teams like Sultan are content to rack up points now by using underhand serves, Coupeville’s coaches prefer their players learn how to compete at the next level.

That means having the young Wolves develop overhand serves, making the transition easier as they climb the rungs in the program.

Monday, the young CMS spikers may have lost the match, but they continued to prepare themselves for next year, and the years after that.

“The team had a great energy on the court,” Matochi said. “We are always focusing on the big picture, of where they need to be when they go to play for their high school team.

“No good deed goes unpunished because when we play other teams where the kids do not know how to serve overhand, the coaches had taught the players to serve underhand, so they get a lot of points on us.

“However, it is a short-term fix because if the players do not learn the proper form at young age, it can really come back to haunt them when they play at a higher level.”

While Monday’s scoreboard might not have reflected it, the steady growth shown by the spikers bodes well for the future – both as individual players, and as members of the Wolf program.

“The most important thing is to remember that a lot of these kids are playing volleyball for the first time,” Matochi said.

“So, although winning is nice, our focus is to learn volleyball properly and develop their skills while having a good experience with volleyball.”

 

Up next:

Back-to-back Island rivalry matches with South Whidbey.

The Wolves travel to Langley Oct. 11, then return home Oct. 17 for their final matches in their own gym.

After that comes the season finale Oct. 23 at Lakewood.

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Hustle, heart, and desire, always

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Volleyball guru Cris Matochi keeps a watchful eye on his 8th grade spikers. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

There was a middle-of-the-week feel to things.

Head to the Coupeville Middle School gym for Wednesday’s volleyball match, and you were met with a variety of issues.

The bleachers were still packed away.

A new ref, who later had to consult the rules book more than once, didn’t like the way the net was hanging, and insisted on several adjustments.

And Coupeville’s opponent, Northshore Christian Academy? Nowhere to be seen, presumably lost in traffic during its commute from Everett.

But things have a way of working out, and, eventually, everything was properly unfurled and tightened up, and the private school spikers arrived in the lil’ gym on the prairie.

After all that, fans got two fairly exciting tilts.

While Coupeville lost both the JV and varsity matches, the prime-time bout wasn’t decided until the final moments, while the second squad showed great hustle and grit.

How the day played out:

 

JV:

Coupeville normally has two JV squads, but Northshore only has one, so several Wolves became enthusiastic fans in the stands.

The young women on the floor put up a solid fight for coach Kristina Hooks, fighting valiantly in a 25-12, 25-6, 15-7 loss.

CMS 7th graders Brooklyn Pope and Kennedy O’Neill both had strong runs at the service line, while Olivia Martin wins an unofficial “most spirit of the day” award.

The younger sister of former Wolf volleyball ace Emma Mathusek — who announced her engagement on Instagram earlier in the day — Martin vibrated with excitement every second she was on the floor.

Rocking back and forth before firing off a successful serve, or yelping “We’re having fun!” she remains a delight — the sort of indispensable team-first player every program needs.

Coupeville fell behind early in set one, but rallied, cutting the margin to 14-12 at one point.

Viktoria Grieves bumped a winner into open space, while Zoe Winstead and Pope both cracked off well-hit serves to keep the Wolves close.

Northshore ultimately pulled away, however, reeling off the final 11 points of the set, riding its own impressive service game.

Set two was rough for quite a while, with the Wolves falling behind 15-1 before O’Neill stopped the skid.

With parents Sean and Ashley watching from the front row, the lethal lass pounded out four straight winners on her serve, with two missiles skimming the top of the net, then diving hard for unhittable aces.

While CMS was unable to keep the momentum going, O’Neill’s fiery display bodes well for the future of her, and the Wolves.

Set three was for practice, with Northshore already having clinched the victory, but Coupeville put up a strong fight.

Pope, O’Neill, and Martin all peppered the visitors with their serves, with Pope zinging one beautifully nasty offering.

 

Varsity:

Dead even through two sets, with Coupeville taking the opening frame 25-23, before Northshore matched them by the same score the next time on the floor.

That sent the match to a third and deciding set, one in which the Wolves led at 2-0 and 3-2 after Adeline Maynes led off with a couple crisp service winners.

But it wasn’t to be, as Northshore used a 12-2 run to bust things open.

The Wolves still fought off two match points, with Tenley Stuurmans following up a tip winner with an ace at the service stripe.

The deficit was too large however, and the visitors held on to triumph 15-7, heading back to the bus with a collective skip to their steps.

That capped a heavyweight fight, as the two teams stood in the middle of the court and exchanged knockout punches all afternoon.

The opening set featured eight ties, with the final one at 21-21.

Willow Leedy-Bonifas provided the final burst of energy to shove the Wolves over the finish line, taking advantage of the ref overturning her own call and putting the ball back in the hands of CMS.

Winners from Stuurmans, Ari Cunningham, and Rhylin Price got Coupeville into position to claim the set, with Maynes slamming the door shut on a play where she flicked the ball over her head, letting it splash down into a small open space between defenders.

That set off an on-court celebration … which might have been a bit premature.

Coupeville actually led for much of the second set, before Northshore surged back to make it a nailbiter.

The Wolves played with wild abandon, such as on plays where Maynes lost her shoe, kicked it away, and still found a way to spark her team to winning a tense back-and-forth rally.

After being up by as many as four points thanks to a hail of winners springing from the electric fingers of Stuurmans, Coupeville lost the lead, however.

There were 10 ties down the stretch, the last at 22-22, but the Wolves just missed on several smashes which almost caught the back line.

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Big win, bigger growth

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Wolf 8th graders anchor the Coupeville Middle School volleyball program. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They lit the joint up.

Playing at home for the first time this season, the Coupeville Middle School varsity volleyball squad captured its first win Monday, crushing visiting Granite Falls.

Meanwhile, both Wolf JV teams fought hard against the Tigers, with the A-Team coming dangerously close to capturing its own victory.

 

Varsity:

It was all Coupeville, all the time, as the Wolves cruised to a sweep.

The 25-18, 25-17, 15-8 triumph started with high school coach Cory Whitmore covering for his fiancée, Cris Matochi, who was wrapping an important meeting at his day job.

With Whitmore and CMS coach Kristina Hooks working in tandem, they sparked the Wolves to a strong start, before Matochi swept into the gym to help his players close out the victory.

“We had a good night tonight,” Matochi said. “The varsity team played really well and their energy was unmatched.

“Once they figured out a way to get a good run on serving, the match took its course.”

Coupeville’s consistency and ability to work as a unit brought a smile to their coach’s face.

“We were able to flow as a group even on points when things were not working in our favor,” Matochi said.

“However, they were never intimidated and kept consistent, solid form-oriented volleyball throughout the entire match.”

The victory was for everyone in the gym.

“Our fans were awesome. The kids were feeding off their energy,” Matochi said. “When I arrived there, I saw how well they got the team going.

“Coach Cory was excited to get the experience to coach them for a little while today and see the talent that will be heading his way in the future.

“Cory has such a gift with volleyball and I’m so proud of what he is doing for this program.”

Spiker gurus Kristina Hooks and Cris Matochi bring passion and fun to their teaching duties.

 

JV:

Team A was nipped 25-23, 20-25, 15-10 in a nailbiter, while Team B “also put on a good fight.”

“Kristina’s Team A, they were so close to finishing the first set,” Matochi said. “But Granite Falls had a very strong server that was able to turn the game around when they were tied 23-23.

“The kids are improving so quickly and although we have quite ways to go, the kids are showing that their game is growing.”

While Matochi is a veteran in the CMS coaching world, this is Hooks first go-round with the Wolves, and the former Oak Harbor spiker star is already having a hugely positive impact on her young players.

“Coach Kristina is incredible,” Matochi said. “She is working so hard with these kids and their improvement is clear as water.

“She has such an incredible drive for the game and the kids really want to make her proud,” he added. “We are so lucky to have her on our staff.”

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