Valen Trujillo, sporting the Player of the Match necklace from a previous match. After Tuesday’s epic doubles win with Sydney Autio, it belongs to her again.
They hadn’t played a match against an opposing team for nearly three weeks, so the Wolf netters decided to stay on the court for awhile Tuesday.
Three of the five varsity matches between Coupeville and visiting Archbishop Thomas Murphy went the full three sets, with the Wolves winning two of the three tussles.
Unfortunately, the two matches that went fairly quickly landed on ATM’s side of the ledger, allowing the Wildcats to escape back to the bus with a 3-2 win.
The loss, coming in Coupeville’s first match since way back on Mar. 26, dropped the Wolves to 3-3 on the season.
“It was a heart-breaker,” said CHS coach Ken Stange. “We had a shot, but came up a couple of points short in #2 singles and missed opportunities at first and second doubles.
“I think we will fare well when we face ATM again.”
With two epic wins, Stange had a bit of a problem choosing his Player of the Match.
In the end, after almost giving it to singles sensation Allie Hanigan, he went with his #3 doubles duo of sophomore Sydney Autio and freshman Valen Trujillo. The pair fought through two tiebreakers just to get to a third set, then put the hammer down.
“It’s difficult to win after losing the first set,” Stange said. “Also, they stepped up their game continually as the match went on. They played like a doubles team that has been together for a long time.”
Complete results:
Varsity:
1st Singles — Allie Hanigan beat Molly Corbett 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
“Allie earned this win the hard way. Allie’s game is all about consistency and chasing down far flung balls. Today, she did just that, and it was the difference in her win. She was disciplined and picked the right opportunities to put the ball away.”
“I’m proud of her effort and play on the court this year.”
2nd Singles — Jacki Ginnings lost to Kitty Zhang 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
“After starting the season with two wins, Jacki has hit a bit of a dry patch. It’s not for lack of effort, though.
“Eventually, she is going to find a way to turn that final set in her favor. Jacki keeps improving, and she is gaining match toughness.”
1st Doubles — Samantha Martin/Sydney Aparicio lost to Hayley Sizelove/Dana Tran 6-2, 6-2
“The points and games were closely contested, but they had difficulty stringing together points and games.”
2nd Doubles — Wynter Thorne/McKenzie Bailey lost to Taylor Herrera/Lauren Braswell 6-4, 6-3
“Even though it was a straight-set loss, Wynter and McKenzie played tough. It was an exciting match to watch. It was fast paced, with all four players hitting hard, albeit a bit erratically.”
3rd Doubles — Sydney Autio/Valen Trujillo beat Alicia Asmundson/Maddie Clark 6-7(3-7), 7-6(7-4), 10-8
“Sydney and Valen have energy and spirit in abundance, and they used all to claim the #3 Doubles match. Sydney was downright ferocious in all phases of the game. She also showed an assertiveness that is rare among high school players. She was a wily veteran.
“Smartly, ATM elected to pick on Valen. It didn’t really work, though. Valen didn’t back down; she played the most consistent tennis of her short career.
“Also noteworthy is that all four girls truly had a great time. There was much respect on the court, with both teams displaying grace, whether points were won or lost.”
JV:
4th Doubles — Micky LeVine/Ivy Luvera lost to Madelyn Hoban/Amy Camilleri 8-4
5th Doubles — Haleigh Deasy/Maureen Rice lost to Lena Villani/Dana Tran 9-7
6th Doubles — Ana Luvera/Jazmine Franklin lost to Haley Sizelove/Taylor Herrera 6-0
7th Doubles — Bree Daigneault/Jacki Ginnings lost to Lauren Braswell/Madelyn Hoban 6-3
Coupeville Sports 