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Posts Tagged ‘University Prep’

Net aces put up strong fight

Posted in Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , on April 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Skylar Parker smashes a backhand. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re two programs in very different places.

University Prep had 41 girls try out for tennis this season, and fields three teams, while Coupeville has eight players total, one of whom was away on a mission trip Saturday.

But the plucky Wolves, who are also playing their entire campaign on the road while new courts are built at CHS, didn’t go down easy while playing in Seattle.

Winning both singles matches, with senior team leader Skylar Parker rallying to pull out her victory in a third-set tiebreaker, Coupeville was narrowly nipped 3-2.

The non-conference loss to the Pumas drops the Wolves to 0-5, but team win/loss records aren’t the main objective this year.

Instead, it’s crafting a base of players who can help build the program, and a lot of that may begin with Tenley Stuurmans, just an 8th grader.

She ripped 10+ service aces past her foe Saturday, while her older teammates showed equal fight in their matches.

“Kauri (Hamilton) and Sofie (Phay) had some great rallies and were more aggressive at the net, which is great improvement,” said CHS assistant coach Starla Seal.

“Hafa (Silva De Campos Conceicao) and Delanie (Lewis) had some beautiful rallies as well.”

Seal and Tim Stelling took over the net program after Ken Stange retired and are intent on getting the roster depth back to where it once was.

With that in mind, the Wolf coaches hope to hold a tennis camp this summer for students in grades 3-8 to build interest in the net program.

Meanwhile, the current roster gets right back at it next week, with trips to The Bush School and Friday Harbor on the schedule.

 

Saturday’s results:

1st Singles — Skylar Parker beat Marrissa Du 3-6, 6-2, 10-4

2nd Singles — Tenley Stuurmans beat Laura Caposella 6-3, 6-3

1st Doubles — Parker/Kaitlyn Leavell lost to Tenraye/Afomeya 6-3

2nd Doubles — Delanie Lewis/Rafaela Silva De Campos Conceicao lost to Sofia Delgado-Pack/Bethania Bahru 6-1, 6-2

3rd Doubles — Kauri Hamilton/Sofia Phay lost to Karina Moralles/Sadie Bloom 6-0, 6-2

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Booters survive rough ‘n tumble afternoon

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on September 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Ava Mitten (second from left) and Anna Myles (far right) both played strongly in a loss Thursday afternoon. (Bailey Thule photos)

The Wolves prepare to defend the pitch.

It was a rumble on the turf.

The Coupeville High School girls soccer squad traveled to Seattle Thursday to face off with ritzy private school University Prep and picked up more ouchies than goals.

Already missing senior leader Carolyn Lhamon, who was tending to a foot injury, the Wolves fell 7-0 to the Pumas.

The non-conference loss drops Coupeville to 0-3, but its aftereffects may linger for a bit.

“A few of our girls got trucked,” said senior defender Nezi Keiper. “I got a lot of turf burn and bruises.

“Luckily, our ref called most of it.”

Keiper praised the play of Wolf goaltender Anna Myles, saying “she played great, lots of saves, but a very physical game.”

Coupeville’s roster doesn’t have a ton of experience, but the Wolves are learning on the fly.

“Our defense is slowly understanding how to play and getting better each game,” Keiper said.

“We didn’t get a lot of chances on offense, but Ayden (Wyman) and Ava (Mitten) tried their best to make runs.

“University Prep was a very good team.”

Coupeville returns to the pitch Saturday, when it plays at home against non-league foe Ocosta in a 2 PM game.

It’s the first time the schools have met, with the Wildcats traveling 145 miles one way for the clash.

Ocosta, which is 1-2-1 on the season, plays in the Pacific 2B League along with schools like Ilwaco, Forks, and Chief Leschi, and likes to make one long trip a season as a team bonding experience.

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Tasty treats top tense tussle

Posted in Boys Tennis, tagged , , , , on October 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

First-year Coupeville netters Logan Martin (left) and Miles Davidson pushed their rivals from state power University Prep to a third set Thursday afternoon. (Charlotte Young photo)

Flaky dough. Delicate pears. The perfect touch of sweetness, without being cloying.

What? Yes, of course they played tennis Thursday afternoon in Coupeville, and yes, I’ll tell you about it.

But first, a big shout-out to University Prep coaches, who handed out complimentary, crafted-in-Seattle pastries after the match was done.

You sirs, are the real heroes, and the “working press” thanks you.

I may even have to reconsider the whole “bitchin’ and whining about private schools” stance I so love to traffic in.

Maybe. Possibly. We’ll see.

It may take me a while to warm up to schools like King’s and Archbishop Murphy, but U Prep, you had me at “free, delicious pastry.”

Oh, and the tennis match which preceded my sultry taste-bud tango with my unexpected delish dessert? It went about as expected.

U Prep, which is almost always in play for glory at the state tourney, won 5-0 to stay atop the battle for Emerald City League supremacy.

But public school Coupeville, which sits at 1-8 headed into a Friday home match with The Bush School, a team the Wolves beat earlier this season, put up some nice resistance.

Most of it came in two matches – #1 singles and #3 doubles.

U Prep’s top gun, Tyler Wurzer, finished third at the state tourney as a sophomore, and, if anything, his game has just gotten more impressive during his junior campaign.

The Puma pounder slapped winners from every direction, combining big power with uncanny touch, and yet Coupeville’s Drake Borden didn’t go down without delivering some impressive shots of his own.

One point in particular was a big fan-pleaser, as the duo exchanged knockout punches from the baseline.

With Wurzer drifting ever so slightly to his left, Borden lashed a long shot to the deepest, darkest corner in the right, and the ball clipped the last little bit of open space, biting the line, then spinning away into the fence for a winner.

It earned a quick acknowledgement from Wurzer, who smiled ever so slightly, and a big roar from Borden’s loyal rooting section, led by CHS coach Ken Stange, who jumped up and punched the air.

The closest match came at #3 doubles, where first-year players Miles Davidson and Logan Martin, who are still in the trial-run part of their tennis careers, fought back to take the second set and force a match-deciding tiebreaker.

While the young Wolves eventually fell to their more-experienced foes, they did so only after putting in their best performances of the season, with both coming up with sweet work at the net.

 

Complete Thursday results:

Varsity:

1st Singles — Drake Borden lost to Tyler Wurzer 6-0, 6-2

2nd Singles — Mason Grove lost to Mattias Keaunui 6-2, 6-3

1st Doubles — James Wood/Zach Ginnings lost to Nicholas Arron/Jackson Wurzer 6-0, 6-0

2nd Doubles — Thane Peterson/Andrew Aparicio lost to Axel Andrews/Eli Pruzan 6-0, 6-0

3rd Doubles — Miles Davidson/Logan Martin lost to Mitchell Zell/Trevor Zell 6-1, 6-7(5-7), 10-4

Exhibition:

3rd Singles — Koby Schreiber lost to Will Cast 6-2, 6-0

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Scrappy Wolves refuse to back down

Posted in Boys Tennis, tagged , , , , on September 16, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Koby Schreiber and doubles partner Thane Peterson put up a strong fight Monday while facing a tennis titan. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

No one said this was going to be easy.

Almost every match in the Emerald City League pits the Coupeville High School boys tennis squad against a powerhouse private school, and Monday’s rumble was a main event.

University Prep lives at the state tournament, when its players aren’t otherwise playing year-round, often with private coaches, on high-grade courts.

So when I tell you the Pumas bounced the Wolves 5-0 in a match played at the Tennis Center at Sand Point in Seattle, it shouldn’t come as too much of a shock.

Still, Ken Stange’s CHS squad didn’t roll over, with matches at first singles and third doubles especially competitive.

Drake Borden had an especially large target at the top of the order, as his opponent finished 3rd at state a season ago.

While the loss drops Coupeville to 0-3 in ECL play, the Wolves get two more chances this week, and will shortly see an increase in their eligible players.

CHS returns to Seattle Wednesday to face The Bush School, then hosts Overlake Friday afternoon.

The Wolves, who have had to forfeit #2 singles in each match so far, has been competing with seven players in a league where there are eight varsity slots per team.

But that changes Friday, when a pair of late-comers will finally have enough practices under their belt to earn the chance to swing a racket in a competitive match.

 

Complete Monday results:

1st Singles — Drake Borden lost to Tyler Wurzer 6-1, 6-4

2nd Singles — CHS forfeits

1st Doubles — James Wood/Mason Grove lost to Nicholas Arron/Axel Andrews 6-1, 6-1

2nd Doubles — Zach Ginnings/Andrew Aparicio lost to Mattias Keaunui/Mitchell Zell 6-0, 6-1

3rd Doubles — Thane Peterson/Koby Schreiber lost 6-2, 6-3

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Powerful Pumas hold off scrappy Wolves

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Mason Grove and Co. put in a solid effort Wednesday against a strong University Prep team, but came away still looking for their first win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A rebuilding Coupeville High School baseball team made positive strides Wednesday night in Shoreline.

While it wasn’t enough to stop a dangerous University Prep team, which rolled to an 11-2 non-conference win, its fifth straight victory, it’s all about the progress for the Wolves.

A young, fairly inexperienced club, which was missing its starting catcher and #1 hitter, started to wake up the bats.

Coupeville, which is 0-7 on the season, has been struggling to collect base-knocks.

Wednesday night they fared better, however, rapping out four hits off of strong Puma pitching.

Ulrik Wells bashed a double, while Matt Hilborn, Hawthorne Wolfe, and Jake Pease all notched singles.

Take those four hits, toss in five walks, and the Wolves scored more than a single run for just the second time this season.

Both runs came in the third inning, when CHS combined walks to Shane Losey and Dane Lucero with singles by Hilborn and Pease to plate a pair.

Coupeville had other chances, but stranded several base-runners, including Wells after he blasted his two-bagger.

Another bright spot for the Wolves was getting strong performances from a trio of young hurlers.

Sophomore starting pitcher Daniel Olson whiffed six batters across three innings of work, while freshmen Hawthorne Wolfe and Cody Roberts combined to add three more K’s between the fourth and sixth innings.

Roberts was especially sharp, tossing two shutout innings to end the game.

He surrendered just a single hit, while ringing up a pair of Pumas, including the final batter he faced.

University Prep, which bashed Coupeville’s North Sound Conference rivals Sultan (23-4) and Granite Falls (14-0) earlier, never delivered a true knockout punch to the Wolves.

The Pumas chipped away, scoring a run in the bottom of the first, before adding three in the second, five in the third, and a final two in the fourth.

They weren’t able to 10-run Coupeville like they had done with the Turks and Tigers, however, forcing them to play the full seven innings before walking off with a 5-2 record.

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