The Wolves invade Granite Falls. (Photos courtesy Mandi Murdy)
Another milestone in the books.
The Coupeville Middle School volleyball players and coaches made their first road trip of the season Wednesday, surviving a long and winding trek to the wilds of Granite Falls.
As the day played out, the young Wolves learned to adapt on the fly, as their hosts flipped the schedule without alerting CMS, but were rewarded with a stop to fuel up at Chick-fil-A.
So, you lose some, you win some.
Facing off with a rival with a deep roster — Granite Falls sends students on to a high school with a student body more than twice the size of Coupeville’s — the Wolves stayed competitive but couldn’t quite pull off any upset wins.
Ready to get scrappy.
How CMS fared:
Level 1:
“They kept fighting even when they were down,” said Wolf coach Elizabeth Mallett. “They communicated and kept the energy up despite the loss.”
Halle Black and Jasmine Allen drew praise for their “good work ethic and teamwork,” as they “were put into new rotations and adapted well to the new spots.”
Spike-happy siblings Reina Rivers and Faith Rivers “hustled for every second ball,” while “Josie McColl had some aggressive kills at the net,” Mallett said.
Brinnley Meek, Reagan Green, and Milly Somes rounded out the Wolf roster.
Level 2:
Granite Falls had “several strong overhand servers, including some jump servers,” said coach Mandi Black, while Coupeville struggled with its own serve.
“A lot less aggressiveness in this game than in our first game we played,” she added. “Rough away game today, lots of cold feet and big nerves from the girls.”
Still, the Wolves put together some solid play, with Black hailing Arley Bosler, who moved into the libero position and made an immediate impact.
“She did great in this role, and I am excited to see her learn and grow in it.”
Evelynn McDonald and Diana Teran Herrera made their season debuts, making their presence felt while deepening the roster.
“Diana got all of her serves over and did a great job stepping into the game,” Black said. “Evelynn was aggressive about calling the ball and working to get a pass over.
“We learned a lot from this game, and we have a strong practice plan moving forward.”
Level 3:
Coupeville’s mighty mashers left it all on the floor, earning a big thumbs-up from coach Audrey Meek.
“They had an OUTSTANDING match,” she said. “All fighting and hustling to every ball. Team three went out hot and just kept it burning.”
River Castellanos and Lily Jacobson delivered three service aces apiece, while Lindsey Ashby and Evelynn McDonald “had attitudes that carried the team and kept them positive all night.
“Selina Milburn and Scotlyn Helm were dynamite passers and had some phenomenal serves,” Meek added. “Zora Worthington and Annabelle Wold were ninjas on the court and were ready for the ball.”
Up next:
Coupeville continues its three-game road trip, with visits to Sultan October 5 and Northshore Christian Academy October 7.
The Wolves finally play on their own court again October 12, when King’s comes to Cow Town.
“Chik-fil-A is calling us!!”
