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Posts Tagged ‘winning streak’

Ace, ace, ninth straight win in your face

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on October 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Their future (and present) is so bright, they might need shades. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They dodged a potential trap.

Coming off arguably the biggest win in program history, and with the playoffs starting next week, Thursday’s varsity volleyball match on Friday Harbor could have been an afterthought for Coupeville.

The host Wolverines entered play at 1-12, playing out the string.

CHS, by contrast, had won eight straight, including handing four-time defending 2B state champ La Conner its first league loss in 12+ years.

The potential for a letdown was there and … yeah, forget about that.

Coupeville came out and took care of business, crushing its hosts 25-9, 25-15, 25-7 in a matter of minutes.

Or at least it felt that way.

So, movin’ right along, with a merry skip to their step.

The victory lifts the Wolves to 6-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 10-4 overall, with a nine-match win streak in hand as they prep for a trip to Lacey Monday.

Once there, Coupeville will open the four-team, double-elimination District 1/2 tourney against Northwest Christian.

Two more wins and the Wolves head back to state for the first time since 2017.

To see the district bracket, pop over to:

http://www.wpanetwork.com/wiaa/brackets/tournament.php?act=view&tournament_id=4102

But, if Coupeville was already looking ahead, the Wolf spikers hid it well Thursday, focusing on being their best savage selves, raining down kills from the heavens and delivering 25 service aces.

Another ace, another celebration.

For CHS coach Cory Whitmore, who has led his team to double-digit wins in all seven seasons they have played a full schedule for him, the night was about fine-tuning stuff.

“We are working on a couple of things and so pushed ourselves on attack specialties,” he said.

“We challenged Madison (McMillan) to really command the first ball, especially on freeballs and she did a great job.

“Katie (Marti) was really strong on the service line, as was Teagan (Calkins). Teagan also played really clean on the attack.”

Now, a brief break, and then it’s off to the postseason.

“We look forward to district ball on Monday after a weekend of rest,” Whitmore said, before heading off to catch a few winks before returning to his day job as a teacher.

 

Thursday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 1 dig
Teagan Calkins — 5 kills, 3 digs, 5 aces
Mia Farris — 10 kills, 2 digs, 1 ace
Jada Heaton — 2 kills
Katie Marti — 5 digs, 21 assists, 7 aces
Madison McMillan — 9 digs, 3 assists, 7 aces
Grey Peabody — 5 kills, 1 block assist
Lyla Stuurmans — 10 kills, 2 digs, 5 aces

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Can’t contain them, can’t beat them

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on January 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

A dapper Landon Roberts hangs out with the woman who taught him how to play the game, mom Sherry.

“Incredibly proud of this group of guys.”

Former Wolf hoops legend Hunter Smith capped his run as Coupeville High School JV boys’ basketball coach by guiding his squad to a seventh-straight victory.

Using a 15-0 fourth quarter run to seal the deal on a 46-26 win over visiting Friday Harbor, the Wolves get to 8-3 on the season.

While Coupeville’s young guns still have three games left on their schedule, Smith, a 2018 CHS grad in his third season working the sideline, is heading off to start fire academy.

Jon Roberts and Craig Anderson will step in to take his place for the final two weeks of the campaign.

Hunter Smith (with clipboard) spreads hoops wisdom. (Sherry Bonacci photo)

Playing a final time for the dude who scored 847 varsity points during his own CHS school days, the Wolves jumped out to a quick 13-4 lead at the first break Friday.

Five different Coupeville players scored in the opening frame, with Landon Roberts rippling the net on a three-ball.

Friday Harbor proved resilient, though, cutting the deficit down to 23-20 at the half, and were still hanging around at 31-26 heading into the fourth.

That was when Smith unleashed his pack, which swarmed the Wolverines, not allowing them to score a single point in the fourth quarter.

Malachi Somes splashed home a pair of three-balls in the final frame, with Hunter Bronec adding five points, and Coupeville closed the night on a rampage.

Eight Wolves scored, with Somes topping the chart with 10 points.

He had plenty of help, with Hurlee Bronec (8), Hunter Bronec (7), Jack Porter (6), Roberts (5), Aiden O’Neill (5), Johnny Porter (3), and Camden Glover (2) also scoring.

Yohannon Sandles and Carson Field rounded out the Wolf roster, with everyone on the floor bringing the heat.

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JV spikers wage epic brawl

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 19, 2021| 5 Comments »

Taylor Brotemarkle and the Coupeville JV fear no player, and no team. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They won the battle, but lost the war.

The best volleyball match of the season went down Tuesday in the Coupeville High School gym, a JV battle royal which came within a whisker of giving La Conner’s second unit its first league loss in 20+ seasons.

The fans were engaged, the players were rowdy and rambunctious, and every point mattered in a thriller in which, in one way, the Wolves came out on top.

Coupeville actually won more games than visiting La Conner — 62-59 — but ultimately fell 26-24, 18-25, 15-13 in three titanic sets.

The loss drops CHS to 8-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 10-3 overall, but serves as a warning to the Braves.

The young Wolf crew fears no one, and no team, no matter how vaunted their reputation may be.

Led by CHS player-turned-coach Ashley Menges, the Wolf JV is winning, it is fighting for every single point, and it is preparing its players for the eventual jump to varsity.

And, once they get there, these spikers will enter each gym, their own or ones on the road, expecting to be competitive every single night, regardless of the name on the other jerseys.

Tuesday’s tilt was proof of that, as the Wolves proved they could roar from behind, run in front, or stand in the middle of the floor and swap haymakers.

After falling behind 7-4 in the opening set, Coupeville fought back to force four ties, the final one at 22-22.

The play of the match came when hard-charging freshman Katie Marti made a miracle save while on the floor.

Staring at the other player’s shoes, she still managed to get several fingers on the volleyball, converting it from a runaway to a suddenly perfectly-placed winner, all with the flick of her wrist while still prone.

That helped spark a nice run at the service stripe from teammate Gwen Gustafson, while Marti came back around to deliver the ace which staked Coupeville to a 23-22 lead, its first advantage since 1-0.

Katie Marti was a whirlwind Tuesday, pulling off big play after big play, as usual.

La Conner’s JV, which doesn’t hit as hard as its varsity counterparts, but does take after them in terms of committing few errors, found a way to wriggle out of the first frame, but set two belonged to the Wolves.

Madison McMillan broke things open with a run of six straight points on her serve, aided by two big winners off of the deadly fingertips of Grey Peabody, and CHS never trailed in the middle set.

Each time a play went Coupeville’s way, the girls on the floor, and the girls on the bench, roared loud enough to be heard up in Oak Harbor, and the fans in attendance backed them.

Issabel Johnson’s mom, in particular, was a standout, raising the roof for both her daughter and every one of her daughter’s teammates, from Jada Heaton to Mia Farris and beyond.

It was Aby Wood who punctuated things, crunching a spike which went right to left and caught the very last flake of paint on the line for a crucial point.

La Conner got back to within 19-17, but the Wolves closed things out like cold-blooded killers, with Marti smacking a nasty ace, and Gustafson unleashing her full fury on a shot which sliced ‘n diced anyone foolhardy enough to get in its way.

With the match riding on the line, the final set — a mad dash to 15 points — featured eight different ties, while neither team led by more than two points at any time.

Coupeville’s final advantage was at 12-11, coming after Farris and McMillan pasted back-to-back winners, but La Conner found a way to wiggle away one final time.

The Wolves held off one match point, even with two players colliding while both were going for the third, and final, hit on a rally.

To the surprise of all involved, the ball not only still went over the net, but skipped away from the defense once it did, pulling CHS within 14-13.

While they couldn’t pull out what would have been a landmark win, the JV did make a huge statement to their rivals, their fans, and, ultimately themselves.

These Wolves are hungry, and they’re planning to chomp everyone in their way.

 

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 1 kill, 2 digs, 7 assists, 4 aces
Mia Farris — 2 kills, 1 assist, 1 solo block
Gwen Gustafson — 5 kills, 10 digs, 2 aces
Isabel Johnson — 5 digs, 1 ace
Katie Marti — 2 kills, 3 digs, 7 assists, 2 aces
Madison McMillan — 3 kills, 10 digs, 2 assists, 2 aces
Grey Peabody — 5 kills
Aby Wood — 1 kill

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Wolves nip at big dogs

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on October 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Maddie Georges played strongly Wednesday, but Coupeville couldn’t topple La Conner. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re a solid #2.

In the season-and-a-half since rejoining the Northwest 2B/1B League, the Coupeville High School varsity volleyball team has played 16 matches against conference foes, going 12-4.

That’s 12-0 vs. the combined forces of Friday Harbor, Concrete, Darrington, Mount Vernon Christian, and Orcas Island.

And, after a road loss Wednesday, 0-4 against two-time defending state champs La Conner, which hasn’t lost a league tilt in a decade-plus, or dropped a set in any kind of match since Covid first arrived.

The Braves, anchored by junior Ellie Marble — well on her way to a third-straight league MVP season — are big hitters, dynamic passers, and high IQ athletes.

Hence Wednesday’s 25-12, 25-11, 25-18 win, which lifts La Conner to 7-0 in league play, 8-0 overall.

Coupeville, which is off until a trip to Orcas Oct. 12, is 6-1 in NWL competition, 6-3 overall.

While the Wolves are chasing the Braves — just like every other 2B program in the state — they are putting up a strong fight.

There were moments in Wednesday’s match when young Wolves like freshman Savina Wells cracked off some lightning bolts which hit and exploded with fury.

Also, a lot of hustle, as Alita Blouin, Maddie Georges, and Co. hit the floor in pursuit of incoming balls, kept plays alive, and refused to go quietly.

But, ultimately, La Conner’s impressive net game proved hard to handle, giving Braves fans much to enjoy.

Still, even in defeat, Coupeville coach Cory Whitmore found positives.

“It was a bit rough at times, but La Conner is as-advertised, and at least had to earn their points,” he said. “When given the chance, we had few attack errors and service errors, which is more progress.

“The third set was stronger being that there were more rallies and defensive chases,” Whitmore added. “I thought that when given the chance, we executed our game-plan pretty well.

“We just have to tighten that up to play the long-game with them, set-to-set and generate our own offense and chaos-creating plays. Throughout the match, I was pleased to see our cohesion remain strong and energy remain consistent.”

 

Wednesday stats:

Alita Blouin — 7 digs, 1 ace
Maddie Georges — 1 kill, 8 digs, 8 assists
Taygin Jump — 1 dig
Ryanne Knoblich — 3 digs
Jill Prince — 2 kills, 1 block assist
Olivia Schaffeld — 1 kill, 2 digs, 1 block assist, 1 ace
Lyla Stuurmans — 1 kill, 4 digs
Lucy Tenore — 2 kills, 1 block assist, 1 ace
Savina Wells — 4 kills, 1 block assist

Ryanne Knoblich chipped in with tons o’ hustle.

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“The program has a bright future”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on July 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Sofia Peters (left) and Gwen Gustafson are part of a “bright future” for Coupeville High School softball. (Photo courtesy Irene Gustafson)

Wins are nice, growth even better.

Getting some of both, the Coupeville High School softball squad strolled to an 8-2 win over next door neighbor Oak Harbor Wednesday, running its summer league winning streak to four games.

The Wolves enjoyed a bigger roster than before, with incoming freshmen who played on the Whidbey Island All-Star juniors team in uniform for the first time.

That group was coming off a district title and a four-game run at the state little league tourney.

“All the new freshmen played for the first time last night and did a great job, with some minor hiccups along the way,” said CHS coach Kevin McGranahan.

“But, all in all, I was impressed with their poise and how they competed,” he added. “The Wolf fastpitch program has a very bright future.”

With the influx of new players, McGranahan had to shuffle his lineup a bit to insure playing time for the newcomers.

“It is impossible to play 20 girls in one game, so I want to thank those that I asked to take a week off,” he said. “You gave the younger girls valuable experience last night.

“Thanks for being unselfish and “taking one for the team”.”

Coupeville closes summer league play next Wednesday, July 28, when it plays its final two games of the off-season.

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