Coupeville High School tennis coach Ken Stange shuffled his lineup and received a positive result, a 4-3 win over visiting Klahowya Friday, Sept. 16.

After his team dropped its first four matches of the season, all non-league contests, Stange made the switch for the conference opener, setting his club on the right course to defend its Olympic League title.

Stange took Nick Etzell out of first singles and paired him with Jakobi Baumann in fourth doubles, fortifying the Wolves already strong doubles lineup.

“I suspected that KSS would load their top guys into the three singles spots, so I decided to pull Nick out of singles and place him at fourth doubles with Jakobi,” Stange said. “The plan was to take all four doubles matches for the win. It worked just as I had hoped.”

Etzell and Baumann were 6-3, 6-2 winners, along with the teams of John McClarin and Joseph Wedekind (6-1, 6-2), William Nelson and Joey Lippo (6-0, 6-1) and Grey Rische and Jimmy Myers (6-2, 6-1).

Stange had some concerns about his different lineup.

“The question was, how would a pair of singles players fare at fourth doubles,” he said. “After a bit of a rocky start, they rolled to victory. Jakobi got more steady and consistent as the match wore on, and Nick was able to take full control of the court.”

The other doubles teams “were on point, too,” Stange said.

“Joey and Will dispatched their opponents with authority, Jimmy and Grey rolled to an easy win and a 5-0 record for the season and Joseph and John befuddled their foes in the one spot.

“It was a great team win.”

In singles, Nile Lockwood lost 6-1, 6-0; Mason Grove lost 6-0, 6-1; and Aiden Crimmins lost 6-1, 6-1.

Coupeville (1-0, 1-4) returns to non-league play when it goes to South Whidbey (2-3) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22.

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Jimmy Myers returns a shot for Coupeville. Photo by John Fisken.