It wasn’t supposed to end this way.
The Coupeville High School volleyball team’s season came to an abrupt end with a pair of losses in the second day of the district tournament Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Coupeville.
The Wolves, who finished the regular season with a 13-2 record, split the their first two district matches Saturday and needed to win only one of two on Tuesday to grab one of the five berths into the bi-district tournament.
Coupeville opened Tuesday’s action by losing a tense 3-2 match to Meridian. That nearly two-hour contest took a mental and physical toll on the Wolves, who were then stunned by the North Sound Conference’s fifth-place team, Sultan, 3-2 and eliminated.
Coupeville defeated the Turks twice during the regular season, including 3-0 eight days before Tuesday’s loss.
The Wolves finished the year with a 14-5 record, tying the school record for most wins in a season.
“I told the girls in the locker room to remember the process and the journey, not the ending,” coach Cory Whitmore said.
Meridian 3, Coupeville 2
The Trojans topped Coupeville 25-22, 18-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-10.
The Wolves built a 10-6 lead in the first set and then fell behind 18-14. They rallied to tie the match at 19 before Meridian pulled away for the win.
In the second game, Coupeville scooted to a 7-2 lead but saw the Trojans bounce back to even the score at 8-8. The Wolves once again spurted, going up 16-12. At that point, with Chelsea Prescott serving, Coupeville went on an 8-0 run to put the set away.
The Wolves never trailed in the third set and appeared to have the momentum to wrap up the match. Coupeville, however, sputtered in the fourth game, allowing Meridian to force a fifth set.
In the final game, the Wolves went up 3-0 and still lead 6-5 before the Trojans took over.
Maya Toomey-Stout finished with 24 kills and 27 digs, Scout Smith had 45 assists and two solo blocks and Zoe Trujillo registered 14 kills, seven digs and two blocks.
Lucy Sandahl collected 16 digs and three aces, while Prescott had 16 digs and two aces.
Maddie Vondrak chipped in with five kills and two blocks, Hannah Davidson had five kills and Raven Vick four aces.
Sultan 3, Coupeville 2
The weary Wolves dropped the first set 26-24, but appeared to get back on track by rolling to 25-10, 25-13 wins over the next two games.
The Turks, however, weren’t through, rebounding to take the final two games 25-21 and 15-12.
The overall outcome may have been decided in the first set, which Coupeville led 23-17 before Sultan pulled out the win with an improbable comeback.
In the second game with Prescott serving, the Wolves finished on a 12-0 run.
The Wolves cruised through the third game only to stumble in the fourth, allowing Sultan to gain the momentum and eventually the match.
Davidson completed the contest with eight kills, six blocks and two aces, while Toomey-Stout tacked on 15 kills and 10 digs.
Smith handed out 34 assists, collected 10 digs and put up two blocks; and Vondrak added eight kills and two blocks.
Prescott produced 24 digs and three aces, Sandahl had six digs and five aces and Mathusek tallied 10 digs.
Coupeville’s Hannah Davidson, left, meets Sultan’s Lydia Sorgen at the net. (Photo by John Fisken)
Maya Toomey-Stout rises for a kill. (Photo by John Fisken)
Emma Mathusek gets the Coupeville offense started with a pass. (Photo by John Fisken)
Raven Vick sets up for a serve. (Photo by John Fisken)
Maya Toomey-Stout hits for the Wolves. The senior had 39 kills over two matches Tuesday. (Photo by John Fisken)
Scout Smith sets up the Wolves’ offense; she tallied 79 assists in two matches. (Photo by John Fisken)
Lucy Tenore puts up a block. (Photo by John Fisken)
Zoe Trujillo tips for a point. (Photo by John Fisken)
Lucy Sandahl steps into a serve. (Photo by John Fisken)
Maddie Vondrak fires by a Sultan block. (Photo by John Fisken)
