Coupeville High School head volleyball coach Toni Crebbin has been saying all season long that it was just a matter of time before the team put everything together.
Hosting Saturday’s district tournament, that’s exactly what transpired.
The Wolves polished off Meridian in three straight games in the loser-out opening match and then went five games to defeat Nooksack Valley.
With two victories under their belts, the team then squared off against Cascade Conference rival King’s High School in the championship match.
By the time they locked up with the Knights, the Wolves had already played eight games in the tournament and they were a tired bunch of ladies.
As a result, Coupeville was swept in three straight games.
No matter, the Wolves finished as the runner-up and will be advancing to the tri-district tournament at King’s on Saturday, Nov. 8.
“The second seed is very exciting for us,” Crebbin said.
Against Meridian, the Wolf Pack jumped out to commanding leads in both the first and second games only to allow the Trojans to rally back.
Coupeville led 22-11 in the first game before Meridian fought back to make the score 23-21, and in the second game the Wolves held a 13-4 advantage at one point.
“We have done that all year, letting other teams come back on us,” Crebbin said.
Eventually, the Wolves pulled things together and won the first match 25-22, 25-19 and 25-11.
Coming back in the second match against Nooksack Valley, things got really exciting in front of a big crowd in Coupeville’s secondary gym.
The Wolves won the first game 25-23, but lost the second game 25-20.
“We split with them at the South Whidbey Tournament and we knew it was going to be a close match,” Crebbin said.
The Wolves won the third game 25-17, only to have the Pioneers
win the fourth 25-21, setting the stage for the fifth and deciding game.
Trailing 14-13 with the match on the line, freshman Katie Smith stepped up and served an ace to tie the score.
“We had a big crowd in that small gym and they just went crazy,” Crebbin said. “Katie was a perfect 22-for-22 in serving during the tournament and that was her only ace.”
Good Wolf Pack serving was a big a major factor in the tournament.
“We didn’t make a lot of mistakes at the line. During the season we served about 85 percent, but we were 92 percent in the tournament,” Crebbin said.
Smith got another point on serve to give Coupeville the lead and the Wolves went on to win the game 17-15.
“I’ve been saying all along that these are a great group of girls to work with,” Crebbin said.
Against King’s, the Wolves simply ran out of gas and lost the match 25-19, 27-25 and 25-10.
Coupeville opens bi-district play at 11 a.m. against Vashon Island, the number three seed from district three.
A victory will mean the Wolves come back at 4 p.m. playing the winner of the Charles Wright match against a still unnamed district two seed.
“We’re expecting to do well Saturday. Two wins will put us in the state tournament,” Crebbin said.
