Volleyball: Coupeville roars back for 3-2 win

Roaring from behind, the Coupeville High School volleyball team snatched an improbable 3-2 win from visiting Granite Falls Tuesday, Oct. 19.

The Tigers (5-7) faced little resistance in defeating Coupeville 25-22 and 25-17 in the first two games and appeared to be on the way to a sweep when leading 17-9 in the third set.

Then the Wolves woke up and rallied to take the game 26-24. From there it was all Coupeville as the Wolves won games four and five 25-22 and 15-9.

Coupeville coach Toni Crebbin credited the turn around to accurate serving; the Wolves struggled hitting their spots in the early going.

Slow starts have bugged the Wolves all year, and Crebbin noted that her club "jumped ahead and stayed ahead" in game five.

In game one, the two teams were tied 7-7 before the Tigers methodically pulled away. In game two, after a 4-4 tie, Granite Falls went on a 12-4 run to take control.

Down 17-9 and 18-12 in the third game, Coupeville found consistency in its serving and offense to start to comeback.

In game four the teams were knotted at 13-13, then Coupeville jumped up 17-13 thanks in part to a slick save by Jessica Riddle and two aces from Katie Smith. The Wolves never trailed again.

In the final set, it was 7-7 when Coupeville started to pull away. Three kills from Riddle, a kill and stuff block by Bessie Walstad and a kill from Alexis Trumbull highlighted the run.

Laura Chan guided the offense with 33 assists, leading to 16 kills for Riddle. Walstad had six kills and four stuff blocks. Tauni Moody hit all 13 of her serves.

Riddle also helped on the defensive side with 22 digs.

It was the first five-game win for the Wolves. Three of the last four matches went five games and Coupeville dropped all three.

Coupeville (3-9, 4-9) heads to Sultan (0-12) Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m.

Contact Whidbey News Times Sports editor Jim Waller at jwaller@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5060.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.