An ability to serve effectively is a lethal weapon in volleyball.

Just ask the Coupeville Wolves, who used 31 service aces in three games to cruise to a 25-11, 25-13, 27-25 victory over Shoreline Christian on Thursday night.

“That game was awesome,” junior Kirsty Croghan said. “We picked it up, that’s how we can play — I’m excited.”

The Wolves were led in serving by Mindy Horr, who had 13 aces. At one point the senior served 10 straight aces, including seven in a row to close out the first game.

“It felt good, it felt on,” Horr said of her serves. “Sometimes my arms are sore or it doesn’t feel right, but tonight it felt really good.”

Asked if there was any special approach she takes, Horr said she made some slight adjustments for Thursday’s match.

“I don’t have anything I usually do, but tonight I was just trying to get a lot of top spin on the ball,” she said.

Teammate Laura Crandall also had a strong game behind the service line, adding 10 aces.

“That’s why they’re my number one and number two servers,” head coach Toni Crebbin said. “When they’re on, they’re on.”

Coupeville initially fell behind 5-0 in game one, but after a quick turnaround, it was all Wolves over three games.

Croghan led the Wolves emotionally, spiking down eight kills.

“She was on,” Crebbin said. “Her timing was the best I’ve seen all year.”

With the victory Coupeville moved to 5-0 in league and 6-0 overall.

The team received a pleasant surprise after Thursday night’s game when Crebbin let them know they were ranked sixth in the state’s latest volleyball poll.

“We’ve never been ranked that high,” she said. “I didn’t tell them before the game, but I just told them after and the girls were ecstatic.”

Next week marks an important part of the season for Coupeville as they take on a strong Orcas Island team on the road Tuesday and face rival and ninth-ranked La Conner at home on Thursday. The match, which also takes place during Homecoming week, starts at 6 p.m.