The season came to an abrupt end for the Coupeville High School volleyball team when it lost 3-0 at Cascade Christian in Puyallup Thursday, Nov. 5, in a loser-out district match, but the journey was nice and the future looks sweeter.

The Wolves, who won only one match in 2014, ended this year with six victories, a second-place finish in the Olympic League, a home playoff win for the first time since 2004 and a district tournament berth. And all the improvement came from a squad that featured only two seniors.

Cascade Christian (12-4) won 25-20, 25-11, 25-12 and advanced to the semi-finals of the West Central District 3 1A Tournament.

The Wolves (6-10) held a slight lead deep into the first game, but the Cougars finished strong and carried the momentum to wins in the next two sets.

“Our passing and defense were solid tonight,” Coupeville coach Breanne Smedley said. “We had a hard time getting our offense up and running. Cascade Christian played smart, disciplined volleyball and made us earn our points from start to finish.”

The Wolves’ defense was led by Hope Lodell with 19 digs; Valen Trujillo added seven.

“Valen and Hope both came ready to play against a team they knew was going to be a battle and had phenomenal games,” Smedley said.

Lodell also had two kills, as did Ally Roberts.

Sydney Autio finished with five assists and three aces, and Lauren Rose hit all seven of her serves and handed out four assists.

“The girls saw how close we were to state last night, and that has made them even more hungry for next year,” Smedley said. “I’m so proud of all they’ve accomplished and we can’t wait to start building on that for next year.”

(Left: Payton Aparicio passes while Valen Trujillo looks on. Below: Hope Lodell serves. Photos by John Fisken.)