When her team fell behind 7-0 in the first game, Coupeville volleyball coach Toni Crebbin didn’t panic.
“I didn’t stress,” Crebbin said. “I knew we would come back.” That they did in a 3-0 win over visiting Sultan Tuesday, Sept. 28.
The Wolves quickly erased Sultan’s 7-0 spurt at the start of the match and never trailed again, although the Turks hung tough in the third game.
Coupeville won the sets 25-19, 25-8, 25-21.
The Wolves kept their composure in game one and passed the Turks (0-6) at 18-17. At that point Katie Smith served her team to a 23-17 lead that all put sewed up the victory.
Smith was the first server in game two and helped her club zip to its own 7-0 lead. The margin ballooned to 13-1 as the Wolves cruised.
In game three, Coupeville again took control early and led by as many as six. The Turks, however, battled back to knot it at 17 before Coupeville pulled away.
Crebbin said she mixed up her lineup in the third set to try “some different things” and give some substitutes more playing time.
Smith’s serving sparkled in all three games as she went 29-29 with five aces. Jessica Riddle had eight kills, Laura Chan 17 assists and Taya Boonstra 16 digs.
Coupeville (2-4, 3-4) begins a three match road trip Thursday, Sept. 30, at Lakewood (4-1). The Wolves don’t return home until their match with King’s (5-0) Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m.