A few bumps and bruises were to be expected along the way.

And growing pains were evident as a young Friday Harbor volleyball team, playing this year without a senior on the squad, struggled to find its footing in a 3-0 loss to Coupeville, Saturday, in the team’s season opener and home debut.

The Wolverines gained traction in the third game of the match, however, battling the Wolves to a 14-14 tie before losing momentum down the stretch.

Coupeville tallied four consecutive points to surge out in front and then seven of the next eight to seal the match. Co-captain Kaylen Meeker, a junior and starter on last year’s squad, said the team is still tying to find its chemistry on the court. There’s no need to hit the panic button at this point of the season, she said.

“I think we did pretty good in staying together as a team,” Meeker said. “We’re young and we’re still trying to learn how to play together and what to do out there on the court.”

She noted lessons were learned against a seasoned Coupeville squad in spite of the season-opening loss.

“We have to work on picking up the pace and having more confidence in ourselves,” she said. “Definitely more confidence.”

Coupeville tallied three consecutive wins to claim the match up between the 1A regional rivals by scores of, 25-19, 25-16, 25-15

Next:

The Wolverines face Northwest 1A/2B League rival Concrete, Thursday, on the road; game time is 3:30 p.m. They host Lynden Christian, a regional 1A foe, Saturday; game time is 1 p.m., and are home to square off against the Vikings of Orcas Island, Tuesday, Sept. 27, in Turnbull Gym (game time has yet to be determined).

— Scott Rasmussen