FILE PHOTO.
Jill Bowden (nine service points) and Andy Nhiv (eight service points) served well for the Bulldogs on Thursday.
By Harold Rivera
LYNN — It’s been a tough season for the Lynn English volleyball team this fall. The Bulldogs (1-9) fell to Winthrop in straight sets, 25-12, 25-14 and 25-10, on Thursday evening at English.
Although things haven’t gone the way the Bulldogs hoped they would, coach Mike Haddad noted a handful of positive takeaways from Thursday’s match.
“It’s been a process from the beginning,” Haddad said. “There are things that we’ve been working on both offensively and defensively. I tell my girls that it’s not about whether we win or lose, it’s how we win or how we lose.”
Haddad, who’s in his first year at the helm of the volleyball program at English, added, “a game like this, sure there are definitely things that we need to tighten up, but I was proud of the way they played because they showed me things we’ve been working on in practices.”
In the first set, Winthrop jumped out to an 14-4 lead and English found itself with an early hole to climb out of. The Vikings kept the pressure on the Bulldogs and took the set, 25-12.
“The problem with when we fall behind early is that even when we tighten up, it’s sometimes too late to make up the difference,” Haddad said. “As far as all three sets go, I thought we played well but there were moments when we lost focus and Winthrop’s game was tight.”
Things began to look better for the Bulldogs in the second set, as both teams battled to an early 4-4 tie. Unfortunately for English, once Winthrop claimed the lead, the Vikings also stole the momentum. Winthrop battled out of the early tie to take the lead at 11-6, and eventually the set, 25-14.
“Our second game started very strong,” Haddad said. “We were keeping it close. Unfortunately, sometimes when a good server has four, five, six points in a row, it can get into our player’s heads. That’s often when we start to lose focus.”
The third set was a similar story. English kept the set close in the early stages, as Winthrop led 10-6. Once again, the Vikings put together a string of points and pulled away from the Bulldogs to take the set, 25-10.
“It wasn’t any one player or any one thing,” Haddad said. “It was small moments when forgot our training. Winthrop was good enough to capitalize on the moments when we lost our focus.”
Haddad credited a number of his players for turning in strong performances on Thursday. Jill Bowden and Andy Nhiv were the strongest servers for English. Bowden had nine service points on the evening while Nhiv notched eight.
Brittany Barrows, Amanda Khun and Lindsey Lannon each had two hits apiece. Bowden contributed with two hits of her own.
Lily Vu also had a strong outing for the Bulldogs.
“She played a strong game and had several heads-up plays,” Haddad said of Vu. “She’s one of my more consistent players.”
English is back in action on Monday when the Bulldogs visit Peabody. The Bulldogs have three matches next week, all on the road.
“These players know what they need to do (to win),” Haddad said. “What it’s going to take is maintaining focus and drive throughout the whole game.”