LYNNFIELD ― Brent Ashley’s Lynnfield volleyball squad started its season off on the right foot Monday evening, as the Pioneers swept Triton by a score of 3-0 in their opening match of the 2021 campaign.
Ella Gizmunt had a phenomenal day on the court for Lynnfield, recording 12 kills and nine assists against Triton. Her thunderous serves left it difficult for the Vikings to do anything to stop the Pioneers.
On opening day, the first two sets were back and forth affairs before Lynnfield would find a way to create a sizable margin. After the two teams traded blows in the first set, the Pioneers would jump out to a 13-6 lead and force Triton to call a timeout. Lynnfield would continue to dominate following the break, extending the lead to 20-8 and forcing a second timeout from the Vikings. Lynnfield would take the first set 25-8.
Things were a little more interesting in the second set, as both sides went back and forth trading points. Midway through the set, the score was tied at 11 when Lynnfield went on a four-point run to force another Vikings timeout. The Pioneers would extend their lead to 20-11 and eventually coasted to the set win.
During the second set, Ashley was challenging his players to see just how fast they could play. He talked about the mentality he was trying to instill in his players after the win on Monday evening.
“Our biggest thing is because our kids play a lot of club (volleyball) together, they talk to each other and they are really close friends,” he said. “They know each other and they work on fast tempo plays and they know that the faster that they can run systems, the easier it’s going to be and they’re not going to have to challenge themselves later in the match.”
The third set would be a change of pace, as Lynnfield would jump out to an 8-2 lead over Triton and would force another timeout after extending the lead to 12-4. But after the timeout, the Vikings went on a run. Triton would continue to claw its way back into the set, narrowing the lead to as close as 19-17.
Unfortunately for Triton, it was too little too late as Lynnfield would end up taking the third set 25-18.
Giuliana Guarrachino also put in a quality effort for the Pioneers, tallying nine kills and eight digs. Sarah Foley racked up five kills and five aces.
For Ashley, this was a great start to the season ― especially considering the quick turnaround the team faced after finishing the prior season in April.
“Especially for these guys, it was such a quick turnaround,” he said. “They played March (and) April last year, had a summer full of volleyball for a lot of them, trying to find recovery time, trying to find time to just relax and just rest and be with their families and then it’s like the season started out of nowhere.”
Due to the rather quick turnaround, Ashley felt that the group was able to carry over some of the momentum it gained last season. Still, the coach said that there were some changes as they played six juniors in Monday’s match.
“We’re young and we’re resetting in a lot of different ways,” Ashley said. “For me, to have these six juniors come out there and put that pressure on it was something really special to see.”
Ashley was also impressed as he trotted out over a handful of players into Monday’s game who had not played a varsity game before. The coach said that he was having fun watching them perform in their debuts.
Lynnfield (1-0) has a quick turnaround as it plays on the road at Pentucket Thursday evening (5:30).