LYNN — The Lynn Classical volleyball team kept its unbeaten season alive yet again on Wednesday evening, knocking off cross-town rival Lynn English by a score of 3-0 in a Greater Boston League battle. The Rams took the match by set scores of 25-16, 25-18, and 25-10.
“It’s always great to get a win over English, and this one really mattered to them because they’ve now beaten English, (Lynn) Tech and St. Mary’s this year,” said Classical coach Chris LeBlanc. “I thought we played really well in the first and third sets, and even though we struggled in the second set we were able to regroup and get the win.”
Chloe Clement had a big game in the win for Classical, notching seven kills. Samantha Thoeun also had a solid game with four aces, while Gianna Coito also had a great game at the service line.
Stephen Srey and Veronica Moeun played solid games for English in the loss.
“First of all, Classical played a great game and really took it to us,” said English coach Mike Haddad. “Our game wasn’t our best after coming off of a win, and for whatever reason our heads just weren’t in the game (Wednesday).”
The opening set got off to a back-and-forth start, but Classical took over once the score was tied at 2-2. The Rams jumped out to a 9-2 lead before eventually stretching it to 19-6. English went on a small rally to get within five points, but Classical closed out the set on a run to take it 25-16.
Classical continued that momentum right into the start of the second set, jumping out to an 11-6 lead in the early going. English fought right back, eventually tying the score at 15-15 and pushing Classical back on its heels. But the Rams wouldn’t be denied, retaking the lead and closing the set on a 10-3 run to win it 25-18.
“English played really well in that set to really push us, and we didn’t respond right away,” said LeBlanc. “Luckily, we were able to regain our footing and hang on to win that set.”
“Service errors really killed us in that set,” said Haddad. “The rally was great, but we just couldn’t sustain it because we made too many mistakes at the service line.”
That momentum rolled right into the third set, as Classical raced out to a 15-1 lead before coasting to a 25-10 set victory to win the match.
English (1-7) takes on Chelsea Monday (5:30).
“I think the biggest thing for us is attitude,” said Haddad. “I know that this team has a lot more to give, so now it’s time to refocus and try to come out and get a win Monday.”
Classical (8-0) plays on the road at Somerville Monday (5:15).
“For us, the focus is still on getting better every day,” said LeBlanc. “We know that we’re going to be facing some tough teams down the stretch, so we’re really going to lock in and try to get that GBL title.”