LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield volleyball team kept its undefeated season alive and knocked off yet another Cape Ann League foe in the process Monday evening, taking down Newburyport by a score of 3-0 on its home court.
The Pioneers won by set scores of 25-6, 25-16, 25-7.
“We played our best game (Monday), and it’s really looking like things are starting to click for the girls out there,” said Lynnfield coach Brent Ashley. “They were fun to watch out there. They’re healthy, they’re rested and they’re executing the game plan exactly how we’ve laid it out. It was great to see.”
One of the biggest changes that Ashley has seen between this year’s team and last year’s team is that this year’s team has been able to get off to fast starts in every single match.
“It’s almost like a Jekyll and Hyde situation with last year’s team,” said Ashley. “Last season, we couldn’t get off to a good start to save our lives. Now, we get off to a great start in every match and then have a let-down in the second set. The great starts have really helped us, but now we just have to back them up.”
Monday’s win was also special because it was a payback game for the Pioneers, who suffered their only loss of last season to Newburyport. And even though there are only two returning players from last year’s Lynnfield team, the feeling of getting revenge lingered.
“That chip on our shoulder really carried over into this year after that loss, even though most of those girls saw that loss while watching from the JV team,” said Ashley. “This was definitely a program win, and one that every player was itching to get.”
The victory puts Lynnfield at 7-0 on the season, meaning the Pioneers are inching closer and closer to a berth in the state tournament. But that’s not on their minds yet, as the team still has unfinished business in its own league.
“We’ve really been focused on building small goals throughout the season, and the first one for us is beating every team in the CAL and going undefeated in the league,” said Ashley. “Once we can get through that milestone then we can shift our focus to the next thing, but we want to remain focused on what’s in front of us for now.”
Lynnfield takes on Ipswich Wednesday evening (5:30) on the road.