LYNN — In any sport, it’s tough to beat a team three times in one season.
But that’s what it took for the Classical volleyball team to win its fifth consecutive Lynn City Tournament championship Saturday afternoon at St. Mary’s Conigliaro Gymnasium.
The Rams defeated crosstown rival English in straight sets. Set scores were 25-18, 25-12 and 25-13.The victory marked the third time Classical defeated English this season.
“This is a really important tournament for us,” Classical coach Frank DeLuca said. “We play in a difficult conference. This is what we look forward to. Usually it’s us against English, St. Mary’s and Tech — really good teams. It’s something the girls are excited for and look forward to. No matter what happens during the season they have this at the end.”
In the process, Classical finished the regular season at 17-3 and set a program record for most wins.
To the Bulldogs’ credit, they kept pace with the Rams in the early going. The first set opened with a back-and-forth effort from both sides. Classical found itself clinging to a two-point advantage until the Rams started to distance themselves toward the end of the set. A 19-13 Classical lead forced English to call a timeout. The Bulldogs came within four points, down 20-16, with a late rally but Classical made the key plays down the stretch for the 25-18 set win. Kiara Edmonds led the Rams in the first set with six service points (two aces).
Things didn’t go well for English in the second set. Classical stormed out of the gate with a 7-2 lead and stretched its advantage to double digits at 17-7. The Bulldogs took another timeout in an attempt to regroup but Classical kept its foot on the gas through the finish. Classical took the set, 25-12, to grab a 2-0 match lead.
“This is the third time we’ve played Classical and every game seemed to have been the same story,” English coach Mike Haddad said. “Classical has a really strong team. We played well. We always seem to do well early in the set and they pull ahead, and it’s tough to come back. We kept it competitive but Classical’s a strong opponent.
“Our player of the game was Angel Batista,” Haddad added. “He’s going to be taking over (libero) Andy Nhiv’s spot next year. Angel never gives up. He hustles and has a lot of energy. He’s smart and reads the play of the other team.”
Classical grabbed six straight points to start the third set with a quick 6-0 lead. Refusing to go away easily, English climbed back into the set down 12-10. But with the Bulldogs knocking on the door, Classical put the finishing touches on a 25-13 set win to seal the match.
For the Rams, Pamela Diaz finished with 16 service points (six aces), Skylar Crayton added five kills and Jean Gupton tallied four kills. Classical’s Amber Crayton was named tournament MVP.
“Amber played great,” DeLuca said. “She does it all for us. She serves, she sets. She started getting some kills in this tournament. We were kind of inconsistent in this tournament but she led us throughout.”
The Rams and await the state tournament pairings.
“We’re just going to clean up some of the unforced errors that we’re making,” DeLuca said. “If we can do that and get our serves in, we should be alright. We just have to refocus now because it’s going to be a step up from this point on.”
English finished the season at 3-15 but Haddad said he’s optimistic about the program’s future.
“I’m excited to see the future of our main middle player, Merily Folestal,” Haddad said. “She has amazing defensive skills at the net. She had a lot of blocks and her hits are straight shots. She’s a sophomore and she’s going to be a star.
“I’m proud to coach the Bulldog volleyball team. In my four years with the team this the best season we’ve had, not just in record but in our growth from the beginning to the end of the season.”
In the tournament consolation game, St. Mary’s defeated Tech in straight sets. The Spartans closed the season with six wins.
