LYNN — The English volleyball team has gotten closer and closer to reaching its goals through the past few seasons. Last year’s team finished 4-18 but what the Bulldogs’ record didn’t indicate was that English finished the season on a high note. The Bulldogs defeated Tech in the opening round of the Lynn City Tournament before falling to Classical in the championship match.
A second-place finish and four regular-season wins was a step forward, said coach Mike Haddad.
“Obviously I would’ve liked the win record to be a little higher but I was very happy with the team,” Haddad, entering his fifth season at English, said. “Over the past three years, we’ve shown improvement each year. Having four wins was definitely an improvement. Being able to compete for the first and second spots in the Lynn City Tournament was very nice as well.”
So what are Haddad and his Bulldogs hoping for this year?
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this is the season we make the state tournament,” Haddad said. “Every season I’ve coached I’ve always held out that hope. Every season we’ve been a bit closer and a bit closer. I’m holding out hope that this could be the season that we do it.”
Thus far, things have gone according to plan through the preseason. English lost a handful of talented seniors from its 2018 roster, meaning new faces are stepping in and filling those vacancies this fall.
“There’s a lot of potential with this new team,” Haddad said. “We had a lot of seniors last year so this season’s going to be very interesting for us. We only have five returning players with varsity experience. We have some new faces. We have some kids from JV who’ve moved up to varsity. We have some kids who haven’t played in our program yet who’ve shown some real strong potential.”
The center of attention in practice has been figuring out where the newcomers best work into English’s system. English mastered its rotations last season and it worked to the Bulldogs’ advantage.
“With so many new players coming into varsity, the main focus has been figuring out how these new pieces fit into the team and working a lot on rotation,” Haddad said. “One of my single proud moments of last season was we never got called for an out-of-rotation violation. We’ve struggled with that in past seasons. It paid off last season. There were a couple games that went our way because of teams being out of rotation. That swing of momentum can really change the fabric of a game.”
The Bulldogs will be led by senior captains Angel Batista (libero) and Yen-Linh Chit (middle-hitter). Also returning to the team are seniors Mandy Healy (setter) and Khammany Phommachanh (outside/middle hitter), and junior Merily Folestal (middle hitter).
“Even in the first week of practice they’re showing that they’ve maintained their skills since the end of the season,” Haddad said. “Being on varsity last season has made them even stronger players this season. I think they’ll all be very strong role models for the new players that have come into varsity this season.”
English opens the season next Wednesday, when the Bulldogs welcome Northeastern Conference opponent Salem to Paul Cavanagh Field House.
“There’s a nice mix of excitement and a little bit of nervousness,” Haddad said. “They need to get at least one game under their belt to really come together as a team. We’ve been working on it this week. They’re eager to be in a real-game situation. I’m hoping this game, win or lose, will set the tone for what the rest of the season’s going to be like.”
