NEWBURYPORT — The Lynnfield volleyball team couldn’t have gotten off to a better start to its season, earning a 3-0 win over Cape Ann League foe Newburyport on the road Monday evening. The Pioneers, who are defending CAL champions, won by set scores of 25-22, 25-5, 25-15.
“It was just incredible to be out on the court again, the girls have been waiting so long for this,” said Lynnfield coach Brent Ashley, who was named the CAL Coach of the Year last season. “I told them before the game that they’d feel like freshmen again with the butterflies and all that, and they just came right out and were relaxed from the jump. It was a really impressive win for us.”
Sophomore Ella Gizmunt had a huge night for the Pioneers in the win, notching 12 kills, 11 aces and 10 digs to lead the way.
“Ella was the difference maker for us (Monday), there’s no question,” said Ashley. “She came out with a calm demeanor from the start and she was our rock the whole night.”
Senior captain Daniella Colarusso added 16 digs and eight aces in the victory.
The Pioneers were in pretty strong control for most of the first set, jumping out to a 23-15 lead and looking like they were going to cruise to a first set win. But Newburyport fought back with a seven-point push to get right back in the game at 23-22. Lynnfield scored the final two points to take the set 25-22, and the Pioneers never looked back from there.
The second set was a dominant one for Lynnfield, with the Pioneers getting into a groove and never letting up. Ashley let things ride and had his team play freely, and when the dust settled, Lynnfield took the set 25-5.
“It was just one of those times where you don’t even coach them, you just let them ride the momentum and keep having fun out there,” said Ashley. “They were playing so well, I didn’t need to say anything or make any adjustments. The girls just rolled for the entire set.”
The momentum remained on the Pioneers’ side the rest of the way, as they rolled to a 25-15 set victory to take the match.
Lynnfield (1-0) plays on the road at Triton Wednesday (5:30).
“(Monday) was a big momentum win for us and it was a great way to shake off the butterflies, so now we’re ready to move forward,” said Ashley. “Triton has some big hitters and they got a big win over North Reading (Monday night), so we know we’ll be in for a tough match. We’re just going to come in with the same game plan and try to pull off another win.”
