WINTHROP — The Saugus volleyball team won its second game in as many days Tuesday evening, earning a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Northeastern Conference foe Winthrop at Chris Tsiotos Court. The Sachems won by set scores of 25-21, 25-15, 24-26, 25-20.
“We knew what to expect coming into this game after they beat us a couple of weeks ago, so we kind of knew how they were going to play us,” said Saugus coach Gina Vozzella. “We went on a few good runs throughout the game, but we definitely still need to work on our consistency over the course of an entire match.”
Ava Rogers played well in the win for Saugus, earning a number of service points, kills and blocks throughout the night.
Prior to the game, Winthrop honored its group of five seniors — Katie Gagnon, Carolyn Kinsella, Caroline Earl, Adyana Barbarisi and Xhona Kokoneshi — for their contributions to the program over the years.
Saugus honored its five seniors — Paige Prezioso, Serena Cacciola, Carissa Sargent, Haley Mclaughlin and Madison Niles — prior to Monday night’s 3-1 win over Salem.
“Four of them have been four-year players for us and our three captains, Maddie, Paige and Serena, are great leaders on and off the court,” said Vozzella. “They really bring a lot to our team and we’re going to miss them when they’re gone.”
Saugus opened up with a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Winthrop slowly battled back to tie things at 6-6 before taking the lead. The Vikings extended that lead out to 14-9 before Saugus called a timeout, but Winthrop continued to push its lead to as many as eight points.
But this time, Saugus battled back. The Sachems rallied to tie the score at 19-19 before taking back the lead, going on a 9-3 run to close the set and win it 25-21.
Saugus took that momentum right into the second set, jumping ahead 9-1 before Winthrop called a timeout. The timeout didn’t help things much, as Saugus stretched its lead to 14-2 and later 21-10. Despite a small run late in the set from Winthrop, the Sachems remained in control and took the set 25-15.
In the third set, it was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish. Saugus took an 11-6 lead early and forced a Winthrop timeout, but the Vikings battled right back to tie the score at 15-15. Six ties and seven lead changes later, an unforced error by Saugus gave Winthrop the 26-24 set victory to keep the match alive.
Saugus re-established control in the fourth set, scoring the first four points and running ahead 12-5 before Winthrop called a timeout. The Sachems continued their strong play from there, hanging on to secure the match.
Winthrop (2-3) travels to Masconomet Thursday (5:30).
Saugus (2-2) plays on the road at Beverly Thursday (5).
“The girls are really pumped up right now because this is the best record they’ve had in a couple of years,” said Vozzella. “Getting a couple of wins under our belt has given them a lot of confidence, so we’re just hoping to keep that rolling. We need to keep working on our communication and our consistency, and hopefully we can keep the positive momentum going.”
