LYNN ― Lynn Classical defeated Lynn Tech to open up the city volleyball tournament at the Tony Conigliaro Gymnasium on Thursday afternoon.
While Classical won 3-0, Tech put up a fight nearly taking the third set. Classical head coach Chris LeBlanc was happy with the win, but admitted that the Rams needed to play better.
“I think the first two sets we were really clean, we were really focused and the third set I think we let it (the game) get away from us, but they fought through,” said LeBlanc. “I thought we served really well. I thought our centers both played well. I think we struggled at times with our footwork and understanding where we need to be on the court. We’ll try to clean it up for tomorrow.”
At the beginning of the first set both sides were trading blows, but Classical went on a run, which extended their lead from 6-4 to 14-6 and caused a Tech timeout. Senior Reese Brinkler continued to be impressive in serving the ball and ended up extending the lead in the first set by three points before forcing another timeout.
The Rams extended their lead to 21-6 before securing the first set victory by a score of 25-9. Brinkler was also impressive, securing six aces in the first set alone. Linda Jallow also impressed with five digs.
The second set was a much more contested affair. While Classical was able to break out to an 11-3 lead before Tech called a timeout, the Tigers clawed back and narrowed the deficit to 13-7.
They continued to get back into the match, getting the deficit as close as five points, but unfortunately for them they would still lose the second set 25-16.
The third and final set was more of the same for the Rams. They went on a 9-2 run before forcing a Tech timeout. The Tigers responded well after the pause in play, narrowing the deficit to 11-6. They continued to tally points as they shrunk the deficit to three and forced a Classical time out.
Tech head coach Kaitlyn Wechsler was pleased with the fight her team showed even when facing a tall hill to climb.
“We talk about that all the time, just fighting and being willing to push when things are tough and not folding,” said Wechsler. “I’m happy with their fight because we could have just folded, but they didn’t.”
Things got close toward the end of the set, as Tech continued their comeback, shrinking their deficit to just one. The teams continued to trade blows and Tech eventually tied things up at 22 points apiece. But the Rams still ended up taking the set.
Tech (1-1) will play in the consolation game of the Lynn City Volleyball Tournament Friday (TBD) against Lynn English back at Conigliaro Gymnasium.
Classical (2-0) will take on St. Mary’s in the Lynn City Volleyball Tournament championship Friday (TBD).
