NORTH READING — It was the Ella Gizmunt show at North Reading high school Wednesday night, as the Lynnfield senior’s dominant offensive performance propelled her team to a straight sets win over North Reading, keeping the Pioneers perfect through four games this season.
Whoever was on the receiving end of a Gizmunt spike for North Reading was in big trouble as she showcased her incredible vertical leap and explosiveness when coming back down to hit the ball.
Whether she was serving or having a ball set to her, the Hornets stood no chance.
Gizmunt recorded 12 kills to go along with five aces as she set the tone for the Pioneers from the start. A number of Gizmunt’s kills likely would not have come to fruition without the help of fellow senior Celia Carbone, who had an outstanding match herself. Carbone recorded five aces and assisted on a number of kills, including many from Gizmunt.
“I am always thinking about where she is on the court,” Carbone said. “I need to know when to adjust it to make it high for her or to make it fast for her, she gives me really good feedback so I’m able to adjust to what she needs.”
Both seniors got off to a good start in the first set. An ace by Carbone got Lynnfield out to a two-to-nothing lead before a couple of kills from Gizmunt and senior Grace Davie made it a nine-to-two game with things going wrong quickly for North Reading. The Pioneer’s ball placement when hitting to North Reading’s side of the court was crucial to their success on the night. Lynnfield was able to strike the ball in a way that did not allow North Reading to get their offense properly set, resulting in a lot of miscommunication errors and miss-hit balls.
Gizmunt slammed back to back kills towards the end of the first set to make it a 23-12 lead before North Reading called time. Out of the timeout, the Pioneers took the next two points, giving them the first set by a score of 25-12.
Carbone got the scoring started in the second set for Lynnfield with an ace and decided to show off her defensive skills as well. With the set tied at eight, a ball came flying over from North Reading’s side of the net and began to dip down towards the floor fast. Carbone was able to rush up from the backcourt and tracked the trajectory of the ball before extending her locked arms and diving to keep the ball in the air. The point went to Lynnfield and became a crucial play as they stayed in front for the rest of the set. Showing no signs of slowing down, Gizmunt again was able to help her team close out the set by giving her team a 14-9 cushion. The Pioneers went on an 11-5 run to close out the second set, winning 25-14.
Gizmunt and Carbone seemed to be perfectly in sync with each other, but that was also the case for the entire team. The seniors commented on how they are able to enjoy so much success on the court night in and night out.
“We’re really all best friends, we coach each other,” Gizmunt said. “Our libero is coaching a setter and outside is coaching a hitter, everyone can work so well together. Our team has never wanted something more.”
“Our bond with each other on the court is intense. We’re able to trust each other and we know when something messes up, we’re able to tell each other what went wrong and we can move on,” Carbone added.
On their last breaths, North Reading tried to mount a comeback, tying the third set at 11 a piece, but the task proved to be too tall as Lynnfield took the set 25-18, resulting in a straight-set win for the Pioneers. After posting a superb 19-5 record last season and losing to Medway three sets to two in last year’s playoffs, the Pioneers are surely on a revenge tour as they aim to finish what they started a year ago. Their state championship run is off to a phenomenal start as they have won all of their first four games and in doing so, have only lost one set combined.
“Our team has never wanted something more,” Gizmunt said. “We came out angry and we got what we wanted.”
Lynnfield looks to keep the ball rolling and remain undefeated this Friday, September 16th when they host the Lancers of Malden Catholic at 12:00 p.m.
Ryan Vermette can be reached at [email protected]
