LYNN — Sitting at 5-8 on the season, the Rams of Lynn Classical desperately needed a win to stay in contention for a playoff bid. They got one Wednesday night at Lynn English High School, beating the Bulldogs in straight sets by scores of 25-5, 25-14, and 25-13.
It was English’s senior night, and Head Coach Mike Haddad spoke before the game as the home team honored both English and Classical’s seniors. Even with the home team holding most of the momentum going into the match due to their senior night celebration, the Rams clicked from the jump and spoiled the celebration. They held a slim 4-3 lead over the Bulldogs, but a series of miscues down the stretch caused English to fall behind 15-3. After a series of aces from Classical’s Linda Jallow, the Rams went on an astounding 21-2 run to win the first set. Jallow was a key piece in the offense, finishing with 11 aces and 6 kills.
English battled back early in the second to take an 8-4 lead and hung in for most of the set thanks to a number of great defensive efforts. However, Classical was able to go on yet another run, this time finishing an 11-1 run to win set number two. English got off to a great start in the third set ,yet again, going up 4-3. In each of the three sets, the Bulldogs looked strong early, but their downfall wasn’t able to stop the Rams. English made things interesting in their last life, but Classical pulled away to clinch the victory.
It may have been senior night, but freshman Emma Chevalier stole the show Wednesday. Chevalier aced the Bulldogs four times to go along with seven assists and 12 total points on serve. Chevalier credited the victory to the energy and relaxed attitude they came in with.
“Just having fun, we’ve been having some trouble, being in our own heads,” Chevalier said. “I could see that everyone had fun, everyone was encouraging each other, even if we made a mistake, everyone was picking each other up, so I think that definitely helped us tonight.”
Senior captain Jauslin Mensah was also integral to her team’s victory – not only with her play, but her attitude and leadership. Being a captain on a team that had just been through a losing streak, Mensah knew she had to amp up her team coming into this matchup.
“I just wanted to make sure that everyone just kept the energy up, because obviously after a few losses we just needed to pump ourselves up,” said Mensah. “We just made sure to keep that kind of mindset and keep pushing through it.”
The win was huge for Classical – not only because it’s always nice to beat a city rival, but also in terms of potential playoff implications. Classical is certainly on the outside looking in for the state tournament, but they kept their hopes alive as they advanced to a 6-8 record after a four-game skid prior to Wednesday. The team still has six games remaining, and Head Coach Chris LeBlanc knows they need to capitalize on their opportunities if they’re going to stay alive in the postseason hunt.
“This was huge, without this win, we would put ourselves in a box that is almost impossible to get out of,” said LeBlanc. “With this effort, this win, the states are still an achievable goal for us. As a program, that’s something we strive for every year and I think this group is good enough to be there.”
As for the Bulldogs, their record might not show it, but the team has fought extremely hard all season and has been competitive in countless sets – something Haddad can be proud of his team for.
“Our record has not been great, but the thing that I’m the most proud of is that every game that we have played, my team has made it competitive every set,” Haddad said. “Even if we’re down two sets to none, even if it’s 22-10, they still play hard all the way to the end. Really that’s all a coach could ask for.”
Classical’s next match comes Friday when they host Somerville – who they beat earlier in the season – putting them in a good position to get one game closer to even. For English, they look to build off of their defensive efforts, and end the season on a positive note against Chelsea on Friday.
Ryan Vermette can be reached at [email protected]
