LYNN — Lynn schools are filled with great student-athletes and their talents are on show throughout the school year in their respective sports. This spring, more talent will be on display as, for the first time, boys volleyball will be introduced to the Lynn schools. The coaches and students “cannot wait” to get the season started.
Two coaches who are thrilled about the introduction of volleyball are Lynn English coach Alejandro Lazo and Classical’s coach Chris LeBlanc.
“I’m super excited. It’s a wonderful opportunity and I can’t wait to get the kids on the court for a real game,” Lazo said.
“I’m really excited for this. It’s something I have been pushing with the school for a few years now,” LeBlanc said. “I think around the city, especially at Classical, there’s a strong desire to see the boys have this opportunity.”
Both coaches bring experience to the floor and are embracing the fact that this will be the first boys volleyball team for each school.
LeBlanc is currently the girls volleyball coach, a position he’s had since the fall of 2021.
Classical’s athletic director Bill Devin described LeBlanc as a “volleyball fanatic.”
At English, the boys will be in good hands as Lazo has experience in coaching many different types of sports. He played volleyball in high school, which led to him playing division three volleyball for two seasons in college.
Both LeBlanc and Lazo want their players to be culture setters.
“We started this with a goal in mind: to build something in the long term,” LeBlanc said. “For them to be proud of and in a few years we can look back on and say ‘I helped start this.’”
“We have a very strong group,” Lazo said. “What I’m trying to instill in this group is not just a team but a community that supports one another and builds everyone up.”
When asked why he wanted to become the volleyball coach, Lazo said he thought his second year at Lynn English presented a great opportunity to establish something new.
“To just be able to launch a program for the first time is a wonderful opportunity,” Lazo said.
LeBlanc mentioned that the students have been pushing for a boys team. He said he has been an advocate for boys volleyball for “several years,” trying to get the school to launch the team. When it was rumored that Classical would have a team, LeBlanc was “apprehensive” at first.
“Initially I was apprehensive. Until I saw for sure that this was going to happen I wasn’t going to get too excited,” LeBlanc said. “But once we got the final word that it’s happening, I was very excited for the kids and for the opportunity they have in front of them.”
Practice officially started this week and LeBlanc has been impressed, saying “some kids have a ton of talent and look like they’re good volleyball players.”
Lazo has been impressed with the turnout, saying the team has around 26 to 28 players.
Since the teams are new, there are a few challenges that each coach faces. Lazo mentions the fact that the baseball and softball teams share the same gym as them.
For LeBlanc, a challenge he knows his team will face early on in the season is a lack of experience.
“They have never really played in a real competitive competition, so they’re not going to know rotations, offensive and defensive systems,” he said. “To try and teach them that in two weeks is a lot for them to learn.”
Both coaches are welcoming these challenges and embracing the opportunity to be the first boys volleyball coach in the history of their schools.
