LYNN — And the Greater Boston League comes down to this. The stakes were at an all-time high for the Lynn Classical Rams (15-3) on Monday night, as a win over Chelsea would earn them the conference title, and a loss would split it between the two teams.
But when the lights were at their brightest, Classical stepped up to the task and secured the GBL championship with a 3-0 sweep over Chelsea. Additionally, the team kept their undefeated GBL conference record alive, standing at 13-0 with one league game remaining.
After the game, coach Chris LeBlanc was fired up, and proud of his team for exceeding preseason expectations.
“I’m really proud of them because coming into the year, (winning the GBL) was a goal that we had, but I didn’t think we would achieve it like this… 13-0 at this point with a chance to go 14-0 in the GBL, I couldn’t ever imagine that at the beginning of the year… It’s because they worked so hard.”
LeBlanc was also happy to see his team get the job done with room to spare, as it allows his team to shift its focus onto its next goal, competing in the state tournament.
“We have to get ready for the state tournament,” LeBlanc said. “So to be able to make sure that (winning the GBL) was accomplished tonight, it gives us a chance to try some things that we wouldn’t have had the chance to work on.”
As far as the state tournament goes, LeBlanc mentioned that he thinks his side “has a chance to compete” against some of the best teams in Massachusetts, and believes the Rams’ victory over Wakefield on Saturday gives them the confidence to do so.
“Prior to this week, whenever we stepped up against outstanding competition (outside of the GBL) this year, we didn’t do as well. Then, we went up against Wakefield and we showed we can hang with these high-level teams, and I think that was important for the girls,” Leblanc said. “If we just play our game, run our offense, play our defense… we can hang with anybody.”
As for the game, Classical controlled throughout, leading to its 3-0 victory over Chelsea (25-9, 25-19, 25-17). Leading the way for the Rams was setter Emma Chevalier, who dished out 23 assists and earned four aces. But most impressively, Chevalier assisted six different Rams players, earning them each a kill.
Neveah Eth (6 kills) and captain Amanda Hughes (7 kills, 2 aces) also enjoyed big days in their team’s victory, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Rams. Chelsea fought in the second and third sets, going up early and staying within striking range late in the match.
However, the Rams’ fight through adversity over a loud Chelsea crowd also impressed LeBlanc in the victory.
“Our strength is that we’re clean, and when we start making mistakes, other teams feed off it,” Leblanc said. “(Chelsea) pushed us really hard in those last two sets, and (the Rams) were able to take a breath, calm down, regain their footing, and start putting the ball down.”
The Rams enjoyed their GBL championship on top of their annual Dig Pink breast-cancer awareness match, but now look forward to finishing the regular season with their sights set on the state tournament.
The Rams will have an opportunity to go a perfect 14-0 in the GBL Tuesday night, when they travel to Medford for a match at 5:15 p.m.
