LYNN — The Lynn Classical volleyball team are coming off one of their best seasons in recent memory, but this fall will mark a new chapter for Head Coach Chris LeBlanc and his program.
The Rams went 18-4 a year ago, powered by a veteran core that included six seniors — all of whom played significant roles including the two-time Greater Boston League MVP Amanda Hughes.
“She is just a kid that’s going to be extremely difficult to replace because of everything she meant to the program,” LeBlanc said. “Not only was she the best player, but she was also the best leader. Everyone knew if something was going to get done, Amanda was going to do it as well as she could. The captains we have this year saw what it meant to do that role well and are doing their best to fill in and become more vocal leaders, and better leaders on and off the court.”
The leadership torch this season passes to senior captains Emma Chevalier and Brooke Braswell. Chevalier returns as a captain after holding the role last year, while Braswell steps up following a strong year last year and stepping up in preseason.
“Brooke and Emma are our captains for this year,” LeBlanc said. “Emma was a captain last year and we named Brooke as the other captain. Brooke was our middle blocker last year and she has grown as a player and as a leader as much as any player I’ve seen in her time in the program. She really stepped up because Emma has a sore achilles, so we’re taking our time letting her come back slowly. Brooke has done a tremendous job being that vocal leader and Emma, even though she’s being held out of some workouts, is still there acting as a player/coach.”
While Classical reloads, LeBlanc says preseason has been encouraging.
“The first couple of weeks have been good. We’ve been learning a lot about ourselves,” LeBlanc said. “We graduated six players from last year’s team that all had significant roles. Trying to refill that and replace that to see who is ready to step up has been what this preseason has been all about. I think we’re making good progress on that.”
That progress showed in a recent scrimmage.
“We scrimmaged against Wakefield on Friday and we were very competitive,” LeBlanc said. “That was the most important thing to find out. Are we going to be able to go out to some of these schools that I consider good volleyball schools and be able to compete? I think today was a good indication that we will be OK.”
As for who will step up in the lineup, LeBlanc points to several names.
“Players like Jada Tejada are taking a step forward. Meredith Kennedy, who was an outside for us last year, is also taking a big step forward. We also have younger kids pushing for roles,” LeBlanc said.
One key battle lies at libero.
“There’s a couple of people competing for the libero job which in my opinion is one of the most important jobs on the team,” LeBlanc said. “I think senior Azriella Jorge is doing a really good job to try and lock that job down. She’s being pushed by another senior in Suri Reyes and sophomore Emma Pento. Seeing them compete is good and I think we’re in a good spot.”
For LeBlanc, this year brings a different kind of coaching challenge — and one he welcomes.
“To me the most interesting part about being a coach is trying to find out what your ceiling is and how you get there,” LeBlanc said. “With our team last year, I will go to the grave saying that was one of my favorite teams I’ve ever coached in any sport. But I knew what I had. This is a different exercise, trying to figure out where things are going to go. My assistant coach and I are having fun trying to find out how to go where we need to get to.”
The Rams open the season on the road on Tuesday when they face North Andover at 5 p.m.
