NEWBURYPORT — It’s always worthwhile to dig into the Xs and Os when analyzing any sport. When it comes to volleyball, you can discuss the strategy behind where you choose to serve, or how you set up your rotations to get your best unit on the court for all situations.
But sometimes … it’s just as simple as having the best player.
That’s the luxury that Newburyport enjoyed on Thursday night in its Division 3 playoff opener, thanks to having one Gabby Vigeant. The junior middle was simply sensational from the opening point to the last, sending down 21 kills with 7 aces to lead the No. 11 Clippers to a 3-0 sweep of No. 22 Tewksbury (25-19, 25-11, 25-15).
From her “fastball” spike that left people wondering if there was still air in the ball, to her “changeup” that always caught the Redmen off guard, Vigeant had everything working.
And her serves were a thing of beauty.
“She was just awesome tonight,” said Newburyport coach Lori Solazzo. “I mean, she pretty much got a point on everything that she touched. She did really well. She had her timing down, she served phenomenal, it was just really fun to watch.”
Then for a certain group of Clippers, the win was cathartic.
For seniors Abby Baker, Gretchen Boelke, Payton Keller, Brooke Lawton, Sadie Reardon, Sophia Rully and Lucy Rimer, the last time they saw Tewksbury in the playoffs was in the 2022 Final Four when they were freshmen. Vigeant and fellow juniors Ellie LeDuc and Ava Bailey were still in middle school at the time, and LeDuc in particular had to watch as her older sister — Ellie — and that Newburyport team fell to the eventual-champion Redmen in straight sets.
But exactly 1,080 days later, that bridge has been mended.
And it’s a victory that advances Newburyport (16-5) to the Division 3 Round of 16 for the fourth straight year. The Clippers have been a model of consistency when it comes to North Shore volleyball this decade, and now they’ll wait to see if they’ll host No. 27 Medway, or have to travel down to No. 6 Hanover for the Sweet 16 (time/date TBD).
The first round game between those two programs is on Saturday.
“I think these girls just work really hard,” said Solazzo in speaking to the growth of the program. “They love volleyball. It’s a sport that eight years ago wasn’t even in this town, but now they all have a fire for it. I mean, right now that’s our JV2 team (on the court after the game) practicing. And we’re working our way into the youth programs and trying to build up the youth. So I think it’s just a sport they want to be good at.”
The Clippers were certainly good at it on Thursday night.
It was a close first set, but Newburyport eventually pulled away from Tewksbury (6-14) for the 25-19 win thanks to Vigeant, Lawton (2 aces) and LeDuc (8 kills). The Clippers then raced out to a 9-2 lead in the second set with Bailey (5 kills, 3 blocks) leaping up for a block, and Keller sent down a few of her six overall kills in what ended up being a dominant 25-11 victory. Then up 2-0 in the match, the Clippers got solid serving from Boelke, Rully, Lawton and Vigeant to send everyone home early in the third set.
“I think they did great,” said Solazzo. “They played together, and it’s a really good start to hopefully push this as far as we can.”