Wechsler reflects on historic Tech season

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Last Updated, Nov 14, 2023, 5:34 AM

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LYNN — Heading into the season Lynn Tech’s volleyball team failed to make the playoffs in the past four years and has never won its conference. At the conclusion of the season, the Tigers not only made the postseason with a 14-6 record earning them the No. 22 seed, but they were crowned CAC Lower conference champions.

“We ended up winning the CAC Lower which is something that has never been done before,” Tigers coach Kaitlyn Wechsler said. “We also made the playoffs for the first time in four years.”

The Tigers may have easily qualified for the postseason, but it was due to the hard work and determination they put in during the offseason.

“I’m honestly not surprised because we had a strong core coming back and we had a solid group that put in a lot of work in the offseason,” Wechsler said. “They did summer league, they did workouts, in the spring they were totally invested and had a goal. I knew they were focused and determined to reach their goals.”

Wechsler believes the offseason helped her team be up to speed the day tryouts came around.

“The entire varsity team played in the summer league with the exception of one or two players,” Wechsler said. “More than just building chemistry, they had a ball in their hand they were playing with from spring all through summer to the start of the regular season. We were ready to start practicing right from tryouts. I felt like we were steps ahead because of all of the work they put into the offseason.”

When asked if she set any expectations or any goals for the team, Wechsler mentioned she kept them quiet and to herself, unlike her team.

“I always have expectations in my head but I don’t always let it be known because I don’t want them to be disappointed if we don’t reach them,” Wechsler said. “However, as a collective unit, they had a goal that they wanted to make the playoffs.

“As far as winning the conference I didn’t have any expectations of it. I knew in the back of my head it was a possibility and knew they needed to work to earn that and they did,” Wechsler said.

Win after win, the Tigers found themselves “cruising” to the postseason.

“They were super excited although they weren’t as excited as I thought,” Wechsler said. “When we hit 10 wins we only had two or three losses so we were cruising. Our attention switched to getting the highest seed possible.”

14 wins didn’t come easy as the Tigers only had five home games since their gym was under construction and weren’t ready for the start of the season.

“We faced a ton of adversity. Our gym wasn’t ready since the Field House was under construction,” Wechsler said. “We had to fight that all season. We had to find places to practice and play more games on the road. We finished the season with only five home games.”

The Tigers all season was a team about the collective rather than the individual.

“As a coach, you usually know who your best player is. But for us, on any given night it could be anyone that would step up,” Wechsler said. “It was exciting to see who it would be on the night.”

When asked about what was special about this team, Wechsler mentioned the enjoyment everyone had which made her job easier.

“Something about this group, everyone from top to bottom really enjoyed themselves,” Wechsler said. “I feel like that made it a great atmosphere and I think they were all having fun and enjoying themselves. Since they were enjoying themselves I was enjoying myself.”

Soon the Tigers will unveil their conference banner in the gym, something that will never be taken down.

“I think [having a banner] was more exciting than making the playoffs,” Wechsler said. “I told them and reminded them that it’s history. It’s special because years from now they can come back and see it and know their hard work earned that banner and no one can take it from them.”

Mark Aboyoun is a New Jersey born sports writer at The Daily Item. Aboyoun is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University ’18 and went on to earn his Juris Doctor at Western New England School of Law in 2021.

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