Wayne County Life

Lexi Buckley (8) and Ryenn Smith (6) watch Taylor DiSanto come up with a dig

Coach Matt Barr now has 500 wins at Lyons.

By John Addyman
johnaddyman@waynecountylife.com

LYONS (Sep 30 11) -- Ryenn Smith produced 11 kills, Abbie Shields added 10 more, Taylor DiSanto made 23 assists, Lexi Buckley scooped nine digs, and the Lyons volleyball team racked up its 12th straight win this season, 3-0 over East Rochester on Friday night.
The win was the 200th career victory for coach Matt Barr, who is in his 10th year at Lyons, and whose teams have notched five sectional titles and gone on to four state qualifiers.

Abbie Shields rises for a kill against East Rochester

   Lyons had little trouble subduing the Lady Bombers (25-11, 25-7 and 25-14). As the game unwound, it was quickly apparent that libero Buckley was going to control the middle of the floor for the Lions, that DiSanto was going to get into position to set up the big girls, and that Lyons now has two kids who can not only produce kills, but do it in thundering fashion.

Ryenn Smith fires a cross-the-court kill

   Abbie Shields has the height and leverage to bring the ball down vertically over the net, but Smith produced some of the most prodigious hits, whistling the ball across the court and over the net to stun the Bombers.
   "We came out a little flat," Barr said about the first game. "We've played a lot of road games, and it was nice to be back in our home gym. We play well here. This was a good night to get the second half of our season started."
   The Lions already sport a 12-0 record, and this was the second meeting against East Rochester. "They got to 23 points in one game against us the first time," Barr said, noting the improvement his kids have made.
   An unbeaten record is remarkable on its face, but Barr said some interesting developments have led to the success of this year's squad.
"We lost a lot of athletes in last year's senior class," he said. "Some of those kids had played four or five years for me. We had to look for leadership in new places. Ryenn Smith, a junior, is in her fourth year; Lexi Buckley has played three years; and the Shields girls (Abbie and Hannah) -- they're all outstanding leaders.

Hannah and Abbie Shields present a united front against East Rochester

   "We only have nine kids on the team. That has forced them each to play a role, and it became a tight-knit group."
   The 200 wins "wasn't really a goal," Barr said, circling away from getting his picture taken with a cake decorated with a big "200" on it. 
   "I've just had a lot of good players, a lot of sisters, a lot of families come through the program."
   Smith made six of her kills in the first game, with Lyons pulling away from East Rochester behind serves from Buckley and Hannah Shields -- between them accumulating 11 points at the end of the game. Abbie Shields took over in the second game with four kills and two service aces. The Bombers looked like they might have a spark in the third game, keeping it relatively close for awhile, but Lyons' momentum finished off any hopes with Abbie Shields' final service ending the game.
   Barr said with Abbie Shields and Smith in the lineup, the Lyons always have a strong hitter in the front court. With Abbie and Hannah Shields, the Lions also have two big girls who can turn away a lot of offense at the net.

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