Positives on both sides as Peabody tops Saugus

PEABODY — A Northeastern Conference rivalry between Saugus and Peabody took place at Peabody High on Wednesday with the Tanners walking away with a 3-1 win.

The Tanners took the first two sets (25-10, 25-16). Players from Saugus, despite being down big, rallied around each other and began the third set on fire. The Sachems opened up an 8-3 lead before extending it to 20-12 and eventually forcing a fourth set with a 25-16 win.

Saugus coach Mikayla Niles praised her team for fighting back and not giving up.

“We had some close calls that didn’t go in our favor, but for them to come out in that third set, being down 2-0 but having the mindset of ‘It’s not over’ and leaving it all out there is something to be proud of,” Niles said. “We’re in the same league, but Peabody is in a higher division, so even taking a set off them can be beneficial.”

Peabody put on a show in the fourth set, 25-15, and put the match to bed.

“They performed well,” said Peabody coach Sherrill Erickson. “We had a tough loss last night, so it’s tough to play back-to-back games. They played hard though and we tried a few different lineups today to see what worked and what didn’t since our record isn’t quite what we want it to be.”

Niles praised Peabody’s program for being a top team in the NEC.

“Peabody is always good competition. They’re always competitive and they’re a great group of girls to play against. Taking a set off Peabody isn’t something we’ve done often. I’m not sure if we’ve ever done it,” Niles said. “It’s an accomplishment for the team and I want them to hold their heads up. There are some takeaways from this game that we’ll talk about and work on, but it’s a rebuilding year. We graduated 10 players and only have three returning players from last year.”

Erickson added it was a team effort, led by her seniors.

“We had some seniors step up tonight. Arianna (Goudreau) played well and so did Caitlin Snow,” she said. “Addison (Merrill) was another who stepped up tonight. It was a total team effort.”

Lizzy Bettencourt also shined for Peabody, finishing with 22 kills.

As for the Sachems, Niles spoke highly of senior captain Gia Saunders.

“She’s been dynamite all season. She’s a captain for a reason. She picks the players up, she makes big plays, and she’s always where she needs to be,” Niles said. “She knows when the game is on the line… I’m going to miss her next year.”

It’s been a tough time for the City of Peabody, which is mourning the death of student-athlete Freddy Espinal.

“They’re tough competitors. At this age, I don’t know what I would do. They show up to practice every day and haven’t asked for any time off,” Erickson said. “They went to the wake, they went to the funeral on Tuesday, and then played that night. It’s a lot for 17- and 18-year-olds to deal with.”

Peabody returns to the court Friday at Belmont (5:45 p.m.), while Saugus travels to Medford on the same day and at the same time.

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