Newton North's Paul Nelson visits Needham's Devin Delamarzio as he sets up the ball during a boys volleyball game. Newton North won 3-1. (Chris Crist/Boston Herald)
NEEDHAM – After ending Needham's winning streak with a 77 in a five-set instant classic about a month ago, the Newton North boys volleyball team felt it had too many matches leading to losses in the weeks that followed.
Ending the No. 1 Rockets' 11-game winning streak with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-19) road win on Tuesday night was no less flashy for the No. 3 Tigers. It wasn't, but it takes on greater significance as part of a regular-season sweep of the three-time reigning division. 1 state champion.
Newton North (13-2) extended its winning streak to seven games, becoming the only team to beat Needham (15-2) in the past four years.
“We felt like we did after beating Needham the first time, so hopefully this gives us some momentum,” Newton North head coach Niall Fox said. “We played the game with a hangover and we were a little too cocky. … I think (we) just showed unity. This is the first time I've seen them really play as a team. ”
“(This win) really comes from our losses. (Fox) really pushed us to not play any more hungover games,” added senior captain Sam Huang. “He emphasized that we have to play with heart and if we want it, we will win.”
Needham started the game strong and used its depth to string together a 25-22 victory and a 1-0 lead. The Rockets' blockers effectively limited Newton Northstar senior Adam Christianson and the Tigers' near-the-pin attacks.
But while middle fans Huang (six kills, seven blocks) and Peter Reale (seven kills, three blocks) kept Newton North going, the rest of the team also helped them win the next three sets. I tried my best towards it.
Christianson had two kills and zero assists in the first set, but had seven assists and one kill in the second set, winning 25-15. Juan and Real combined for six kills in the frame, and Simon Balde had three of the 10 kills.
Paul Nelson's ace started up the middle and scored four consecutive points for the final 11 points of the frame, dramatically reversing the momentum.
“Having a really mobile middle up top really opens up our options,” Huang said. “It’s really hard for them to double block (Christianson).”
“The biggest thing for us today was that we were able to score up the middle,” Fox added. “(Real) and (the fans) were bad from the start…and I think that opened up our outside and pins to really be able to do something.”
Needham overcame an early 8-2 deficit in the third set with an even match, but Newton North won 25-21. Christianson (10 kills, 15 assists, two blocks) had six kills, five assists and one block. Nelson (eight kills, two blocks) added three points on target, along with setter Joaquin Cuevas Torres (24 assists, three aces).
In the fourth set, Devin Delamarzio (29 assists) got Luke Lawrence (10 kills), Brian Cloonan (7 kills), Will McDonald (4 kills), and liberos Owen Chin (Needham) and Brady Dwyer (Newton North) continued to play great. It will be a 15-15 draw.
Phan kept the momentum going with two more blocks and a kill to cut the lead to 22-16, and Nelson's two kills sealed the close contest for a 25-19 victory. Amaris Cotto (3 kills, 2 blocks) also contributed to the win.
“It definitely gives us more confidence, but we're not done yet,” Phan said. “We have a month of games left. It's not over yet. We're going to keep pushing and keep working hard.”