WINCHESTER – With the sole lead in the Middlesex League title race on the line against rival Winchester, the No. 8 Lexington boys volleyball team picked a good night to set personal records on Monday.
Junior outside hitter Nic Sanchez de Rojas posted a career-high 19 kills with nine in the third set, helping the Minutemen (15-1) overcome late runs from the No. 18 Red and Black to pull out a 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-23) win and extend their program-best 15-game winning streak.
Defense and serving were other major keys against a scrappy Winchester group hosting its 8th Annual Spike Out ALS fundraiser game.
“I didn’t know (I had 19), I feel great,” Sanchez de Rojas said. “Our coach always tells us to maintain the team ego but not have a personal ego, so I think it really helps to boost our morale. Obviously, we see the 15-1, and it makes us feel good. But we just can’t get too cocky.”
Lexington’s talent and depth overwhelmed Winchester in pockets throughout the match. Ale Luciani (11 kills) and Nadav Vachtel (seven kills) each had standout stretches on the attack. Mahin Rajesh and Jake Seigal combined for 37 assists, and middles Alexander Jackson (4.5 blocks) and Kolbey Manuelian (two blocks) played well at the net alongside the three-headed monster of pin-hitters to anchor a strong defensive showing.
That depth turned in a comfortable, 25-16 win in the second set. But in the first, Winchester erupted for a 5-0 run facing set point to challenge in a 25-21 frame. And in the third, a 9-1 run anchored a comeback from down 17-8 eventually forced a 23-23 tie.
The Minutemen, who lost a 3-2 thriller to Wayland in the opener, continued to show their improvement in crunch time by taking the next two points on a kill and block from Manuelian.
“We know that Winchester is always going to give us a battle,” said Lexington head coach Marc Turiano. “It got real competitive down the stretch (in the third). I think our guys have gotten in the habit of winning the tight set. … They’ve been pushed a number of times during this streak, and they’ve shown a pattern of coming through.”
“We practice the (clutch) situations,” added Sanchez de Rojas. “20-20, who can get to 25 first. I think it’s really great to get used to that in practice. … We’re starting to see we’re competing more in those tight situations and winning.”
Sanchez de Rojas had set the stage for the win in that last set with nine kills, adding to yet another showing of depth Lexington has at the pins.
Vachtel had four kills in a standout second set. Luciani had five with four aces in the first.
“It’s incredible we have so many options,” Sanchez de Rojas said.
Despite the loss, Winchester head coach John Fleming was pleased to see such a scrappy fight from his group before heading into a difficult stretch of its schedule before the state tournament starts. More meaningful, though, was a large crowd at a game dedicated to a great cause.
Former player Philip Marks’ father, Rick, was diagnosed with ALS in 2017 and the team started the fundraiser in support of the family. Shortly after, Fleming’s father was diagnosed.
It’s a cause that hits close to home, and the impact of still hosting the successful event, with Rick Marks’ wife, Eileen, and ALS One in attendance, is special.
“(Eileen) comes every year,” Fleming said. “Even a Lexington parent just came up to me and she works at BioGen … they just had a big break through. She and I spoke and she said the awareness is so big. … To have (this) sort of impact still is huge for us. And I think it’s important for high school athletes to sometimes be thinking about something than a match and to think about something as big and life-changing as a disease like this.
“It’s great to have the support from the community, that’s also why we picked Lexington.”