NEWTON – Head coach Nile Fox didn’t need to play in order to look exhausted over the rollercoaster his Newton North boys volleyball team took him on Tuesday night with a spot in the Div. 1 state boys volleyball final on the line.
But after seeing a dominant two-set lead nearly fade with their season to black as part of a ferocious Brookline rally, he’s just happy to know the Tigers still have a chance to accomplish something they never have before.
With a big boost from role players Samuel Huang and Paul Nelson in a back-and-forth fifth set, No. 7 Newton North staved off a nightmare ending to a Div. 1 state semifinal at Newton South by outlasting heated rival No. 11 Brookline, 3-2 (25-16, 25-12, 24-26, 18-25, 15-13).
A raucous crowd fed off every Warrior point to help them come close to pulling off the unthinkable behind an age-mixed band of heroes, but the Tigers (18-6) delivered their best when it mattered most to survive and advance.
Junior Adam Christianson (23 kills) was a reliable force all game for Newton North, complemented by senior setter Tyler Randall (56 assists, four kills), Simon Vardeh (17 kills, two blocks), Nelson (13 kills), Huang and libero Finbar Crowley. They look to win the Tigers’ first state title by facing unbeaten No. 1 Needham on Thursday in the Div. 1 state final at Worcester State.
“We were just happy to come out on the winning side of the game,” Fox said. “We wanted to live to see another day … we wanted to play another game. That was the biggest thing, going off of it. That’s what we were just fighting for.”
“That was an emotional rollercoaster,” Randall added. “Going up two, feeling really confident. Then having those next two go their way. That was super fun. I love that.”
Its outlook seemed dire after losing the second set so handily, but the Warriors ignited a monstrous but quiet crowd with an improbable rally that pushed Newton North onto its heels.
After seeing Christianson and Vardeh dominate the net and the defense withstand everything Brookline threw at it in 25-16 and 25-12 set losses, Brookline clawed its way to a 26-24 third set win despite trailing 24-22. Freshmen Alec Smagula, Liam Raybould and Amir Tomer played large roles alongside senior standouts Cam Jilek and Charlie Perdue to turn the momentum around, and that group kept the motor running into a 25-18 win in the fourth to force a fifth set.
Christianson and Randall continued to play well throughout the turnaround, but everyone on the team looked sluggish and nervous coming out of the huddle between the fourth and the fifth sets. Brookline, with nothing to lose, looked energized.
But after the teams switched sides, Newton North turned back on the switch.
Huang buried two kills and a block to turn an 8-6 deficit into a 10-9 lead. Nelson and Christianson each delivered kills after Brookline regained a 12-11 advantage, and the Tigers went on a 3-1 run to close it out.
“It’s really good knowing that we can come back from losing two sets in a row,” Randall said. “After (trailing 8-6), we all came together, we were like, ‘This isn’t going to be our last game. We can’t go out like this.’ We came together and pulled through.”
“Sometimes, we were nervous,” Fox said. “You could see it in our faces. … They played good enough and their got their nerves up good enough to just get us to the point we needed to be at.”