NEEDHAM – It took every last ounce of heart and guts for the Newton North boys volleyball team to hold off Needham from a four-peat in last year’s Div. 1 state final, as it rallied in five sets to secure its first state title.
Those intangibles, and then some, were on full display in Tuesday night’s rematch to show the Tigers may very well be the top dog to beat this year, too.
Star senior Simon Vardeh (16 kills, six aces, four blocks) anchored a talented returning group that delivered when it mattered most, helping lift No. 2 Newton North (4-0) to a 3-1 win (26-24, 16-25, 26-24, 25-22) over the No. 3 Rockets on the road. That included an 8-0 run to end the final set and prevent Needham (4-1) from forcing a deciding fifth frame.
Needham has been the poster child of success in the sport at 101-4 since 2020. All four losses are to Newton North, in consecutive head-to-head matchups.
“I don’t want to say (we’re) the team to beat, but just I want them to know that we’re still a team that’s ready to compete at all times,” said Tigers head coach Nile Fox. “I just want to be a team that’s known to be a contender. And we still hold that (mentality) that we want to keep the trophy.”
“I think (the win) tells us that we’re still at that level,” Vardeh added. “I think we still have a lot to work on, that was not our best showing. But it’s still really good to get the win. … I think we’re the best team in the state still. We have some big games coming up, and I think we’re going to show that.”
Another rock-fight between Bay State Conference powerhouses didn’t disappoint, with each trading runs to show how evenly matched the two are early on.
That presented itself with 23-23 draws in the first and third sets, which Needham and Newton North both scored after to remain neck-and-neck at 24-all. But the Tigers scored the next two points to take the sets both times – the first on kills from Vardeh and Bryson Mercedes (five kills) and the third on a pair of errors from Needham.
The Rockets responded to both with long runs in the second and fourth sets. Matt Cloonan (10 kills) helped lead a 10-1 run to win the second handedly, and Andrew Kurdziel (14 kills, two blocks) anchored a 22-17 lead in the fourth. Setters Luke Vivaldi (18 assists) and Nate Ross (19 assists) spread the wealth effectively all match, too, especially to Ben Vu and Will McDonald.
But Newton North setter Paul Nelson (30 assists) connected with Vardeh and Kayden Burns-Wong while Peter Reale heated up with a pair of blocks to force a 22-22 tie. A Vardeh block and libero Brady Dwyer’s ace sealed the 8-0 run to close it out.
“We had high highs and low lows,” Vardeh said. “But we had high highs when it mattered. When it really mattered, we were gritty with our play and we were able to get those couple points to win those sets.”
Fox was impressed with how his team handled business even earlier in those sets, too, putting itself in position to be close down the wire in three of the four sets.
“We were aggressive and it was really gritty play,” he said. “A bunch of the sets, we were down. We would push back and it was just from plays, it wasn’t from anybody in general. … We made plays as a team and when we needed to.”
After serving as a hitter in last year’s title run, Fox has also been impressed with Nelson so far in his new role.
“I think he’s doing a great job,” he said. “He’s working really hard to just get adjusted to it. I’m really proud of what he’s done.”