NEWTON – All historic streaks must eventually end.
That day has yet to come for a Needham boys volleyball program that hasn’t lost a match since 2019, but on Tuesday, Newton North came awfully close.
As part of an instant classic that saw the No. 3 Tigers (7-2) become the first team to win two sets against the Rockets in well over a year, No. 1 Needham (10-0) displayed its crew of elite playmakers to collect its 56th straight win via a 3-2 (25-27, 25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 15-10) Bay State Conference victory.
Luke Lorence embraced its next-man-up philosophy perfectly with a team-high 20 kills, pairing with Raymond Weng (20 assists, 18 kills) and Devin Dellamarggio (32 assists) to lead another well-balanced win. All three proved crucial in every big moment that went Needham’s way, including a run in the second set that stole Newton North’s momentum amid a hot start.
“That was a great game,” said Needham head coach Dave Powell. “Newton North is a really good team and they’re well coached. They did a good job. It was a good high school match, it was a good atmosphere. … I thought there were some lapses that I’d rather not happen, but when it starts to click, it’s good.”
The Tigers tipped the scale in a way no other team has been able to against the Rockets in a long time, but the two-time defending Div. 1 state champions showed why they’re still the state’s leading team to beat.
After Adam Christianson (16 kills) and Simon Vardeh (14 kills) played big parts in Newton North squeaking out a 27-25 first set and a lopsided 13-8 lead in the second, the Rockets finally clicked into their dominant gear. Lorence had his number called often with five kills over a 13-1 run, pushing Needham to a 21-14 lead it wouldn’t surrender on the way to a 25-18 set victory. Weng may have been even more instrumental, viciously serving 10 straight times as part of a 10-0 run that put the Tigers on their heels.
Throw in an Alex Gundaker kill and one of his five blocks, and Needham started rolling from there.
“That’s hard to do, jump-serving (10) points in a row on an empty court is tough, and then you put a really good team on there,” Powell said. “It gave us a little bit of momentum back. … (Weng and Lorence) are good players, they’re hungry. When you have good guys who are hungry and compete, that’s really good.”
All of the Rockets’ weapons impacted a 25-20 third set for a 2-1 lead, as Ethan McCarron and Henry Dirks each touched down kills, and Owen Ching was active on just about every point. Much of that win was attributed to a 13-5 open to the frame, too.
But just like Needham did, Newton North strung together a bevy of runs to build back up its momentum and take the next set. Tyler Randall (45 assists), Paul Nelson, Christianson, Vardeh and Sam Huang led a 25-20 fourth set, forcing a fifth within an electric atmosphere.
The Rockets were more than prepared, turning to Gundaker for a pair of kills and Brian Cloonan for the match point. Lorence made his case for MVP with four kills in that final set.
“We practice those fifth sets,” he said. “We know we’re tough and we work really hard. We know that all these other teams are really good, and we’re expecting rock fights like this. When we get them, Powell really helps us stay composed through all these tough moments. … It feels great (to be a big part of the win), simple as that.”