By Meghan Foley
Hometown Weekly Staff
On April 30th, the boys’ volleyball team (9–1) hosted an anticipated match against the Brookline Warriors (9–0), who defeated them in the finals last season three sets to one when Needham was the 3rd seed and Brookline was the 1st.
The game was competitive from the start, with a good rally during the first point, which Captain Matty Cloonan ended with an attack. They stayed neck and neck until the Rockets steadily began to pull ahead from the 6–6 tie. Their 22nd point was hard-won after an impressive effort by both teams, with a key save by sophomore Ethan Lee before being put away by senior Will Rozman. Needham was able to take the first set 25–16.
The second set similarly featured a one-point score for a lot of its run. Senior Thomas Klein made a great block that ended in a Needham point for a 9–10 score. Sophomore Logan Lou had a play halfway through the set where his quick reflexes kept the ball alive, getting low to receive a fast shot from Brookline. When it looked like maybe the Warriors were starting to gain some momentum, the Rockets were back at their heels, tying the game again at 19–19, but were held there for a few points while the Warriors climbed back just enough. Down 23–19, Needham was able to get a few more points but was beaten out 25–22.
Early in the third set, Captain Tyler Goldberg and Logan Lou were both able to make critical digs. Mid-jump, senior Landon Lou saw a Brookline serve going long and ducked so there would be no Needham contact as it went out. Needham fans cheered for Goldberg after one particular point where he made several digs. Landon Lou’s dig on the next point gave Rozman the opportunity for a successful attack. Captain Luke Vivaldi and junior Max Cooper blocked a Brookline shot as the Rockets tried to maintain the lead. Up by five with 24 points, the third set looked like it was in the bag for Needham, but they got stuck there after a few missed shots. However, a shot by Rozman hit off of a Warrior at the net but went out of bounds, so Needham got the point and won the third set 25–23 for a match score of 2–1. With matches going to the best of five, the Rockets just had to take one more set.
Fans were on their feet and the bench was cheering in the fourth set when Goldberg dove to keep the ball alive and Vivaldi set it to Cloonan, who put it over the net for the point. Cooper and Vivaldi made a block to tie the score at 15–15. Like Needham in the previous set, Brookline was briefly stuck leading 24–21 as the Rockets climbed to 24–23, but the Warriors put away the final point and forced the game into the fifth set.
The fifth set, which only goes to 15 points, was led by the Warriors, but just barely. Goldberg and Vivaldi both made great saves, but Brookline remained ahead. Rozman’s dig led to Needham’s seventh point, and Cloonan scored on a spike. Down 14–10—which was one of the bigger deficits of the match—the Warriors were only one point away from winning the fifth set and winning the match. The Rockets earned two more points, with much excitement over a block by Will Rozman. However, Brookline was able to get the final point they needed and ended the fifth set 15–12, winning the match 3–2.
Head Coach Dave Powell was pleased with the Rockets’ performance. “This core group of kids [Brookline has] are really good players, and I thought our guys hung in toe-to-toe with them; they just made a couple more plays. Our kids fought hard,” he continued. "Guys made some big plays and big moments. This is all building towards [a] later time this season.”
The match was an impressive performance by both teams, and, despite it being a loss, the Rockets made it clear that they’re ready to compete in the finals again this year. This was only their second loss of the season after falling to Natick on April 14th. The Rockets will face Natick again at home on the 12th at 4:00 and Brookline on the road on the 14th at 5:15 for a challenging week next week.
The Rockets’ schedule can be found online at arbiterlive.com.
