NEEDHAM – For a third straight season, the Needham boys volleyball team will head into the Div. 1 state tournament without a loss.
The two-time defending champion Rockets used their typical brand of well-rounded play Friday night to overcome another daunting nonleague foe, topping St. John’s of Shrewsbury 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-20) on the state’s final day of the regular season.
Luke Lorence heated up in the third set on the way to a team-high 12 kills, while Ethan McCarron (11 kills) and Raymond Weng (19 assists, 10 kills) also played major offensive roles to combat an inconsistent but strong Pioneers performance.
It was just another day’s work for Needham (22-0), which secured a 68th straight win to lead the title conversation once again. Finishing the regular season unbeaten is far from the Rockets’ end goal, but that certainly doesn’t make it any less fulfilling for them to maintain their edge over three different campaigns.
“It feels great, it’s a good program,” said Weng, a starter throughout the streak’s entirety. “We worked hard every day at practice, at least we tried to. It took a lot of mental strength too, just to not think about the past and how this is the season now.”
“We have a good combination of a talented senior class and a competitive junior class, and some really good athletes,” added head coach Dave Powell. “We’re happy with how it’s coming together and (focusing on) one moment at a time. Just worrying about our side of the net.”
After barely avoiding its first loss since 2019 against Milford from the day prior, that focus was needed against a dangerous St. John’s team that ranked fourth in the latest set of MIAA Div. 1 power rankings.
Matt Deeley (nine kills, two aces) used a ferocious jump serve to give the Rockets trouble in the first set, playing a large role in an 8-0 run that grabbed a 14-12 lead. Devin Dellamarggio (12 assists) found McCarron to break up the run. A pair of Weng assists and kills helped fuel a 12-4 run while errors plagued the Pioneers from there, and Needham went on to take the set, 25-21.
That would be the only time the Rockets needed to break up a surge of momentum, allowing the Pioneers to three straight points just one more time the rest of the match. St. John’s traded 10 straight points early in the second set, with Eric Barcelos (five kills, four blocks) and Francis McGonagle (11 kills, three aces) each delivering big plays. The third set then saw 15 straight points traded to keep St. John’s in striking distance, trailing just 16-14.
But in both instances, Needham went on a big run to separate for 25-18 and 25-20 set victories. Jonathan Ochalla was fantastic defensively for the Rockets, while Alex Gundaker (seven kills) filled a big role in the middle and Lorence belted six of his kills in the final set.
“Outside of the first set, I thought we were a little more disciplined hitting tonight, we were a little more patient,” said Powell. “All our guys pass-served very well. … (St. John’s is) a good team. They’re a powerful, dynamic team.”
Now, Needham dials up its focus again in pursuit of a rare three-peat. Its path will be revealed when brackets are released on Tuesday.
“It’s a 0-0 record now,” Weng said. “One game at a time.”
