LOWELL — Despite accidents plaguing a second straight common season to knock it down in seeding, the Newton North boys volleyball group isn’t letting that get in the best way of reaching its potential.
A yr faraway from a second-round event exit, the No. 7 Tigers (17-6) confirmed simply what they’re able to at full power by upsetting No. 2 Lowell, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18) in a Div. 1 state quarterfinal on Friday.
Smiles unfold like wildfire on a group that once more suffered new well being points nearly each different week, overcoming it to down a professional drive within the Red Raiders (21-2).
And but, Newton North isn’t wanting on the Final Four trophy as extremely as what it aspires for. It will get No. 11 Brookline subsequent after the Warriors upset No. 3 Natick.
“They came out and really showed why we are one of the top teams in the state, and they played their best,” mentioned Newton North head coach Nile Fox. “We’re just ready to keep competing. This feels good, but we’re not OK with it. We want to keep going. … We’ve been hungry for it for a long time.”
Star setter Tyler Randall, who missed about two weeks with an ankle harm, orchestrated an amazing assault that flourished in dominant second and third units with 34 assists. Junior Adam Christianson, weeks after lacking just a few begins himself, led with 16 vicious kills.
Simon Vardeh proved almost as lethal with eight kills and two aces, and Samuel Huang’s supreme athleticism broke out with seven kills and three blocks. Sophomore Paul Nelson, who hadn’t been at full well being a lot of the yr, complemented them completely with 5 kills.
It’s by no means simple to dominate the web in opposition to Lowell. Cody Fitzpatrick confirmed how harmful he’s with 13 kills, and there have been loads of leap balls on the web that Lowell gained, particularly in a 25-20 first-set loss.
Keeping up with Newton North’s depth proved an inconceivable mission, although.
“It was terrible,” mentioned Christianson of the well being woes. “This year, we were able to show I know what we could do last year. … We did really well.”
“It’s really cool to see what it looks like when we have everybody on the roster healthy,” added Fox. “I think everybody did their job. That’s something we’ve been talking about this last end of the season. … I’m really proud of them for that.”
The first set confirmed the anticipated rock battle of the highly-anticipated matchup between top-of-the-line within the Bay State Conference and the very best of the Merrimack Valley Conference. Tyrell Lout confirmed off his versatility, and Ceazar Joseph flashed some pop alongside Fitzpatrick to make it fascinating.
But after the Tigers’ 4 major hitters mixed for 14 kills to take that opening set, all phases erupted for Newton North.
Lowell struggled to get a lot previous the blocking of Huang, Peter Reale and Christianson. The Red Raiders picked up steam to battle effectively towards the top of the set, however buying and selling factors solely did a lot in a 25-16 loss. The momentum didn’t carry over into the third, with Newton North surging to a 14-3 lead as its stars continued to shine.
Lowell utilized good passing and extra sturdy hitting from Fitzpatrick to outscore Newton North 15-11 the remainder of the best way, however it was far too little for a comeback.
“(Losing last year) fueled us a lot,” Fox mentioned. “We made a pact that we didn’t want to go out in the second round like we did last year. We’ve just been pushing after that.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com