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SALEM, N.H. — The Salem student section was packed tight for the Blue Devils' milestone boys volleyball match against Mascenic last night.

It included some students with their faces painted blue and white, others wearing flashing blue devil horns and a few girls holding up signs that read "It's Tiner Time," in reference to hard hitting Salem senior Dan Tiner.

With Conor Dube doing the serving, No. 2 seed Timberlane scored the first seven points of the match on its way to the sweep of Londonderry.
Junior Max LaRoche was the surprise big gun for the Owls with 11 kills and two blocks and Joe Morin chipped in with two kills and a block in a key five-point streak in the second game when Londonderry was threatening to tie up the match.
“Max was only JV last year, and we weren’t sure what to expect, but we stuck him in the middle and he’s been fantastic,” said Timberlane coach John Dube. “He’s been much better than we expected.”
Senior Terry Matatall finished with 10 kills but, like a couple of his teammates, wasn’t quite as effective as usual. That may have been a good thing, however, according to their coach.
And, said Matatall, “I feel we know what to expect having been in the finals last year. I’m confident we can beat them. We’ve gotten a lot better since the last time we played them.”
For Londonderry, which made several nice runs in the match, Matt Hersey had eight kills to lead the front line. The Lancers finished 12-6, which was a nice turnaround from 2008 (6-11).
“We played pretty well, but it was too hard to come back from that early deficit,” said Londonderry coach David Starin.

Ben Rees had a strong game at the net for Pinkerton, with his 8 kills and 7 blocks helping the Astros advance to Division 1 semifinal round play due to a 3-0 victory over Mascenic. Pinkerton will host unbeaten and top-ranked Salem Tuesday at 7 p.m. with a finals berth at stake.

Salem easily dispatched of Keene in the Division 1 volleyball quarterfinals in three quick games.

Senior and two-year starter Jared Scali stepped up at middle hitter for the undefeated Blue Devils (17-0, 110 consecutive wins) with 11 kills, 6 blocks, 2 digs and 8 service points. "He really helped us control the tempo," said head coach E.J. Perry. "He's been an unsung hero for us this year."

With nothing less than a trip to the finals being acceptable, Timberlane's boys volleyball team had no trouble knocking Souhegan from the Division 1 playoffs with a 3-0 quarterfinal victory. Terry Matatall (10 kills and 2 blocks) was his usual force, and outside hitters Tim Anderson and Matt Dionne kicked off a first-game 10-point run to quickly lock down the victory. Now at 15-2, the second seed Owls will face No. 3 Londonderry Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Pinkerton Academy in the semifinals.

Matt Dionne's consistent play all over the court was a leading contributor to Timberlane's 3-0 decision over Souhegan. The senior finished with 12 kills, 11 service points and 2 blocks for the Owls (14-2).

Terry Matatall dominated the net, roping 10 kills with five blocks in Timberlane's straight-set volleyball demolition of Pinkerton Academy.

On "Senior Night" for the Salem boys basketball team, a new senior emerged as a player who could make the unbeaten Blue Devils (15-0) all the more strong.

Senior Joe Travato, who is out for the first time this fall, led the team with eight blocks and also added five kills in an easy sweep of Londonderry, 25-11, 25-9, 25-14.

Despite a slight hiccup, Salem's boys volleyball squad easily won its 105th straight match, 3-1 over Souhegan. Jason Kinney was dominant all over the court for the Blue Devils (12-0) with 15 kills, 7 blocks and 8 service points. Chris Barnes registered the second-highest single-game assist total of his career with 38, adding 4 kills and 4 blocks.

Preparing for its Homecoming weekend clash with undefeated Salem Saturday, Timberlane easily dispatched of Mascenic, 3-0. "We got a good group effort," Owl head coach John Dube said. "We had good defense from everybody and we spread the ball around offensively. Everybody stood out and played well as a team."

Londonderry fended off a pesky Oyster River squad to take home a 3-0 victory. Matt Hersey (12 kills and 3 blocks) was strong at the net, Will White (19 service points) and Nick Berry (9 aces) served well, and Mark Cwalinski (31 assists) distributed the ball effectively for the Astros (9-4).

Trounced convincingly in the first two games, the Londonderry boys volleyball team rallied for a 3-2 victory over Pinkerton. Matt Hersey had 16 kills for the Lancers and WIll White had five blocks.

Rebounding from a third game "meltdown," as Timberlane head coach John Dube termed it, the Owls persevered for a 3-1 victory over Londonderry. Terry Matatall (14 kills) came up with crucial net points to swing momentum back to Timberlane (10-1) while Max LaRoche (seven blocks) provided consistent contributions. Mark Cwalinski (30 assists, 15 service points and 3 digs) was a force on the backline for the Lancers (6-4).

Even Salem's underclassmen delivered unbeatable performances in a dominant 3-0 victory over Oyster River. Zach Meisner (11 kills and 7 blocks) and Joe Gallant (8 kills and 8 blocks) were effective at the net while Alex Gomes (15 assists) excelled distributing the ball for the unbeaten Blue Devils (12-0, 104 straight victories). 

Jason Kinney started off strong and his Salem teammates followed suit, leading to an easy 3-0 victory over winless Coe-Brown. Kinney finished with 12 kills, 8 blocks and 8 service points and got solid help from C.J. DeMarco (10 service points and 11 digs) and Justin O'Brien (8 digs).