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Sean Davis had 18 kills and four blocks to lead Central Catholic to a 25-20, 24-26, 25-23, 25-22 win over previously-unbeaten Methuen. Jeremy Fague added 13 digs and two aces.

Prepping for a tough early-season volleyball test Friday against Salem, Pinkerton took down Dover in three straight games. Justin Scott was strong up front with five kills and three blocks, and freshman Jerman Terro served up a pair of aces.

Four-year varsity player and three-year varsity captain Joseph Kuykendall recorded 24 kills in just three games as Andover won 3-0 in its match over Winchester.

Setter junior T.J. Norton and sophomore middle blocker Kenny Doherty made their varsity volleyball debuts yesterday but played like veterans.

Norton recorded 18 assists. Doherty added seven blocks. Andover won 3-0 over Lexington. 

Controlling play at the net with 15 kills and eight blocks, senior Joel Rodriguez was a force in Lawrence's shutout triumph over Westford Academy. "Joel was a beast at the net," said head coach Tony Hajjar. "He was definitely unstoppable."

Joel Rodriguez had 10 kills and Reibin Hiraldo recorded 30 kills as Lawrence took the opening match of the season with a 3-1 win over Newton South, on game scores of 21-25, 25-15, 25-19, 27-25.

Senior Ryan Freeman played his first match of organized volleyball ever and finished with 10 kills, five blocks and two aces to help Methuen sweep Winchester in its season opener last night. 

HUDSON — Haverhill came close. So very, very close.
After an emotional comeback from a late three-point deficit in the fourth game behind Tommy Oliveira and Zach Sindoni, tying the match, the Hillies rode that momentum and James Murray’s solid serving to a 5-0 lead in the deciding game against perennial power Lincoln-Sudbury in front of a raucous crowd last night at Hudson High School.
But the poise and experience befitting a team that has been in the state finals three of the last four years made a difference against a young Hillie squad playing for its first-ever state title.
A key adjustment by head coach Bunny McClung empowered Ned Donaldson and Thomas Houpt at the net, turning the tide as the Central sectional champion Warriors sprinted to an emotional 17-15 victory over the North’s top squad for the state title.
In the decisive final game, Murray (eight kills and an ace) got the Hillies rolling, and when Lincoln-Sudbury closed within a point at 10-9, Drew Caruso turned an athletic dig into a netside tip for a winner, and Sindoni’s kill stretched the gap to 13-10.
“Haverhill blocked us very well,” McClung said of the efforts of Oliveira (61⁄2 blocks), Caruso (four blocks), Brett Pettis and Murray on the front line. “I thought our fast offense (with low front-line sets) would work better, and that’s why we had to make an adjustment.”
“I just did my best and it definitely worked,” Oliveira said. “I did my best to anticipate the ball as best I could and to get to it whenever I saw it come to the net.”
“Tommy’s come a long way,” Hillie head coach Bill Kaste said of his sophomore middle hitter. “The tournament is where he really shined. He did so much more in the tournament.”
Two points away from losing the title, the Warriors chose to work its offense to the outside. Donaldson (12 kills, four coming in the fifth game) and Houpt (11 kills) had alleys that weren’t clear earlier in the evening and took full advantage. Houpt spiked home a pair of sets to give L-S its first lead of game five, then saw a Haverhill kill attempt sail wide right to send the Warrior faithful into a frenzy.
“Their right-side hitter hit well, their middles hit well,” Hillie head coach Bill Kaste said. “They’re a full team. They’re not the state champs for nothing.”
The closing rush capped a night of comebacks. Haverhill’s four-point lead in the opening game was erased by libero Matthew Joyner’s serving while Oliveira and Andrew Alves (21 digs and four assists) helped repel L-S’s game-two rebound.
The biggest turnaround came in game four as Haverhill faced down five-point deficits at four different points, the latest coming at 18-13. But spurred on by the teamwork of Pettis (13 kills, two blocks and two aces), Murray and Caruso, the Hillies tied the score. And when Oliveira and Sindoni faced down 7-footer John Swords for the block that won the game, a fitting stage was set for the winner-take-all game that followed.
Of the ultimate deciding factor last night, McClung said, “Being in that situation before can only help. Our players are strong, determined, talented and our chemistry is good. We weren’t going to let it go.”
In Kaste’s opinion, “Lincoln-Sudbury passed a little better than us, found the court hitting a little better than us, and we just had a hard time being as consistent as we needed to be.
“When we wake up (today), we’ll be a lot happier than when we went to bed (last night). We had a great season, had great effort, and we brought a lot of spirit back to Haverhill High School. They did something no other volleyball team did and they should be proud of themselves.”
Lincoln/Sudbury 3, Haverhill 2
Mass. state championship
at Hudson High School
Kills: L-S — Ned Donaldson 12, Thomas Houpt 11, John Swords 9; H — Brett Pettis 13, Tom Oliveira 10, Drew Caruso 10
Blocks: L-S — Swords 4; H — Oliveira 61⁄2, Caruso 4
Assists: L-S — William Shimkus 22, Devin Patel 15; H — Zach Sindoni 36
Aces: L-S — Donaldson 2; H — Pettis 2
Digs: L-S — Houpt 20; H — Andrew Alves 21, Sindoni 17
Haverhill (21-2):    20 25 16 27 15 — 2
Lincoln/Sudbury (20-1):    25 18 25 25 17 — 3

CAMBRIDGE — The Haverhill volleyball team’s magical journey through the playoffs has one more leg to travel. One week after claiming the 15th-year program’s first North Division championship, the Hillies now have a chance for an even loftier title. Last night the Hillies squeezed out a state semifinal victory in five sets over South champ and perennial contender Newton North last night at Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School. Haverhill (21-1) takes on Lincoln-Sudbury (20-1) in the state finals at 7 p.m. Monday at Hudson High. L-S won the 2009 state title and was runner-up in 2008. “Our goal was the North finals (which Haverhill claimed with a 3-1 victory over Lawrence) because we’d been there before but could never cross that hurdle,” Hillies coach Bill Kaste said. “We did that last week, so now, it’s all new for us. But at this point, we’re just playing them one game at a time.” The season’s biggest game was last night’s fifth. The Hillies, who won 16 of their first 21 matches in straight sets, were coming off two disappointing defeats to the Tigers (17-3) and trailed 8-5 in the finale. It was the fifth time this season and second time in the postseason Haverhill was taken to five games. “We’ve been there before,” Kaste said. “Sometimes we win them and sometimes we lose them. What I told them before coming in here was we want to go out of this gym playing as hard as we can, leaving it all on the court and not having any second thoughts. ... Win or lose go off this court proud of your effort.” The Hillies responded by winning six of the game’s next seven points with James Murray providing two kills and Brett Pettis and Drew Caruso one each. Newton North helped out with a couple hitting errors. The Tigers answered to knot things at 11, but they made three more unforced errors before Tom Oliveira finished it off with a winning block. “We hit our middles more, and I think Tommy and Drew really stepped up in that area,” said Pettis, who led the team with 18 kills, 21 digs and two service aces. “We also had to get better passes and we did.” Haverhill won the first two games 27-25 and 25-20, but Newton North appeared to grab complete control with a pair of victories in game three (25-12) and four (25-21). “They changed their blocking, and it fooled us for two sets,” said Pettis, who had his nose bloodied during warm-ups. “They adjusted to what we were doing, and we just couldn’t figure out how to adjust back. They were figuring out where we were hitting and blocking it.” What the Hillies have figured out this year is how to close out matches in the postseason. And they’re doing it all in uncharted territory. “I knew we were going to make the North finals,” Pettis said. “Winning it was completely different. That was a great bonus, and so is this.”

Paced by Matt Hersey, Londonderry's boys volleyball team swept Timberlane in three games, earning a spot in tomorrow's championship match against six-time defending champion Salem.

NASHUA — There is a fine line between confidence and overconfidence and standout senior Joe Gallant doesn’t believe the Salem boys volleyball team will cross it tomorrow in the New Hampshire championship match against Londonderry. The six-time defending champion Blue Devils may have crossed it briefly yesterday, when they played poorly in the third game and fell 25-17 to Pinkerton. But they recovered for a 25-15 romp in the fourth game for a 3-1 victory. The No. 1-seed Devils (15-1) will now play here in tomorrow’s 6 p.m. championship against Londonderry (14-3), which swept Timberlane 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 in the other semifinal. “I don’t know if we were overconfident (in the third game) but we might have been too relaxed,” said Gallant. “I know we were overconfident against Timberlane (when it broke Salem’s 125-match win streak two weeks ago) and we can’t let that happen again. “We know Londonderry is good and we’ll have to look out for (Londonderry standout) Matt Hersey, but we’ll be all right if we  play our game. We didn’t play our game against Timberlane.” Salem was on its game at the start last night, recording the first six points of the night with Joe Dube serving and, paced by the net play of sophomore Eric Denning and Cory Forrest (12 kills on the night), cruised to a 25-19 victory. “Eric is our energy guy and can really get us going,” said Salem coach Scott Wright. “He and Steve Nugent, another sophomore, have really come on recently.” Nugent had a strong second game, with help from Gallant (12 kills in the match), and Salem rolled again, 25-19. After the Astros rallied in the third game, Gallant took over with five kills in Salem’s clincher. “It’d be awesome to go out with another state title,” said Gallant. “That’s what we’re shooting for.” Wright knows it won’t be easy. “I’m expecting a tough time of it,” said the first-year head coach. “They’re an aggressive team and we can’t be lackadaisical like I think we were a little in the third game.” For Pinkerton (11-7), Justin Scott led a balanced attack with six kills. “We played all right, but Salem’s serving kept us off balance,” said Pinkerton coach Colin Walker. Lancers gear for challenge Although Londonderry lost to Salem twice during the regular season, Lancers’ star Matt Hersey is more than excited to make the third time the charm. “I can’t wait to play them again,” said Hersey. “We’re a different team now. We’ve really come together the last few weeks and new guys like Mike Galluzzo have really stepped up. “Beating Salem would be the best way to end my career.” Hersey, a first team all-state player, was immense throughout yesterday’s match, but particularly in the toughest last game, which saw seven lead changes and required a late 6-3 Londonderry spurt in order to prevail, 25-23. Londonderry won the first two games 25-20 and 25-19 with Hersey’s serving shifting the momentum back to the Lancers for good late in the second game. Timberlane (13-4), which ended Salem’s 125-match winning streak two weeks ago, was led by the net play of Max LaRoche (eight kills) and the all-around performance of senior Conor Dube. But the Owls just couldn’t sustain a run throughout the match. “To win a big match, we need to be consistent, be energetic and get good passing,” said Timberlane coach John Dube. “When we get away from those things, like we did at times tonight, we have problems. “We didn’t have the consistency we needed at other times, either. But overall, with the little experience some of my kids have, I think we had a tremendous season.”

With Matt Wetmore's 75-percent hitting accuracy and two blocks along with six straight service points from Joe Gallant, Salem rolled to an impressive 3-0 victory over Keene to open Division 1 tournament play. Gallant added a team-high five blocks and three aces as the Blue Devils advance to the semifinals tomorrow at Nashua North against Pinkerton.

Cody Diehl (16 service points and two aces) kickstarted an essential eight-point run in the first game to get Pinkerton some separation from Mascenic in an eventual 3-0 quarterfinal triumph. Teddy McCarran (11 service points and five kills) stepped up in a yeoman's effort for the Astros while Ben Rees and Rory Cahoon pumped up the squad for a strong finish.

Troy Rooney's strong serving resuscitated a moribund Londonderry squad, reversing a three-point game-one deficit and helping the Lancers surge to a 3-0 quarterfinal volleyball victory over Dover. In a momentum-locking game-two effort, Eric Schwalbe (four service points, two aces plus great defense) and Matt Hersey (first three points on his serve) came through for Londonderry.

LAWRENCE — When he winds up at the net, the powerful hits of Haverhill senior Brett Pettis could end up anywhere on the court.
But, when Pettis sums up his emotions, he’s pretty straightforward.
“This is a first,” exulted Pettis after the No. 1-seed Hillies disposed of Lawrence 3-1 in the North boys volleyball championship last night at Central Catholic.
The victory was not only the first sectional crown for the Haverhill boys, but the first sectional crown for a Haverhill boys team in recent memory.
“It’s a big accomplishment for the volleyball program, but it’s also fantastic to represent Haverhill High School like this,” said junior Drew Caruso, who had nine kills and five blocks on the night. “We haven’t had a lot of success this year at Haverhill (in other sports) so we’re pretty proud of this.”
The Merrimack Valley Conference-champion Hillies (20-1), who will face South champion Newton North (17-2) in the state semifinals Thursday, had good reason to feel proud because they needed to hold back a strong Lawrence team (20-3), whose only losses came against the Hillies.
In the first game, the Hillies looked like they might sweep Lawrence for the second time this spring, riding the strong serving of James Murray and strong all-around play at the net to a resounding 25-15 win.
But Lawrence, behind some powerful hits by Joel Rodriguez and Jose Vargas and the strong jump serving of Jesus Reyes, got its act together in the second game. Trailing 15-12, the Lancers went on a 13-5 run to prevail 25-20.
The third game proved to be pivotal. Lawrence seemed to have the momentum and led 20-15. But the Hillies got kills down the stretch from Murray, Pettis and Zach Sindoni to rally for a 26-24 win that set up the clincher.
Lawrence took a 10-7 lead in the fifth game, but unsung sophomore Tom Oliveira had a kill and two blocks to key an 8-2 run, making it 15-12. Pettis (match-high 18 kills) and Caruso combined for five kills from that point and Sindoni had two deceiving “dumps” to close out a 25-20 victory for the crown.
“I felt we just survived in the third set and then we finished strong, which is important,” said Kaste. “This is awesome for the kids. They worked hard and deserve this. I’m really happy for them.”
Lawrence, which still enjoyed a fine season, got an impressive 10 kills and 11 blocks from Rodriguez and a stunning six aces among 19 service points from Reyes, who just recently started using a jump serve.
Lawrence coach Tony Hajjar had no complaints with his squad and graciously gave credit to the Hillies.
“Haverhill is the better team no matter what,” said Hajjar. “We gave them our best, but they were better. Pettis is tremendous, but they’ve got other good players to go with him.”