RallyNorth.net

Lawrence squeezes past Central into finals

Saturday, May, 28 By Jeff Hamrick

LAWRENCE — After losing in the Division 1 North semifinals three of the past four years, the Lawrence boys volleyball team finally found its way into the championship game.

But the berth didn’t come easy.

The Lancers slipped past Central Catholic, winning three of  the four tight games the squads played yesterday. Lawrence’s biggest lead of the afternoon was the final margin of the deciding game, which it won 25-19. It won the first two 28-26 and 25-23 while Central battled back to take the third game 25-23.

“It means a lot,” Lawrence coach Tony Hajjar said. “To tell you the truth, I knew we were going to do well, but I didn’t think we were going to get this far.”

The Raiders might have not made the finals, but Central Catholic will play host to Thursday’s 7 p.m. match between second-seeded Lawrence (20-2) and top-seeded Haverhill (19-1).

Yesterday’s match featured 36 ties and 15 lead changes. Sixth-seeded Central never had a bigger lead than the four-point advantage it held twice early in the first game while the Lancers lead by five three times in the second en route to winning their ninth straight match.

“I definitely came into this game thinking it was going to be a blood match,” said Lancer senior Jose Vargas, who had 12 kills and eight blocks.

While there was no actual blood spilled, there were players diving for balls throughout the difficult match.

Lawrence won the opener after trailing 26-25 with three consecutive points, which included a kill by Prince Hiraldo, who finished with a team-high 13. In the second game, Central (14-7) rallied from an 18-14 deficit to tie the score three times down the stretch before the Lancers scored three of the game’s final four points.

The Raiders once again rallied from a three-point deficit in the third, winning nine of the game’s final 13 points for its lone win. In the finale, Lawrence trailed 15-12 before using a 7-0 run to take the lead for good.

The Lancers now look to avenge a pair of regular-season losses to Haverhill, which won six of the eight games the two played.

“I’ve been on this team for four years, and we’ve choked  all the time in (the semifinals) and that was tough,” said senior Abimael Villa, who had eight blocks. “Last night I couldn’t sleep, but we got the job done. Now we just have to go after Haverhill and win a championship. It’s going to be very special trying to get revenge on those guys. They’re mentally good, but we’re physically better. We’re going to step it up, but Haverhill is a good team. There’s no doubt about that.”