LEXINGTON – The Lexington boys volleyball team proved its merit in the Div. 1 state title conversation alongside the Bay State Conference’s quadrant of titans Monday night.
But No. 1 Brookline, however slim, proved its edge.
A chaotic environment against a nonleague, unfamiliar power fueled a rollercoaster of a rock-fight on the road, though the Warriors (16-1) overcame late deficits in the first two sets en route to a 3-1 win (27-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-17) over the No. 7 Minutemen – snapping their program-record 17-game win streak.
Kris Vaivars (27 kills) and Alec Smagula (47 assists) led yet another star-studded performance, supported by a long list of complementary performances.
The end result was a gutsy win that felt like one of the most significant of the season to date – even considering the 5-1 record Brookline posted against No. 2 Natick, No. 4 Needham and No. 5 Newton North.
“This win, even though we won in four, I think it was a great win,” said Warriors head coach Lexi De La Cruz. “We didn’t know what to expect. I talked to my guys, I thought this team gave us one of the best games we have played in so far. They played better than how Needham played us. They played better than – even (in the loss to Natick), we were playing sloppy. … It felt like this was a great win based on the level the other team was playing.”
Lexington brought tenacity, composure and high-level play from the opening serve, trading thunderous kills, eye-opening defense, and long rallies throughout in front of a rowdy crowd fit for state tournament game. Ale Luciani (18 kills) and Nadav Vachtel (10 kills, two blocks) paced the Minutemen (17-2), who then saw Adam Mann (eight kills) step up in the third and fourth sets once fellow standout hitter Nic Sanchez de Rojas (six kills, two aces) left with injury.
In the first set, Lexington battled back from down 22-20 to take a 25-24 lead on Mahin Rajesh’s (22 assists, two blocks, two kills) kill. In the second, it led 22-20 before clawing back from a 4-0 Brookline run with a Xander Jackson (four blocks, four kills) block to force extra points again at 24-24. And in the third, the Minutemen answered a 3-0 run from Brookline – which made it 23-23 – with consecutive Luciani kills to force a fourth set.
“It definitely felt different today,” De La Cruz said. “Dealing with (that) adversity helps us.”
Vaivars posted at least five kills in all four sets, and Smagula makes the Brookline attack run at a high level. But in each of those moments, the Warriors’ supporting cast proved the difference.
Teammates raved about Liam Raybould’s (eight kills, four blocks) night. Amir Tomer (five kills, block) passed extremely well. Kais Al-Fakhuri (three kills, three blocks) and Zachary Spencer (five kills, two blocks) combined for several key plays in critical times at the net, Jacob Lam served well, and Conor Christopher (four kills, block) was an offensive spark.
“I think we just have a deeper roster,” De La Cruz said. “Our role players are doing key parts. We definitely have Kris and Alec, but every single one of our players produces something unique that helps us win. … That’s the difference.”
Lexington seemed bound to win at least one set after the way it fought in the first two. Once it did, though, Brookline answered with a 25-17 fourth set that featured a 10-2 run in the early stages.
“When you lose a (set), you have to prove something,” De La Cruz said. “Proving that is coming out strong and winning the next set like we did.”
