BC High volleyball advances to the Division 1 quarterfinals with second-round win over previously unbeaten New Bedford - The Boston Globe (2024)

“It’s a joy and excitement,” said senior Mason Cleary. “I’m so glad I could do it with all the guys, such great people on and off the court. Volleyball is a team sport, you can’t do it without them. They contributed so much to this win.”

Cleary, a hitter from Dorchester, led with 13 kills on .321 hitting and 13 digs, with fellow senior captain James Shriver adding 9 kills on .368 hitting and a pair of blocks.

Senior captain Grayson Kamadeu (4 kills on .600 hitting, 4 blocks) and junior Liam Poole (4 kills, 5 blocks) were game-changers at the net, executing coach James Chen’s plan to shut down New Bedford’s hitters.

“We knew about some of their pin hitters,” Chen said. “They’re very talented, they had some very good kills. Our goal was to keep them off the net. That’s what we do with bigger, physical teams like that.”

Serving was key to set up the block, forcing the Whalers (21-1) to make the familiar play to the outside where the block was waiting. New Bedford put together more than three points consecutively just twice in the match.

“I think it’s a big energy shifter, more than a kill, ace, or anything,” Poole said, of blocking. “At that point you’re shutting down another guy personally. I think that’s what makes it so special, energy-boosting.”

For New Bedford, it was the end of a great career for senior captain Carter Barbosa, who added 29 assists to his own school record. In the Whalers’ historic program, this season marked a return into the conversation of top teams in the state.

“It’s a huge feat for the volleyball program and the whole city that we made a big run,” said coach Ben Kaeterle. “It stinks to get knocked off today. Being undefeated in the regular season, it hasn’t been done in the last, I think, 17 years. We’re in the mix again.”

Sophom*ore Juan Grau Montano (11 kills, 5 blocks) and junior Nick Rosa (11 kills, 2 blocks) led New Bedford at the net, but it was BC High turning the chaotic points into momentum.

“This is something we’ve been working toward,” Chen said. “The sky is the limit. We know that when we’re at our best, we’re one of the best teams out there. We played a schedule that backs that up.

“I’m not going to say what round we can make it to because I think we can go all the way, especially if we play our best.”

Division 1 State

Natick 3, Cambridge 0 — Branch Barnes (14 kills, 6 blocks), Nick Bonavire (10 kills), and Simon Pedrelli (8 blocks) lifted the No. 3 Redhawks (17-3) over the No. 14 Falcons (11-11) in a second-round tilt.

Needham 3, Andover 0 — Brian Cloonan (10 kills), Avery Kalish (9 kills), and Luke Lorence (7 kills) patrolled the net for the top-seeded Rockets (22-2) in a sweep of the No. 17 Golden Warriors (15-8). Devin Dellamarggio doled out 37 assists in the win.

Newton North 3, Acton-Boxborough 0 — Simon Vardeh (9 kills, 5 aces) and Adam Christianson (9 kills) led the second-seeded Tigers (19-3) to a round of 16 victory over the No. 15 Revolution (14-7).

Division 2 State

Westfield 3, Ludlow 0 — Miles Shepard (14 kills, 3 aces, 5 digs, 1 block) and Ryder Finnie (38 assists, 2 kills, 7 digs, 1 ace) did a bit of everything for the top-seeded Bombers (20-3) in a second round win over the No. 16 Lions (11-11). Aidan Kingsley contributed eight kills, with Zach Kukharchuk, Jake Satkowski, and Alex Roldan each adding six more.

Boys’ tennis

Division 2 State

Duxbury 4, Burlington 1 —Junior Tim Vargas secured a 6-0, 6-0 victory at first singles, and junior Taylor Bettencourt added a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles, leading the third-seeded Green Dragons (19-1) to a quarterfinals victory over the sixth-seeded Red Devils (14-7). “Tim is our rock. Our end result is going to depend a lot on him,” coach John Bunar said. “He’s got a lot of confidence in every way. Certainly the tennis ability… but it’s more than that. It’s his ability to lead and focus that’s just as valuable to us.” The undefeated pair of Tucker Catalano and Bennett Stout finished 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles, and Teddy Collins and Willy Pierce won 6-2, 6-3 at second doubles.

Division 3 State

Apponequet 4, Foxborough 1 —Junior Will Horton didn’t drop a game at first singles, lifting the No. 4 Lakers (20-0) to a second-round victory over the No. 20 Warriors (10-9). Senior Nate Belmore added a 6-2, 6-1 win at second singles, and senior Ethan Clark and junior Nick Connolly won a competitive match at first doubles, 6-3, 3-6, 10-4.

Division 4 State

Hamilton-Wenham 4, Bromfield 1 —Elois Chadel won 7-6, 2-6, 10-4 at first singles, leading the fourth-seeded Generals (17-2) to a quarterfinal victory over the fifth-seeded Trojans (18-2). Rory Taylor finished 6-2, 6-3 at third singles, and the pairs of Max Clarke and Henry Stinson (6-3, 6-2) and Jadon Wang and Alex Boardman (6-1, 6-0) added wins at doubles.

Girls’ tennis

Division 1 State

Wellesley 5, Acton-Boxborough 0 —Freshman Bella Gopen won 6-3, 6-4 at first singles as the fourth-seeded Raiders (21-1) swept the No. 5 Revolution (12-3) to secure a quarterfinal victory. Freshman Kimmy Tai added a 6-0, 6-2 victory at second singles, improving to 17-1 overall. “Bella and Kimmy are really hard workers,” coach Rob Miller said. “I think that they feed off each other. They get along really well.” Led by the duo, Wellesley found success in all areas of its lineup. Securing a 4-1 victory over Acton-Boxborough earlier in the season, the Raiders performed even better Wednesday — winning in straight sets. Junior Sarah Mackey finished 6-0, 6-2 at third singles — and the doubles pairs were equally dominant. Sophom*ores Shea and Shannon Welburn won 6-0, 6-3 at first doubles, and the undefeated tandem of freshman Mia Chung and sophom*ore Sari Hart (11-0) secured a 6-4, 6-1 victory. “It was a great team effort,” Miller said. “Everybody played well. It was a really good win.”

Division 4 State

Lynnfield 3, Bromfield 2 —Senior captain Maddie Sieve clinched the quarterfinal win for the third-seeded Pioneers (15-6) over the sixth-seeded Trojans (14-7). In a competitive 3 1/2 hour match, Sieve bounced back after losing the first set, 3-6, to secure a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 win.

AJ Traub can be reached at aj.traub@globe.com.