Needham slams door on Natick

Needham and Natick came into this boys volleyball state semifinal without a loss in any set in the postseason.

These teams split the season series, each giving the other its only loss of the season.

The rubber match proved electric.

Needham battled from behind most of the way then pulled away in the fourth set for a 19-25, 2624, 25-21, 25-15 victory over the Red Hawks in Concord.

Needham (24-1) never had a lead in the first set, and trailed until the final moments of the second set.

Natick (18-2) appeared to take a 2-0 lead with a second-set win, until the judge ruled the outside hitter’s foot for Natick crossed under the net before the ball hit the floor resulting in a loss of the apparent set point with the Red Hawks still up 2422.

The Rockets took advantage of the gaffe and rallied with the next four service points for the second-set victory and tied the match at one apiece.

“We’ve all watched a bunch of high school sports and sometimes these type of games take on a life of their own,” said Needham coach Dave Powell, who also won a state title in 2015. “I think we had some uncharacteristic unforced errors early on but we fed off the energy of the crowd and were able to turn the momentum around.”

For Natick, the turn of events was unfortunate.

“We were in the same position here last year but we lost the game because we lost the momentum,” said Natick coach Peter Suxho, whose Red Hawks were also eliminated in the 2017 state semifinals last season. “The official killed us — passed the line, touched the net, whatever it was — so I think the second (set) was the most important. I think we are the better team but (Needham) played well.”

The Rockets took the third set fairly easily as Natick made several unforced errors and gave the set away, particularly with two unforced errors among the final four points.

Needham then closed the door with a 15-5 run to open the fourth and final set.

For Needham, outside hitter Jack Cruickshank led all scorers with 15 kills while fellow senior Cam Robins posted 13.

Ben Everett-Wilson led Natick with 14 kills and eight blocks.

Needham advances to Worcester State on Thursday to face defending state champion Westfield.

Westfield 3, Chelmsford 0 — The Lions gave the defending state champs a scare but the monsters in the middle were just too much as the Bombers (221) dominated the final two games in a 25-22, 25-18, 2512 victory in Concord.

Chelmsford (18-6), which won the North sectional as the No. 8 seed, held its own in the opening game and were within three points of taking it at 22-20, but Westfield’s senior outside hitters — Shane Kiendzior and Javier Santos, with middle Ryan Murray — rattled off the next five points. The set ended with an emphatic kill from Santos that changed the momentum.

“We knew we were playing a quality opponent who earned their way here, especially with the path (Chelmsford) took as they beat some quality teams,” said Bombers coach Tyler Wingate. “I wasn’t satisfied until we got that last point but the biggest thing for me was the end of the first set. We gave them a little in the beginning but that was true Bombers volleyball.”

Kiendzior led Westfield’s way with 15 kills with Santos (11) and Murray (7) rounding out the up-front scoring.