A rare test for Rockets
Rally in the third to keep set streak alive
NATICK >> It was about as unordinary of a scoring play as it gets for Needham star Ben Putnam — diving away from the net to get the ball over with a desperation swipe in lieu of the towering spike he had used all match prior on Tuesday night against Natick.
But late in the third set, as part of a comeback the No. 1 Rockets aren’t used to needing within a frame, the point proved critical in securing another Bay State Conference title with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-23) win over the No. 6 RedHawks. It also exemplified how hard Needham (15-0) needed to fight for perhaps it’s most difficult win yet within a rowdy environment on the road.
Putnam had his number called often in the final frame, firing 10 of his 27 kills in helping Needham preserve its now 111set winning streak. If that in its own right hasn’t prepared the Rockets for the playoffs, the battle Natick gave certainly did.
“Natick is really good,” said Needham head coach Dave Powell. “To come in here, away from home, and get a win, it’s good. It was a pretty good atmosphere … we have to be ready for tight matches.”
Teams have challenged Needham to steal a set all season, but nobody had pushed the Rockets to the brink in all three sets before Tuesday. Natick is the first team to score 20-plus points in all three sets.
In the first set, Kendall Jackson (10 kills, three blocks) paired with a slew of rare Needham errors to force a 20-20 tie. Putnam and Ethan McCarron (11 kills) fed off of Raymond Weng (43 assists) to close out the frame on a 7-2 run, though.
Matthew Salerno (nine kills, block) started to get going alongside Jackson in the second set as Natick’s defense continued to play well, but Kevin Coppinger (three kills) and Derek Yang (four kills) joined Putnam and McCarron to seal the deal.
Natick’s best bet came in that third set, jumping out to a 19-15 lead with a 9-2 run as Needham seemed to crumble. But that’s when Putnam, not
used to having his number called so late, erupted for eight kills the rest of the way.
“This game was really exciting and it was a good fight,” Putnam said. “We just stayed disciplined, we stayed the course and we got the result we wanted.”