How do you combat a reigning Division 2 champion with a relentless block?
Needham senior setter Luke Vivaldi opted to lift a short ball to the middle.
Finding classmate Thomas Klein (four kills, block) for a kill in the final two points of the match, the No. 3 Rockets completed a 9-2 run to close out a 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-20) win over Agawam. Vivaldi finished with 25 assists.
“I thought we showed signs of resilience in the third set when they were really starting to get going,” said Needham coach Dave Powell. “There’s some pieces there. I like the guys, I like the leadership, and we showed some of that today.”
Powell said it’s “a testament to their athleticism” that seniors Matty Cloonan (10 kills) and Will Rozman (11 kills) were ready to lead from the outside pin after spending the winter playing basketball.
The two emerged as strong offensive options last season, and were immediately in the spotlight with a premier matchup that tested their ability to adjust.
Senior libero Tyler Goldberg had a breakout postseason in the Rockets’ run to the D1 finals last june, and added some sets to his stout defense in the opener.
“I’m just trying to grow as a leader,” said the co-captain (with Cloonan and Vivaldi). “We’re really taking it upon ourselves to hold everyone accountable . . .
“We knew they were going to come out in the third set resilient . . . In our minds, body on the ground for every ball. Be aggressive. We had to tune up our intensity, stay aggressive, and just fight as hard as we could.”
Brookline 3, Newton South 0 — Alec Smagula (21 assists, 2 kills, 3 digs) dished to Amir Tomer (11 kills) and Liam Raybould (7 kills) as the top-ranked Warriors began their Division 1 title defense with two nonleague road victories against top opponents.
“Honestly, it means that we’re ready,” said coach Lexi De La Cruz. “It’s hard to say that we’re ready in the first two matches of the season, but based on how we started and how these kids are practicing, I feel like we’re already ready for playoffs. I don’t know if a lot of teams can say that.”
No. 4 Newton South, missing a key hitter and setter, looked to claw back in the third set, leaning on sophomore Baylor Mandell, a transfer from Weston, to build 4-point lead, but with Brookline’s height, Tomer’s ability to smack kills from the back row, and Raybould sliding over to attack from the pins, the Warriors were too much for the host.
“This is such a tight-knit group, and we knew we could get it done,” Tomer said. “I think the offense is super great. We’re really lucky to have so many different offensive weapons like myself, Liam Raybould, Kais [Al-Fakhuri], Luka [Gallucci], they’ve all taken a step up from last year in the absence of Kris [Vaivars].”
After the Warriors’ first matchup, a 3-2 win at No. 2 Wayland, De La Cruz said his team didn’t have enough time to get up to speed. While sweeping South, they were already tightening up connections in preparation for a grueling Bay State Conference schedule.
“They all want to win,” De La Cruz said. “There are no selfish players on our team, and I think that environment keeps them going and fighting.”
Greater New Bedford 3, Cambridge 1 — Mateo Paquette (14 kills), Jiahlex Stringer (10 kills, 5 blocks), and Chace Garcia (23 assists) powered the Bears (2-0) to a nonleague win over No. 18 Cambridge.
Latin Academy 3, Longmeadow 0 — Senior Brad Francois (7 kills, 4 blocks) and junior Tri Duong (22 digs) powered the No. 12 Dragons (1-0) to a nonleague victory, as the team totaled 11 blocks and nine aces.
Westfield 3, Newton North 1 — Jake Satkowski (9 kills, 3 blocks, 3 digs) and Bogdan Kuzin (9 kills, 5 digs, 2.5 blocks) were monstrous at the net, with Max Yurtuc (40 assists, 5 kills, 5 digs, 4 blocks) pacing the offense for the Bombers (1-0) in a nonleague road win (25-20, 25-27, 25-18, 27-25) over No. 8 Newton North.
AJ Traub can be reached at aj.traub@globe.com. Follow him on X @aj_traub and Instagram @ajt37.