Eastern Mass. boys' volleyball: Net effect? 10 stars to watch on the court this spring
Newton North's Branch Barnes serves in front of his teammates.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Finn Bell
, Wayland
— Last season's
Wayland's Finn Bell (left) racked up nearly 400 kills last season.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Ben Cleary
, BC High
— No longer a
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Ben Cleary steps into his own with BC High this season.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
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Gus Da Silva
, Milford
— In the shadows of Alex Guerra's 1,000th kill and the Scarlet Hawks reaching the semifinals in their first year in Division 1 was Da Silva's ascent to the team's second option at outside as a sophomore. The junior is set to be their driving force this spring.
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Andrew Kurdziel
, Needham
— Already a blocking and attacking force in the middle for the Rockets, the senior will shoulder more of the net presence following the graduation of outsides Luke Lorence and Brian Cloonan.
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Francis McGonagle
, St. John's (Shrewsbury)
— With 249 kills last season, the senior hitter looks to help the Pioneers to unlock some of their potential after making the D1 semifinals two years ago.
Parth Pawar
, Acton-Boxborough
— With over 1,000 assists in two seasons, the senior brings an experienced hand as the nucleus of a strong Revolution team.
Acton-Boxborough senior Parth Pawar is a magician at getting his teammates the ball in the right spot, and at the right time.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
Otavio Perks
, O'Bryant
— The spark behind the Boston City League champion Tigers, Perks had more than 300 kills last year as a sophomore.
Otavio Perks looks to lead O'Bryant to another city crown.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Alec Smagula
, Brookline
— On a team that was already a contender and retained most of its starters, the junior quarterbacks a loaded offense. Already with more than 1,000 assists, Smagula's
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Brookline's Alex Smagula looks to add to his assist total, which already exceeds 1,000.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Simon Vardeh
, Newton North
— The returning half of the state's best hitting duo from last season, with D1 Athlete of the Year Adam Christianson, the senior is not just
AJ Traub can be reached at
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