Eastern Mass. boys' volleyball: Globe Players of the Week for May 8-15
Liam Quinn
, Chelmsford
— Putting up 26 kills, 10 digs, and 6 blocks, the Merrimack-bound senior came up big in
Anthony Rubim
, Greater Lawrence
— Dealing 45 assists, reaching 1,000 for his career, and clinching at least a share of the conference title were part of the junior's day to remember in
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Brookline's Alec Smagula sets the ball during a Bay State Conference match against Natick at Brookline High School on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Alec Smagula
, Brookline
— The junior recorded 15 of his 35 assists in the third set of a sweep against Needham, in a week that saw the Warriors finish the gauntlet of top Bay State Conference matches with just one loss, putting them on the brink of clinching the conference title.
Obi Umeh
, Acton-Boxborough
— The senior popped 18 kills and five blocks as the Revolution won a four-setter over Newton South. He added 11 in a sweep of Milford.
ACTON, 5/29/2024 - Obi Umeh (4) of Acton-Boxborough and Jayden Pelletier of St. John's Prep (1) during A-B's victory over St. John's Prep in a Division 1 first-round volleyball match. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE (Sports, Traub)
JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe
AJ Traub can be reached at
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Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville North's Lucy Fitzgerald wears No. 11, like her sisters did. She nearly wins it all, which Nora did.
Naperville North's Lucy Fitzgerald had to wait a long time to get regular playing time. Fitzgerald didn't make the varsity team until her junior year and only earned a starting spot about two months ago. But the senior defender never came off the field during her final game — the Class 3A state championship game, which went to double overtime Saturday night. 'It really meant so much to me because at the beginning of the year I didn't start,' she said. 'Throughout the year, I've just been working my hardest, and to be able to play all 100 minutes on the field feels really good.' There were tears in Fitzgerald's eyes, of course, because O'Fallon halted Naperville North's stirring playoff run. The Huskies' 1-0 loss at North Central College in Naperville also ended an era. Fitzgerald is the last of three sisters to play for the Huskies (17-6-3), whose underdog run to the final was reminiscent of the 2019 state championship team that included her oldest sister, Nora. Both wore No. 11. Their sister Maggie Fitzgerald, who graduated from Naperville North in 2023 and flew into town to attend the game, wore No. 11 and No. 19 during her time. 'To have Maggie come back and surprise her sister at the state championship game, that's just what makes this program special,' Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. 'Families like the Fitzgeralds, the DeCooks, the Polaviejas, the Bueschers, there's a reason these girls were where they were. 'Nobody thought that this team would be in the state championship tonight outside of our group.' The Huskies had no Division I recruits except Tennessee-bound junior forward Claire DeCook, who played her last game because she will graduate early, and Minnesota-bound senior defender Emily Buescher. But Lucy Fitzgerald was respected for her grit and perseverance. 'Something that's incredibly special about Lucy is just her willingness to work all the time, and she never lets that negative feeling overcome her,' Buescher said. 'Every time she's given a chance, she proves that she deserves it. 'We do an awards banquet before the year ends, and her thing was most improved player because there were days when she would stay 40 to 50 minutes after practice. She would ask for me to stay or for other people to stay to help her with certain things.' Buescher, whose sister Katelynn captained the Huskies to third place in 2018 before playing at Illinois and Illinois State, added that Fitzgerald's work rate pushes teammates too. 'It makes it so easy to work hard when you're next to Lucy because you know how hard she's working,' Buescher said. 'Our last game, she absolutely saved us, so it's so easy to cheer her on because she's such a special person and a special player.' Goletz said Fitzgerald showed that Saturday, helping the Huskies hold the Panthers (23-1-1) scoreless for almost 90 minutes until Allie Tredway scored on a 22-yard rocket with 5.7 seconds left in the first overtime. 'Lucy's an incredible kid, a kid that ran the process of being in this program,' Goletz said. 'The reason you play state championship games is because you have kids who care more about the program than they do themselves. 'Lucy was such a rock back there. She was a great target on restarts, and tonight she's put on an island at times 1v1, moves her feet well.' Like most of her teammates, Fitzgerald will not play in college. But she cemented her family's legacy and set a great example. 'It's a tough thing for a high school kid to check your own ego at the door and continue to fight for your teammates,' Goletz said. 'Lucy did that day in and day out for four years, and for her to step in at the moment she had the opportunity this year and seize that spot in the back made us better.' Although her sisters' varsity careers were longer than hers, the 6-foot Fitzgerald is the tallest and strongest. But like them, she walked off the field in a Naperville North uniform for the final time having given her all and leaving behind no regrets before she heads to Tennessee, where she can cheer on DeCook. 'I feel like it was a good ending, a happy ending,' Fitzgerald said. 'Even though it's sad that it's over, I'm really happy I got to do it with this team with every single one of the girls.'
Chicago Tribune
5 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
The best ever? Ohio State recruit Christian Teresi and Marist make case with state championship. ‘It's awesome.'
Marist's Christian Teresi wasn't going to argue with his coach. Jordan Vidovic proclaimed that the RedHawks are the best team in Illinois to ever play the sport. After they won their second straight state title, the Ohio State-bound Teresi quickly agreed. 'Of course I want to stay humble,' Teresi said. 'But I'm going to agree with him 100% on that. We went to California and beat the No. 1 team in the nation (Mira Costa). 'I feel like that was a big accomplishment for an Illinois high school. And now we won the state championship again. It's awesome.' Teresi continued his role as an awesome do-it-all player Saturday. The senior setter/right-side hitter produced 14 kills on a .619 hitting percentage to lead Marist to a 25-20, 25-20 victory over Glenbard West in the boys volleyball state championship match at Hoffman Estates. While Teresi added 15 assist and seven digs for the RedHawks (40-2), MIT recruit Nathen Toth tallied 11 kills, Jacob Finley notched 18 assists and Rorey Donnelly delivered 11 digs. Charlie Clifford led the Hilltoppers (36-6) with eight kills in a match that featured 21 ties and four lead changes. But the several times Marist needed a big play, Teresi usually provided it. 'I was telling Jacob, our setter, to keep setting me because they were not stopping me at all,' Teresi said. 'I was just going on a roll and I wanted to keep getting set. 'These are the games where I really want to stand out. There are a lot of people watching. I know we played Glenbard twice during the season, but we knew coming into this game, this was going to be a brand-new team.' It's the second straight state title in boys volleyball, third overall for the boys and third straight for Vidovic, who won in 2024 with the boys in the spring and then the girls team in the fall. Earlier in the day, Marist beat Lane Tech 25-15, 25-19 in the semifinals. Toth totaled six kills and five aces to lead the RedHawks, while Teresi chipped in with four kills and eight assists. Finley recorded eight assists and Donnelly had seven digs against Lane (35-7). Marist then put an exclamation point on a season in which the RedHawks went 30-0 against Illinois teams and dropped just one set — Friday against Lake Park in the state quarterfinals. That had Vidovic excited about placing this team at the top of the state's history list. 'There is no doubt in my mind because we went out and did it,' he said. 'Everybody else is hypothetical and we went out and played the best of the best. We went toe-to-toe with the most stacked high school volleyball teams … probably ever. 'I've been around some great Illinois teams as a player, as a spectator, as a sibling, as a coach, and I've seen some phenomenal teams, but the way the game is played right now, the speed and the way the ball is travelling, there was nothing like that back then.' Teresi closed a four-year varsity career with one more big match under his belt as a goodbye. 'I've never seen a player as compete as Christian — not at all,' Toth said. 'He can do everything. He's super athletic. He's got a wicked arm swing. I really don't know what this kid can't do. 'I don't know how you can go up there on the block and stop him.' About the only thing Saturday night that could almost stop Teresi was a question about if this year's title felt better than a year ago. It was almost like asking a parent who the favorite child is. 'I don't know … I think this year was more exciting for our team,' Teresi said. 'Well, actually I think last year was more exciting because it was our first one. 'But this was better because of us winning last year.'
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Brookline boys' volleyball sends Acton-Boxborough packing, setting up all-Bay State Conference D1 final foursome
Brookline's Kristaps Vaivars (right) lays down a kill against A-B's Parth Pawar. Barry Chin/Globe Staff First-year coach Lexi De La Cruz said it shows the depth of the team that the players were able to take the second set despite 17 errors, and that the 'kids are ready to fight until the last point.' Advertisement Previously Wellesley's coach, De La Cruz never advanced past the round of 32. His Brookline squad has its sights on two more wins and he credits the players and assistant Justin Soohoo, who has been with the program over a decade, with accepting his changes and making his strategies work. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : 'I wouldn't be able to do my job this season if the kids didn't trust me,' he said. 'I came with new game plans, new style of play. This makes my job way easier. It makes me want to fight harder for them, work hard at practice, so we can win the state championship.' Brookline's Alec Smagula (center) and Luka Gallucci (right) combined to block a ball hit by A-B's Matan Wurcel (left). Barry Chin/Globe Staff Brookline's victory sets up an all-Bay State Conference semifinals in D1, to be held on Tuesday at Concord-Carlisle High. The last time the Warriors reached this point, they lost a five-set thriller to Newton North. This time, it's Brookline coming in as the higher seed. Advertisement 'It's definitely something in the back of our minds,' Vaivars said. 'That was the furthest we've gone the past couple years. To have that rematch is great, even though the teams are very different.' Brookline will advance to play Newton North in a rematch of last year's semifinal, won by the Tigers. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Brookline and A-B players line up for handshakes after the Warriors win. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Brookline's Liam Raybould (center) leads the celebration after winning a point against A-B. Barry Chin/Globe Staff AJ Traub can be reached at
