Is this the best Lexington boys' volleyball team ever? The postseason will tell.

Boston Globe

24-05-2025

'He was an inspiration,' Ale said of Matteo. 'I do look up to him, especially in the volleyball world.
'We've done a lot better than I thought we ever would . . . Just being able to be a part of the team that's ended up proving not just themselves, but other teams wrong, it's a blessing.'
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The team has built upon Matteo's foundation to foster a historic season, with hitters playing selflessly serving as a catalyst to the longest winning streak (17 matches) in program history, a stretch in which the Minutemen dropped just four sets.
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'Ale is our heavy hitter. He swings really hard into the block, high hands,' said junior
Nic Sanchez de Rojas
. 'Me and
Nadav
[
Vachtel
] play smarter and make fewer errors, but might get fewer kills. Having three players that have different play styles? I'm still learning from both Nadav and Ale, different little tricks and techniques or strategies to get kills, passing, or defense.
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'We can each learn from each other. Not all other teams have this opportunity.'
Ale Luciani heating up in the first set for Lexington
— AJ (@aj_traub)
Added coach
Marc Turiano
: 'They see what the teams in the past have done and have a healthy respect for it, but they see they have the talent to be great and probably the best team in Lexington volleyball history. They see the path to getting there would be playing a team-based game.'
Vachtel, a senior, completes the net trio driving the magical season. The team's depth keeps the players honest, constantly competing to retain their roles and staying ready if their name is called.
'The deepest team Lexington has ever had,' Vachtel said. 'As we saw in the Brookline game, Nic got injured . . . Two people on our bench stepped in and they performed as we needed to . . . and we won that set. Everyone can step in when we need them to and perform.'
Adam Mann is a superutility man for the Minutemen.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Embodying that quality is junior
Adam Mann
, who barely touched a volleyball before high school but fell in love with it. Mann said he 'worked [his] butt off' to make varsity and has been the versatile piece that helps save the team when it needs a boost.
He's always ready to jump in wherever he is needed: hitter, libero, defensive specialist, or anywhere else.
'When your spot is locked up, you may get a little lenient and don't have to work as hard,' he said. 'When you don't know what position you're going to play or when you're going to play . . . you're going to die on the court and work the hardest.
'I'm diving for balls, I'm giving my all to the team.'
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Though the Minutemen
Now, the top four hear the footsteps of the Middlesex champion as the tournament nears.
Lexington senior Ale Luciani is known as the team's most powerful hitter.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
'I don't think we're going to surprise anybody anymore,' Turiano said following the Brookline match. 'I think we have the ability to be a true contender in D1.'
Though Matteo graduated, his mark on this trailblazing squad is evident. He convinced Vachtel to play and influenced Sanchez de Rojas to switch from soccer to club volleyball. He takes pride in his younger brother forging his own legacy.
'I wanted to be an inspiration for them, but I didn't think I was that big of one in that way,' Matteo said. 'To see it firsthand and hear it firsthand is really cool. I'm proud of myself and of them that they're having this success. I do hope that it comes to something really good.'
As the Minutemen race towards the postseason, they have a newfound confidence.
'I think that up until [Brookline], people were looking at our record and strength of schedule and shrugging us off,' Sanchez de Rojas said. 'I think now people are thinking of us as a serious contender, and people will be scared of us entering the tournament. I think people will be like 'Oh no, I'm playing Lexington,' which is nice.'
The Lexington boys' volleyball team, bottom, huddles before taking on Acton-Boxborough, top, in a a senior night match at Lexington High School on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Set points
▪ In further evidence that Natick has put its previous shortcomings behind it as the postseason approaches,
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Though Natick took down Brookline once and Newton North twice, the Rockets presented a mental obstacle. The Redhawks started off the season with a loss in Needham, but finally broke through.
Middle
John Carroll
earned the senior-day victory, the first time Natick won the matchup since his brother,
Brendan,
won on his senior day in 2019.
'This performance was very good,' said coach
Peter Suxho
. 'You see it in the front row, in the back row, everywhere we are better.'
Related
:
▪ It is coming down to the wire, but it appears Newton North in Division 1 and Wayland in Division 2 will avoid sliding as they drop late matchups due to injured stars. Earlier wins and high strength of schedule prop up their
The Tigers complete a quartet of Bay State teams in the four spots, all with home-court advantage until the neutral-site semifinals, but have been playing without several key players, including elite hitter
Simon Vardeh
.
The Warriors have been without
AJ Traub can be reached at