By claiming at least a share of the Commonwealth crown, Greater Lawrence boys' volleyball is proving it's no underdog

Boston Globe

17-05-2025

'We were kind of known as underdogs,' said sophomore outside
Jelisson Peguero
. 'People thought it would be an easy win to go against us. We had the motivation, we had things to improve. We're going for the win.'
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Anthony Rubim (left) has notched a lot of his 1,000-plus assists passing the ball to Janiel Vizcaino.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Though the season started with a four-set loss to defending conference champ Greater Lowell, the Reggies (12-4) made sure that would be their only Commonwealth setback when they won the fifth set, 15-13, in the rematch.
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Karla Mahoney
was the JV coach last time Greater Lawrence stood atop the conference, with her husband, 2017 MAVCA Hall of Fame inductee
Robert Mahoney
, coaching. Now, she has a title too.
'It was an incredible feeling,' she said. 'All their hard work paid off. They earned it and they deserved it.'
Greater Lowell can still earn a share of the conference crown, but it helped play a part in Greater Lawrence's rise too.
Commonwealth coaches teamed up to create a summer program, in which each coach worked with athletes on the other teams, offering different perspectives.
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It offered more playing time together, which Greater Lawrence players also found when they started going to South Common Park in Lawrence, sometimes playing against high-level locals.
'Playing outside of school was probably the biggest reason we came into the season with so much chemistry and hunger,' Rubim said. 'We know how good we are at our peaks. Seeing us play at the park is cool, but let's do it in a game when a title is on the line.'
Coach Karla Mahoney took over the program from her husband, Robert, who led the Reggies to their last conference title.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Summer competition added a layer to Commonwealth battles, with coaches and players more familiar with each others' styles. Peguero said 'every single match' opposing coaches took him out of his comfort zone, but he's glad they did because it made him adapt.
'Every coach knew how I hit, where I hit. They adjusted to it,' he said. 'With my team's passes and the sets I was given, I was able to find the way around the block and, midseason, improve my options.'
The girls' team improved as well from summer play, going from 6-13 in 2023 to 12-10 in 2024, reaching the Division 4 Round of 16. With players from each team managing the other, they lift each other up.
Janiel Vizcaino
, a manager in the fall, found that he learned communication skills from the girls.
'We have the momentum and the team,' said the junior middle hitter. 'We all came together.'
Jelisson Peguero is a sophomore outside hitter for Greater Lawrence.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Senior
Eliana Villa
improved her skills playing with the boys, and the team seized the opportunity to tighten up defensively.
'For my season, the change from last year to this year was a 180,' she said. 'I'm not going to give us all the credit, but the energy on our side reflected to [the boys'] season. Our vibe and how we pushed for every win, it brought them to that CAC title.'
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Mahoney has made it a mission to meld the two teams into one growing program.
'It's a big family,' she said. 'It was a really special girls' season. They left it all on the court. Every game, the boys were there . . . During the boys' season the girls are there . . . I love the relationships they built with each other.'
Added assistant
Raymond Pimentel
: 'Players are buying into what we're telling them, trusting our decisions and coaching styles, and allowing us to mold them into more skillful, intelligent players.'
Though the Reggies are still low (34th) in
'The team's morale, we were down,' said senior outside
Joel De La Rosa
, who had 17 kills in the conference-clinching match and 16 in the win over Greater Lowell. 'Coming up to the season after losing so much, we wanted to be better. You gain more from losing.
'We built so much chemistry for two years. We used that chemistry to win.'
Many of the Greater Lawrence players put in extra time training over the summer and they're seeing that pay off this spring.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Set points
• Newton North coach
Nile Fox
has a knack for getting his teams to perform at their best in the postseason. He has won titles in three of the last four spring/fall volleyball seasons.
This year, it's trickier. All-Scholastic hitter
Simon Vardeh
headlines a handful of players out due to injury. Vardeh projects to be back for the postseason, but it's unknown how much of Newton North's potential we'll get to see.
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The Tigers project to stay in the top four in the power rankings after building up a stellar record.
• With just a week left and the postseason coming into focus, all eyes will be on the power rankings as teams anticipate tournament matchups.
One trio of teams to keep an eye on: the Catholic Conference leaders. It has been a tumultuous year for St. John's Prep, BC High, and St. John's (Shrewsbury), in
The Pioneers should get a boost from a sweep of Newton North, but the biggest factor is
Gus McGonagle
(finger injury). The hope is he can re-join his brother
Francis
, an All-Scholastic hitter, in time for the tournament.
Matches to watch
Monday, Lowell at Methuen, 5 p.m.
— Lowell could wrap up the Merrimack Valley Conference with a win, but if not, these two and Chelmsford will have split with each other atop the league standings.
Monday, No. 2 Natick at Cambridge, 5:30 p.m.
— A nonleague matchup of top teams, pitting a pair of creative setters in Natick's Luke Dratch and Cambridge's Eric Su.
Monday, No. 1 Brookline at No. 5 Lexington, 5:30 p.m.
— Each team has just one loss and features outstanding hitting depth.
Tuesday, No. 3 Needham at No. 2 Natick, 5:15 p.m.
— The Redhawks have been on a roll after losing their first two matches. They avenged their defeat to Brookline, and will have a chance to do the same on senior night against the Rockets.
Thursday, City final: O'Bryant vs. Latin Academy, 4 p.m.
— Last season, BLA defeated O'Bryant twice in the regular season, but the Tigers won in five sets for the City League final. The same regular season has played out between the two ahead of the championship at Emmanuel College.
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AJ Traub can be reached at