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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