Newton North handles Winchester in 3-1 volleyball win

WINCHESTER — As the regular season dwindles down to its final days, the Newton North boys volleyball team keeps making its case as the bona fide favorite in the Div. 1 state title race.

Despite losing the first set while missing head coach Nile Fox on the sidelines, the No. 1 Tigers (17-2) handled business as usual Wednesday night with yet another signature win — this time via a 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18) nonleague victory over No. 7 Winchester (15-4).

Adam Christianson led the way with 20 kills, 15 assists and three blocks, pacing an otherwise well-balanced effort that saw several others carve out high-impact roles.

The win comes in assistant coach Claire MacIntosh’s debut leading the varsity team’s sideline, giving Newton North 11 straight wins and its fifth win over a top-six team in the latest MIAA Div. 1 power rankings.

“We didn’t play the best, we got it done thankfully, but it was ugly,” MacIntosh said, before getting into the mentality without Fox there. “I think the guys know what they need to do. They’re all smart, they all understand volleyball. They know the plan, and what they don’t know, I can supply.”

The Red and Black came out on fire and energized in the opening set, using contributions from premier hitter Jamie Watt (13 kills, two blocks), Adam Lubomirski (33 assists), Tuto Sampaio (10 kills) and middle Kirk Levesque (six kills, five blocks) to edge out a 25-21 win.

But Newton North responded fast with a 5-0 start to the second set and didn’t look back from there.

Christianson posted seven of his kills in the frame to help keep the Red and Black at an arm’s length the whole way. Simon Vardeh (15 kills, three aces) closed out the win with an ace while Paul Nelson posted both of his blocks and two of his four kills in the 25-17 frame.

Winchester matched Newton North with side-out volleyball in stretches of the third and fourth sets, but a collection of mini-runs from the Tigers boosted them to close out each one.

Joaquin Cuevas-Torres (26 assists) helped Christianson cook for four kills in the third set to turn an 18-17 lead into 23-20.

Sam Huang (seven kills, five blocks) heated up with a kill and block to finish off a 25-21 win in the third, before catching fire in the middle of the fourth for a 14-9 lead. Nelson, Christianson, Peter Reale (four kills, two blocks), Huang, Vardeh and Amaris Cotto all notched points from there to hold off a couple Winchester charges for a 25-18 win and the match.

That included a 4-1 run that built up the lead to 20-15 as the Red and Black hung around.

Middles have been featured a lot lately in the attack, but Newton North approached this one a bit different.

“Winchester has one really good middle, (Levesque), who we just decided we can’t go at,” MacIntosh said. “With (Watt) being so big also and helping on the middle on every ball, we just thought it was better to go to the outsides a lot of the time.”

Newton North libero Brady Dwyer also played well while dishing six assists.

With just Milford left on the schedule (Friday) before taking on the state tournament, the Tigers are well aware of the challenge ahead.

Their 11th straight win shows they can handle the task.

“I think the biggest difference between this year and last year is that we know going into the tournament we’re the team to beat,” MacIntosh said. “We have the target on our backs. Last year it was Needham, it’s been Needham for four years. I think now we know it’s us, every team wants to take us down. Every time we show up to a gym, the other team is going to give us their best. I think we’re really stepping up to the pressure.”