WESTWOOD >> The Needham boys volleyball team started Friday night firing on all cylinders on a stage the program — making its fifth straight Div. 1 state final appearance — is quite used to.

But Brookline, in its first trip since it last won a state championship in 1992, wouldn’t be denied of the ultimate glory any longer.

Anchored by junior setter Alec Smagula (49 assists, four blocks, three kills) and senior outside hitter Kris Vaivars (27 kills), the top-seeded Warriors (25-1) shook off a rocky start to end a 33-year title drought with a 3-1 win (20-25, 27-25, 25-22, 25-15) over the No. 3 Rockets in a Div. 1 state final that lived up to its billing.

Resilience and late-game composure were staples for Brookline all year, so it was fitting for its first lead of the match to come in extra points of the second set, and for that to spark wins over the next two frames inside a jam-packed Xaverian High School.

“Right now, it’s surreal,” Vaivars said. “That fourth set, the emotions — it was crazy. This is something I worked for for my whole high school career. Coming close, going to the semifinals (in 2023), quarters (last year), for it to finally come true in my senior year … it’s amazing.”

Not much could go wrong for Needham early in each of the first two sets, twice taking a 6-1 lead.

Outside hitters Matt Cloonan (14 kills) and Will Rozman (12 kills) got off to hot starts, pairing with stellar blocking and passing to keep the Warriors at a safe distance for all of a 25-20 first set. Countless intense battles at the net and high-intensity defense filled every frame, but Needham’s efforts prevailed more consistently.

Much of the same success continued in the second, though Brookline punched back with a few big runs to tie the score at 9-9, and then at 18-18. Smagula and Vaivars played central parts, but the all-around contributions from right-side Conor Christopher (nine kills, block), middles Luka Gallucci (three kills, three blocks) and Liam Raybould (five kills, three blocks), and outside hitter Amir Tomer (nine kills, two blocks) were critical.

First-year head coach Lexi De La Cruz couldn’t say enough about the spark off the bench either, as junior Sebi Levi had some good passes and sophomore Jacob Lam eventually took over the libero role after the second set.

“Jacob Lam, the 10-grader that just came in to the libero — at this stage — it was amazing,” De La Cruz said. “He didn’t play the whole season. … He was a key factor.”

Side-out volleyball followed from there, and Needham twice had set-point lined up. Service errors on both extended it, and Smagula’s assist to Tomer paired with his ensuing block to even up the match.

“We knew we had no choice,” Vaivars said. “We had to come out, we’re playing for our lives, we’re playing for our careers. We knew that we were a better team, so we just locked in and did it.”

“(Needham) came out strong, I was expecting that,” De La Cruz added. “My team kept fighting. … The job was done in the second set. We were down 24-23. If we don’t win that set, we don’t win the match.”

Will McDonald, Cloonan, Rozman and the defense kept the rock-fight going in the third set for Needham, but Vaivars erupted in pockets to separate the Warriors for a lead as large as 17-11. The Rockets clawed back, but the Vaivars’ ninth and 10th kills of the set secured a 25-22 win and a 2-1 lead.

“I knew we had to win that third set,” Vaivars said. “I knew the ball was coming to me. I knew what I had to do.”

What can’t be lost from the set, though, was the three-year starter who assisted Vaivars all 10 times — as well as Christopher’s four kills in the span.

“(Smagula), for me, was the MVP of the day,” De La Cruz said. “He was really smart on the way to use his best weapon. He used his best weapon when he needed it, and when he opened the game — just like the last set — everyone was scoring. He had a game plan, he stuck with it, and today, for me, he was the best player on the court.”

Brookline took off from there, using a 13-3 run to build a 20-9 lead in the deciding fourth set.