Brookline advances to Div. 1 state final with marathon win

HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

Warriors edge the Revolution

Brookline High players celebrate their hard-fought 3-2 win over Acton-Boxboro during a state semifinal match Tuesday in Newton. AMANDA SABGA — BOSTON HERALD

Brookline’s Serina Ohyama (10) pushes the ball over the net as Acton-Boxboro’s Chloe Heitman defends during a state semifinal volleyball match in Newton. (AMANDA SABGA — BOSTON HERALD

Image

By Jack Murray

Correspondent

NEWTON >> A gritty effort in the fifth set helped No. 2 Brookline secure a 3-2 victory over No. 6 Acton-Boxboro to advance to the MIAA Division 1 girls volleyball state championship match.

The Warriors had not dropped a set since October prior to the matchup against the Revolution. Acton-Boxboro handed them some adversity and head coach Caitlin Sobolewski said it ignited a fire in her team.

“We don’t like losing,” Sobolewski said. “We’re a very competitive group of girls. In tight sets, that tips in our advantage.”

The Revolution had about as strong of a first set as they could have, grabbing a quick 2-0 lead before Brookline stormed back for four consecutive points. The Revolution would re-take the lead and held it deep into the set.

However, Brookline would tie the match at 22 and would steal away the victory 25-23.

“Our energy and our momentum was crucial,” senior captain Serina Ohyama said. “Everything started to click, our passes were going well, our kills were going well. We hit our groove.”

The second set was a bit easier for the Warriors, who quickly grabbed a lead and eventually rode it to a 25-19 victory. This gave the squad three chances to grab the clinching set, but the Revolution would not go down quietly.

A 13-point swing in the third set helped steer Acton-Boxboro to a 25-19 victory, and that momentum was carried into set No. 4. The team’s would trade points until Brookline broke out into an 18-12 lead. They would eventually extend this to 18-12, but a furious charge from the Revolution gave them a 25-20 win and set up the decisive final set.

“We were basically like ‘we have to move on,’ ” Sobolewski said. “Volleyball is a point-to-point game. Once we got back to our game, our girls gained more confidence.”

The final set was close, with Acton-Boxboro inching close to victory at 12-10. However, Brookline locked in and emerged victorious at 15-13.

“We work so hard, this has been our goal since the beginning of the year,” Ohyama said. “Every year we say this but this year we wanted it so much more.”

As Brookline prepares for Newton North or Needham in the Final, they are focused on forming a legacy in the school’s history.

“It’s surreal,” Ohyama said. “Brookline has not won a state championship since 1978, that’s on the banner. That’s the only one on that banner and we are hoping to be next.”