North Quincy boys volleyball blitzes Longmeadow to advance to Elite 8

Sep 23, 2023

QUINCY − There's no clock in volleyball, so sometimes matches can drag on into five-set marathons that seem like they'll just never end.

This was not one of those times.

The North Quincy High boys team kept alive its dream of returning to the Division 2 state final with a ruthlessly efficient 3-0 win over No. 14 Longmeadow in Wednesday's Round of 16. The Raiders (19-3) needed just under an hour to complete the rout, and although the Lancers (16-4) were much more competitive in the third set, Cameron Johnston's team-high 12th kill of the match, a rocket down the line into the back left corner, sealed a 25-10, 25-10, 25-22 victory.

"Number 24 can flat-out murder the ball sometimes," Longmeadow coach Patrick Curry said of Johnston.

It was NQ's 14th straight-set win of the season and third in a row. The Raiders also beat No. 30 Nipmuc by that score in the first round.

"It's always nice to win in three," said senior outside hitter Nate Caldwell, who had 10 kills. "That's usually our main goal."

"We kind of let off the gas (pedal) a little bit (in the third set)," Cameron Johnston said, "but it's nice to get a quick 3-0 (win) and move on to the next one. I'm excited to keep playing."

The Raiders advance to face No. 6 O'Bryant (18-4) in the quarterfinals. Rumor has it that NQ will host that match Sunday, although the MIAA has not officially announced a date or a time. North Quincy beat O'Bryant, 3-0, at home May 25 in the teams' lone regular-season meeting.

"They're still good," 6-3 senior middle hitter Dylan Clifford said. "Maybe they had an off day; maybe we had a good day. We can't go in there thinking (anything). We just have to keep our heads down and play the way we've been playing."

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"They're definitely going to come back firing again," Cameron Johnston said. "They were upset after the loss, as any team would be. They're going to want it. But I think we want it more. We're hoping to get back to where we were last year and win it all."

North Quincy was the No. 1 seed in last year's Div. 2 tournament, but the Raiders came up just short, losing 3-0 to No. 3 Westfield in the state final as the Bombers claimed their fourth state crown in five years.

"We don't want to feel the way we did at the end of last year so we're pushing harder, we're working harder," Clifford said. "Practices have been tougher than they were last year. We don't want to go home yet."

"It didn't end the way we wanted it to," Cameron Johnston agreed, "and that's what we're chasing after again. It definitely motivates us."

Westfield (21-2) is the No. 1 seed this year, and the Bombers and Raiders could stage a rematch in the final. Westfield will face No. 9 Medfield (20-1) in the quarterfinals. Also on that side of the bracket it will be No. 4 Milford (15-6) against No. 5 West Springfield (15-5). Milford handed NQ one of its three losses this season, winning 3-2 on May 22 in NQ's lone five-setter of the campaign.

Asked about a potential rematch against Westfield, Clifford said, "I would love that. It would be nice. But I'd also like another shot at Milford too. Anyone coming from that side (of the bracket), I'm ready."

The NQ-O'Bryant winner will get either No. 2 Agawam (19-2) or No. 7 Greater New Bedford (15-3) in the semifinals. North Quincy won both regular-season meetings against Greater New Bedford, by scores of 3-0 and 3-1.

Longmeadow was hanging around in the first set, trailing 7-5, when Johnston served seven straight points to extend NQ's lead to 14-5. The Raiders never looked back. The service run ignited the crowd, particularly the group of male students who showed up in Hawaiian shirts and board shorts and even brought a watercraft as a prop.

"It's awesome, especially with our crowd," Johnston said. "I think we have the best fans in the state. Not many fans show up with a kayak. It's huge. They keep me going and the bench keeps me going."

"That was huge," Caldwell said of Johnston's solo run. "You can just sit there and he serves away and gets us points after points."

Four straight service points from senior libero Gavin Yu helped NQ pull away for another easy win in the second set before Longmeadow finally found some traction in the third. The Lancers led on five different occasions (albeit each time by a single point) and there were nine ties, the last one at 19-19.

"We came in scared," Curry said. "The two-hour bus ride didn't really help us. We talked to the team after the first two sets and said, 'Guys, it's now or never. Time to be done being scared because I know we're a better team than that.' (North Quincy) was the better team tonight and they're definitely a better team than us right now, but I know we should have been tight with them every set. We had to be just a little bit better."

26: Assists for senior setter Bobby Lin. "He's been good for us all year, just mixing it up and running our offense," said NQ second-year coach Megan Johnston, Cameron's mom. "He knows who to set when and he sees what's happening on the other side of the court (and reacts to that). He's helpful."

1: Key player North Quincy lost to graduation last spring. That would be libero Adam Huang. Other than that, it's basically the same Raiders team as last season. Said Megan Johnston: "Gavin (Yu), our libero, has stepped up and filled that hole and is doing a great job. The energy and the teamwork and the family, all of that, is still there. Those seniors have set the tone for the program. They're helping me build something. Their buy-in to my coaching style (helps); I'm super-grateful for their leadership."

0: Seniors on Longmeadow's roster. While the Raiders are trying to build on last year's breakout season, the Lancers are just hoping their two-match postseason stay will pay dividends down the road. "It's a great learning experience for this team," Curry said. "North Quincy is really strong. We hope that we can grow like that. They have a lot of seniors and we're a young team. Our starting setter is a freshman. All of our outside hitters are juniors, and we have a sophomore middle (hitter). We're really looking to build on (this playoff run) and we're hoping to be a top-eight seed next season and host a couple of home games."