Newton North shows grit in holding off tough Milford squad

NEWTON It trailed in all four sets and lost its top athlete to injury at the end of the third but the Newton North boys volleyball gang overcame it all to add another signature performance toward the Bay State Conference s dominance over the rest of the state Wednesday night Missing star senior Simon Vardeh for the last frame the No Tigers - showcased their depth and maturity by holding an energetic No Milford bunch from forcing a fifth set in a - - - - - nonleague win Senior setter Paul Nelson four kills two blocks connected with middle hitters Peter Reale kills and Bryson Mercedes nine kills two blocks for of his assists anchoring comebacks in the first two frames before several others stepped up in the fourth to withstand Vardeh s absence Newton North now combines with Brookline Natick and Needham for a - record against teams outside of their quadrant of Div titans We had a scant kids come in and just play big roles that we practice disclosed Tigers head coach Nile Fox We know things happen and with our injury luck it unfailingly happens to us so we have to practice being ready for these things I was really happy with what we did because it would ve been so easy for us to roll over and say We don t have our best contestant and give up the contest Milford displayed plenty of power and fight starting all four frames with leads including advantages as high as - in the first and - in the second Star outside hitter Gus Da Silva was in the middle of each one with a match-high kills while Diego Inacio-Santos kills provided depth in competitive starts Aside from a - third set though in which the Scarlet Hawks built a - lead before Vardeh came out for good it wasn t enough to keep Newton North down The Tigers closed wins in the first set by outscoring Milford - and the second by outscoring it - It s not ideal to start off behind but I think that s what pushes us Fox noted Being able to come back from little losses or being able to come back from being a limited points back When we are in those situations I m glad we re showing we re able to come back and still compete Along with strong passing and serving from libero Brady Dwyer and pockets of standout play from Vardeh eight kills block and Aaron Stein kills Nelson s connection with his middles highlighted both of those runs It s definitely improving Nelson explained I think we re doing a lot better I m really proud of Reale and Mercedes both of them I think Reale is one of if not the best middles in the state I m really proud of him I think he s a really amazing athlete I think I need to focus on setting him more than I have been Reale and Mercedes were great Fox added I think the block could ve been better but offensively they were great Reale s been playing like one of the best middles in the state I m just hoping he keeps doing it He s a serious predicament and Mercedes has been doing nothing but surpassing high expectations I already set for him After Milford secured the third Newton North s depth delivered in the fourth as it pivoted to use Nelson as a setter and a hitter Taz Webber six assists ace stepped into his role well as did Ben Towvim with a kill and two aces Stein took off for five kills as did Reale with five himself Newton North demands Vardeh in its Div title hopes but for now this was a great showing It does mean we have chosen versatility when it comes to lineup changes even for when we do have Vardeh Nelson stated But really with Vardeh we re a different gang