SHREWSBURY – The St. John’s volleyball team’s season came to a close after the team fell in the semifinals 3-0 against the No. 1 seed Needham.
“I’m incredibly proud of how my guys came in,” said Head Coach Dan Seaver. “[Needham is] one of the best programs, period.”
The Pioneers, who were the No. 4 seed, have soared through the post-season, defeating Xaverian, North Andover and St. John’s Prep in the MIAA Division 1.
In the first game, Needham outscored St. John’s 25-13. However, the Pioneers fought hard when the second game began and ended the period 25-23.
“We went out. They threw some shots at us. We got a little down there, but we came out and we fought really hard in the second, really hard in the third,” said Seaver. “A couple things didn’t go our way, but just the way that they played is something special.”
As far as the seniors on the team, he said that senior outside hitter Matt Deeley was the team’s “heart.”
“He brings that fire with him,” said Seaver.
He also recognized senior Nolan Farrell, who he said “stepped up and got some key touches on the blocks at the end,” and senior libero Ben Saro.
“He was unreal. He touched everything. He was just flying around,” said Seaver. “I thought they did an unreal job.”
As for the future of the team, Seaver said it’s looking bright.
“We’ve got seven sophomores on the roster. We’re excited and looking forward [to the future]. I know we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got some things that we need to clean up, but overall we’re pretty excited about where we’re headed,” he said.
With the win, Needham moves onto the state finals at Worcester State against Newton North.
