Boys Volleyball, Both Tennis Teams Advance to Elite Eight
June 3, 2026
• Boys volleyball will be the only team to host a quarterfinal game.
Needham boys volleyball and both tennis teams advanced to the quarterfinals with second round wins this week, while boys lacrosse was eliminated with a 16-6 loss to No. 2 St. John’s Prep.
No. 7 boys tennis defeated rival Wellesley 4-1 on June 1, after splitting their regular season contests against the Raiders. They will play No. 2 Westford Academy on Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. for a chance to advance to the state semifinals. Last season, the Rockets were the eight seed in the tournament and were eliminated in the quarterfinals by No. 1 St. John’s Prep.
No. 6 girls tennis remains unbeaten this season after defeating No. 11 Andover 4-1 on June 2. They will head to No. 3 Boston Latin School on Thursday, June 4 at 1 p.m.
Top-ranked Needham boys volleyball swept No. 16 North Andover (25-18, 25-23, 25-7) on June 2, setting up a rematch of last year’s second round game against Lowell, in which the Rockets swept the Red Raiders.
On Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights took a 7-5 lead early in the first set before the Rockets went on a 4-0 run to go ahead 9-7. Needham extended that lead to six in the middle of the set, forcing North Andover to call a timeout. Matty Cloonan scored on an ace out of that timeout as the Rockets continued to roll. Senior David Vulikh saw his first action of the season in the set after dealing with an injury earlier in the year, earning a standing ovation from the student section. Needham closed out the set with two straight points to take it 25-18 and take a 1-0.
The two teams went back and forth in the second set, tied at 15, but North Andover went on a 4-0 run to take a 19-15 lead, their largest of the game. The Rockets pulled within two, 23-21, and scored the next four points to win the set 25-23 and a 2-0 lead in the match. Cloonan scored three of the final four points for Needham to clinch the set.
The Rockets cruised to victory in the third set, winning it 25-7. Cloonan led Needham in kills with nine, while Will Rozman added eight. Both Thomas Klein and Frederick Goodman collected six kills.
Needham will host No. 8 Lowell on June 5 at 5 p.m. The Needham Channel will have a broadcast of that game that will air on our Community and HD Channels on Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m.
