Needham and Brookline Boys Volleyball State Championship Suspended
June 12, 2026
• The game was called in the second set due to the conditions of the floor.
On Friday night, the MIAA Division 1 State Championship matchup between the Needham and Brookline boys volleyball teams was suspended because of deteriorating conditions on the floor due to humidity. It will resume Saturday, June 13 at 3 p.m. at Hopkinton High School.
Brookline won the first set 25-20, Needham took a 12-11 lead in the second set before the conditions became too difficult to continue. The game between the two Bay State Conference rivals is a rematch of the 2025 final, won 3-1 by the Warriors, their first since 1992.
The Rockets came into the tournament as the #1 seed and entered the championship game with a record of 21-4. Brookline, the #2 seed this season, had a record of 18-2 going into the championship, and split two regular season meetings with the Rockets, with the Warriors winning 3-2 at the A Gym on April 30th and Needham sweeping at Brookline on May 14.
Needham advanced to its sixth straight state championship with a 3-0 win (25-20, 25-18, 25-16) over No. 12 Newton North on June 9 at Newton South, which was the second game of the semifinal doubleheader as Brookline held off another BSC rival, #3 Natick in five sets, winning the first two 25-19 and 25-13. The Redhawks came back from being down two sets to force a fifth, winning 25-20 and 25-28, but the Warriors rolled in the final set 15-6.
The Rockets had lost every game that went to five sets over the course of the season, but had yet to lose a set in the playoffs, last falling in their regular season finale on May 20, 3-2 to eventual Division 2 champ Wayland. Although Needham was playing in their sixth straight title game, they were looking to win for the first time since 2023, having lost to not only Brookline in 2025, but also Newton North in 2024.
Friday’s final was originally scheduled to be at Newton South like the semifinal doubleheader, but was moved to Westwood earlier in the afternoon, also because of condensation on the floor.
