Girls Volleyball Sweeps, Field Hockey Falls in Postseason
October 31, 2024 *Updated November 1 & 2*
• Rockets Girls Volleyball opens with trouncing of Braintree.
Needham’s Fall Sports teams started postseason play this weekend, with Football finishing up their regular season on Friday. On Friday, November 1st, Girls Volleyball, ranked #5 in the MIAA Division 1 Bracket, welcomed in Bay State Conference rival, #28 Braintree. Right from the start the Rockets dominated, scoring the first six points and taking a double digit lead in the first set.
Needham would win that 25-13, followed by a pair of 25-11 victories in the next two sets, sweeping the Wamps in three straight. The Rockets now await the winner of #21 Westford Academy and #12 Newton South in the Round of 16.
The Rockets Field Hockey team, ranked #24 in the MIAA D1 bracket, visited old rival Wellesley, who received the 9 seed. The game took place on Saturday, November 2nd at Hunnewell Field and the Raiders dominated from the start, scoring a goal within the first two minutes and rolling the Rockets 6-0.
Girls Soccer is ranked #5 in D1, earning a home game in the Round of 32 against #28 Lexington on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th at 4:30pm at Memorial Field. The Boys are #24 and will host #41 Marshfield in the Preliminary Round on Sunday, November 3rd at 2:30pm. The winner goes to $9 Lincoln-Sudbury in the Round of 32.
Meanwhile, the defending state champion Girls Swim and Dive team will be competing in Sectionals at the MIT Pool Sunday, November 3rd at 8:30am. The Cross Country teams will be at the Frank Mooney Invitational on Saturday, as they prepare for the State Championships on Saturday, November 9th.
The Rockets Football team jumped up from #5 to #3 in Tuesday’s Power Rankings, thanks to Needham’s win over Weymouth in a battle of 6-0 teams that decided the Bay State Conference title. The Rockets finished up a perfect regular season at 8-0 on Friday night, when they won 37-0 at Framingham (1-7 this year) from Bowditch Field. Football Playoff Brackets will be released on Sunday.
Against the Flyers, Needham scored early, on a 20 yard touchdown run by Aidan Williams, then again on a 5 yard TD run by Stephen Rocamboli. Each scored twice in the game, with the season total for Williams now reaching 12. Alex Rufo also hit a 30 yard field goal late in the first half.
For highlights and postgame reaction from Head Football Coach Doug Kopcso, check out these videos from our Instagram page:
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Be sure to come back to needhamlocal.org and needhamchannel.org, as well as our social media channels for updates from and about our playoff coverage. Our Sports X page is: x.com/tnc_sports, and our Instagram is: instagram.com/theneedhamchannel.
