AJ Traub

2 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | AJ Traub |Alexa Podalsky

Alec Smagula was in the middle of nearly every point for Brookline in the Division 1 state final.Ken McGagh for The Boston GlobeWESTWOOD — A block, then a kill, then another block. It’s hardly a common sequence for a setter, but it’s what Alec Smagula does. In a state championship on the verge of slipping away, the junior, already a three-year captain, changed the course of the match, helping top-seeded Brookline to a 20-25, 27-25, 25-22, 25-15 victory at Xaverian Brothers.

2 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | AJ Traub

Kris Vaivars (right) celebrates with Brookline teammates Liam Raybould (left) and libero Jacob Lam after delivering the match-deciding kill, his 24th, to clinch the 3-1 win over Needham. Ken McGagh for The Boston GlobeWESTWOOD — One more point to win in his high school career. Kris Vaivars knew the ball would come his way. The senior smashed the last of his 24 kills off defending fingertips, the ball sailing out the back as Brookline’s title drought since 1992 came to an end at Xaverian Brothers.

2 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | AJ Traub

SHREWSBURY — The championship-deciding third and fourth sets were not close. They were “Agawam Volleyball.”It was not a change of strategy, but the team that lost a five-setter in last year’s Division 2 semifinals decided no more. With a 25-22, 23-25, 25-13, 25-16 decision at Shrewsbury High, the top-seeded Brownies won their third boys’ volleyball championship by defeating No. 3 Wayland, to close out a 24-1 season against the team that ousted them a year ago.

2 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | AJ Traub

On the verge of dropping a set, Brookline players refocused. With senior Kris Vaivars leading the offense and classmate Conor Christopher stepping up defensively, the top-seeded Warriors got back on track, coming back from down 21-17 in the second set and finishing off a 25-13, 25-23, 25-17 Division 1 quarterfinal victory at home over No. 9 Acton-Boxborough. “We took some time and pulled through,” Vaivars said. “The fact that we came back from that deficit helped us, but also was a wake-up call.

3 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | AJ Traub

One after another, eight consecutive kills off the hand of Simon Vardeh changed the entire match. Coach Nile Fox noted that his senior star was catching fire and after the first set, told his team to get him the ball. Vardeh’s reaction: “Hell yeah. I love hitting. I love volleyball.”Vardeh mashed a career-high 36 kills and Division 1 defending champion Newton North is back into the semifinals after a 23-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-15 result, the fourth seed defeating No. 5 Lexington at home.