Lexington boys rip Winchester for 15th straight volleyball triumph

WINCHESTER With the sole lead in the Middlesex League title race on the line against rival Winchester the No Lexington boys volleyball crew picked a good night to set personal records on Monday Junior outside hitter Nic Sanchez de Rojas posted a career-high kills with nine in the third set helping the Minutemen - overcome late runs from the No Red and Black to pull out a - - - - win and extend their program-best -game winning streak Defense and serving were other major keys against a scrappy Winchester group hosting its th Annual Spike Out ALS benefit encounter I didn t know I had I feel great Sanchez de Rojas explained Our coach consistently tells us to maintain the unit ego but not have a personal ego so I think it really helps to boost our morale Obviously we see the - and it makes us feel good But we just can t get too cocky Lexington s talent and depth overwhelmed Winchester in pockets throughout the match Ale Luciani kills and Nadav Vachtel seven kills each had standout stretches on the attack Mahin Rajesh and Jake Seigal combined for assists and middles Alexander Jackson blocks and Kolbey Manuelian two blocks played well at the net alongside the three-headed monster of pin-hitters to anchor a strong defensive showing That depth turned in a reassured - win in the second set But in the first Winchester erupted for a - run facing set point to challenge in a - frame And in the third a - run anchored a comeback from down - eventually forced a - tie The Minutemen who lost a - thriller to Wayland in the opener continued to show their improvement in crunch time by taking the next two points on a kill and block from Manuelian We know that Winchester is dependably going to give us a battle declared Lexington head coach Marc Turiano It got real competitive down the stretch in the third I think our guys have gotten in the habit of winning the tight set They ve been pushed a number of times during this streak and they ve shown a pattern of coming through We practice the clutch situations added Sanchez de Rojas - who can get to first I think it s really great to get used to that in practice We re starting to see we re competing more in those tight situations and winning Sanchez de Rojas had set the stage for the win in that last set with nine kills adding to yet another showing of depth Lexington has at the pins Vachtel had four kills in a standout second set Luciani had five with four aces in the first It s incredible we have so a multitude of options Sanchez de Rojas declared Despite the loss Winchester head coach John Fleming was pleased to see such a scrappy fight from his group before heading into a complex stretch of its schedule before the state tournament starts More meaningful though was a large crowd at a meeting dedicated to a great cause Former member Philip Marks father Rick was diagnosed with ALS in and the company started the charity fundraiser in assistance of the family Shortly after Fleming s father was diagnosed It s a cause that hits close to home and the impact of still hosting the fruitful event with Rick Marks wife Eileen and ALS One in attendance is special Eileen comes every year Fleming declared Even a Lexington parent just came up to me and she works at BioGen they just had a big break through She and I spoke and she reported the awareness is so big To have this sort of impact still is huge for us And I think it s pivotal for high school athletes to sometimes be thinking about something than a match and to think about something as big and life-changing as a malady like this It s great to have the aid from the group that s also why we picked Lexington