MIAA boys’ volleyball bracket analysis: Favorites, sleepers, players to watch for Divisions 1-2
The MIAA boys’ volleyball state tournament brackets are out, and more teams than ever before are going dancing. A statewide-format record 43 teams made it in Division 1, and the 43 in D2 is second-highest.
Will the Bay State Conference continue its dominance in D1? Will there be a first-time champion? How many regular-season rematches could we see?
Let’s dive in!
Division 1
Favorite: No. 2 Brookline
Sleepers: No. 6 Agawam
Players to watch: setter Luke Dratch (Natick, Sr.), outside Baylor Mandell (Newton South, So.), outside Will Rozman (Needham, Sr.), outside Nic Sanchez de Rojas (Lexington, Sr.), setter Alec Smagula (Brookline, Sr.), outside Ridty Tauch (Chelmsford, Jr.)
Best first-round matchup: No. 20 Minnechaug (10-10) at No. 13 West Springfield (12-7), 6 p.m. Thursday
Longest preliminary/first-round road trip: 73.1 miles — No. 38 Billerica (10-10) at No. 27 Greater New Bedford (16-3), 3:30 p.m. Thursday
Analysis: This is the toughest D1 bracket to predict since the statewide format started in 2021, as the top three seeds all split their regular-season matchups. Needham has been in every final since 2022, and has the top seed this year, too. Brookline is coming off a championship, and though it graduated 2025 Player of the Year Kris Vaivars, the rest of the squad has held serve. The Warriors’ only losses the past two seasons have been in their own backup gym, plus a week ago in Natick after having a match point.
The past 12 months have seen D1 championships won by first-year coaches: Franklin girls in the fall (Chris Ridolfi), Brookline boys last spring (Lexi De La Cruz). That’s what Bob Harless will try to continue with No. 3 Natick after assisting under Peter Suxho for almost a decade.
Lexington is the only team with a regular-season win over these top three, but has a tough road to the semifinals, through presumably No. 12 Newton North (which just beat Newton South and took Wayland to five sets) and No. 4 Chelmsford (took Lexington to five sets).
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Division 2
Favorite: No. 1 Wayland
Sleeper: No. 6 Latin Academy
Players to watch: outside Finn Bell (Wayland, Sr.), outside Gus Da Silva (Milford, Sr.), libero Tri Duong (Latin Academy, Jr.), outside Otavio Perks (O’Bryant, Sr.), outside Alexander Rivera (Chicopee Comprehensive, Sr.), setter Max Yurtuc (Westfield, Jr.)
Best first-round matchup: No. 17 Greater Lowell (15-5) at No. 16 Lynn Classical (13-7), TBD
Longest preliminary/first-round trip: 117 miles — No. 38 Whittier (11-9) at No. 27 East Longmeadow (5-14), 6 p.m. Saturday
Analysis: Since becoming one of the top teams in D2 two years ago, Wayland has beaten the defending champion in the semifinals before losing in the finals each time. Where the pattern breaks: the defending champ is in D1 (sixth-seeded Agawam), and the Warriors have the No. 1 seed. Avoiding the 2 vs. 3 matchup could be the crucial distinction that leads to a first title. No. 4 Milford and No. 5 Medfield have strong squads and are the most likely semifinal hopefuls to challenge Wayland.
No. 2 Westfield and No. 3 Chicopee Comp split their season matchups, setting up a potential rubber match in the semis. Westfield also beat Wayland in April. This side of the bracket is loaded, with No. 7 Marlborough and the potential for a rematch of the Boston City League championship between No. 6 Latin Academy and No. 11 O’Bryant.
If that happens, it would be the fourth time the teams face off in the postseason (Latin is 3-0), the second time they would play a fourth matchup in one season, and the first time after one team has not swept the season series (they split in their regular-season matchups, then Latin won the BCL championship).
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