Boys' Volleyball: Owls gain title game vs. Salem

DERRY – Timberlane of Plaistow has been working all season at a chance to dethrone Salem in boys' volleyball, and the Owls will get their wish.

Second-seed Timberlane steamrolled Londonderry in a straight-set semifinal, setting up an NHIAA Division I championship rematch with Salem.

The never-beaten Blue Devils (18-0) won their 111th consecutive match by sweeping Pinkerton of Derry, 25-23, 25-23 and 25-12 last night.

Dare we say Timberlane (16-2) looks poised to knock off No. 1? The opportunity presents itself Friday at 6 p.m. at Pinkerton's gym.

"We're confident enough. It's a simple as just doing what we do every day," Owls senior Cameron Fagan said. "The championship is going to be a blast. It's going to be the best time of our lives, and we're going to play our hearts out."

Timberlane opened the semis by winning 25-20, 25-18 (a match featuring nine ties) and 25-18. Max LaRoche and Terry Matatall combined for 21 kills; Tim Anderson and Joe Morin combined for 10 aces, and Connor Dube collected 26 assists.

The Owls have already shown they can beat Salem, even it's only for one game in a match. During the regular season, Timberlane posted a 25-23 win over the Blue Devils at home but ultimately lost in four games.

The Owls can't afford many mistakes in the final as Salem goes for its sixth straight title.

"Any team that's playing Salem is going to have their hands full, but I have so much confidence in our guys right now," Timberlane coach John Dube said. "They're playing very poised, very mature. Not cocky but confident."

Fourth-seed Londonderry, led by seniors Will White, Mark Cwalinski and Nick Berry, ended the year at 12-6.

Salem, at times, looked beatable in the semis. Nonetheless, the mighty Blue Devils swept the match.

In Game 1, Pinkerton held a 17-13 before the Blue Devils rattled off five straight points. A Kinney spike, tipped long, ended the upset bid. In Game 2, Daniel Tiner's crosscourt blasted ended a back-and-forth battle previously knotted at 22-apiece.

Kinney, a 6-foot-5 senior, was relentless. He finished with 16 service points, 13 kills and seven blocks. Tiner had 12 kills; Joe Gallant controlled the net with four blocks, and Chris Barnes compiled 33 assists.

Pinkerton (12-6) played one of its best matches of the season as Ben Rees had six kills and Steve Curry went 40-for-47 on sets. Andrew Stefanelli added eight digs on the Astros' home court.

"We were the No. 1 seed, but it's still their gym," Salem coach E.J. Perry said. "We settled down and started to play our game after a while. Kinney was the difference tonight."

Clearly, the Blue Devils are confident entering the final. And so is Timberlane.

"We'll play our game -- our best game -- and see what happens," Perry said.

Click below for UnionLeader.com video: Salem senior Jason Kinney talks about his team's approach to matches: