Darien, Joel Barlow Capture State Boys Volleyball Championships

MIDDLETOWN/HARTFORD, CT — The two state boys volleyball finals played Thursday night looked eerily similar on paper. In both contests, the top-seeded team from Fairfield County ousted the No. 2 seed from Hartford County in four games. However, where one champion is accustomed to winning, the other celebrated its first state title in four attempts.

In the Class L final at Xavier High School in Middletown, Darien recovered from dropping the first game to outlast Enfield. Game scores were 18-25, 25-17, 25-22 and 25-16.

Just up the road a bit at the Sport and Medical Science Academy in Hartford, Joel Barlow won its first boys volleyball state title by defeating Newington. Game scores were 25-16, 20-25, 25-17 and 25-20.

Class L

Darien won its fourth championship, but it wasn't easy. Pesky Enfield led the entire first game and was up 11-8 in the second when the Blue Wave finally hit its stride. Darien ran off five straight points, then added six of the final seven to even the match.

Trailing 8-4 in the third, the Eagles tallied six consecutive points to grab the advantage, but five- and four-point bursts provided the Blue Wave its second straight game win. Leading 14-12 in the fourth game, Darien scored six straight points to seal the title, its first since 2017.

"This is just like the first one to me," Darien coach Laurie LaRusso said.

Trevor Herget led the Blue Wave with 28 kills, most of the power variety, but also several that demonstrated a great deal of finesse. Luke Bradbury added 11 kills and Zarek Swetye had 44 assists for the champions.

Tyler Simmons and Drew Rancourt had 18 and 12 kills, respectively, for Enfield, while Alvey Blier contributed 33 assists.

Class M

The third time turned out to be the charm for No. 1 Joel Barlow. The Falcons, who had never won a state title in three previous attempts, had gone down to Newington in 2015 and 2018. Meanwhile, Newington was aiming for its fourth straight Class M crown, and seventh since 2012.

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