The No. 1-seeded Hopedale Blue Raiders punched their ticket to the Division 5 championship match with a gutsy 3-1 semifinal victory over No. 4 Lenox last night. Hopedale closed the regular season 14-6 and had swept Brighton and Saint John Paul II in the opening rounds before surviving Renaissance 3-1 in the quarterfinals.
The semifinal was a heavyweight collision. Hopedale took a razor-close first set, 25-23, dropped set two, 25-14, then swung momentum back emphatically by dominating the third 25-12 and finishing the job 25-17 in the fourth. The Blue Raiders blended smart blocking, crisp transition offense, and timely serving to blunt Lenox’s pressure and finish key points late.
Lenox had been rolling, nine straight wins and straight-set playoff results entering the semifinal, so the win underscores how Hopedale has elevated its game in the postseason. Now the Blue Raiders will meet No. 7 Smith Vocational and Agricultural High in the D5 final, a program-first trip to a state championship match and a milestone for the school.
Hopedale will lean on its balance, senior leadership, and the postseason poise it has shown to try to bring home the program’s inaugural D5 crown.
