Is this the year for top-ranked BHS boys volleyball team?

It’s been more than three decades since Brookline High School’s boys’ volleyball team last captured a state championship in 1992.

Currently ranked #1 in the state with a 12-1 record, the Warriors are eyeing another one, after a transformation in culture and with a strong sense of team chemistry. First-year head coach Lexi De La Cruz brings over a decade of volleyball experience,from playing and coaching at the collegiate level in Puerto Rico to leading top-tier programs at Lasell University and SMASH Volleyball’s nationally ranked U18 team.

His vision was clear from day one: to win a state championship. But for De La Cruz, the journey is as important as the outcome. “My vision and goal since day one is to win the state championships. The boys understood the mission”, said De La Cruz.

Assistant coaches Justin Soohoo and Julian Vesneske, both veterans of the Brookline volleyball community, have witnessed the sport’s evolution in town firsthand. Soohoo, now in his 14th year of coaching, emphasizes consistency and challenge in practice, ensuring players are always pushed to grow while maintaining familiar routines that build confidence. Vesneske, reflecting on the program’s trajectory, notes that “the culture of volleyball in Brookline is massive now.”

“If you want to make JV at Brookline, you have to be a varsity caliber player at another town,” said Soohoo. Nearly every player on the roster has club experience, and the result is a roster filled with athletes recognized among the very best in New England.

For the players, this season feels fundamentally different. Junior captain and outside hitter Amir Tomer describes how the team’s high expectations have fueled their performance. “We knew that everyone was looking at us to be a strong team. So, we hold ourselves to high expectations, and it makes us play better.”

Tomer credits De La Cruz’s coaching for encouraging players to use skills from outside volleyball and implement them into their game, “instead of thinking inside the box, which is kind of how we used to do things.”

Sophomore Kais Al-Fakhuri, who shifted from middle to right side this year, highlights the effectiveness of the coaching staff’s time management and in-game adjustments. He notes that Coach De La Cruz’s timeouts are not just routine breaks, but pivotal turning points. “We just instantly went on a run after a timeout,” Al-Fakhuri says, underscoring how tactical adjustments and focused regrouping have helped the Warriors regain control and surge ahead in crucial moments.

Team chemistry and mutual support are also key factors to the team’s resilience, the players say.

Tomer said the season has been a dream so far for both players and alumni, and the team is not just hoping for success, they’re preparing for it.

“I think this is our year,” said Al-Fakhuri.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the year of the last BHS boys volleyball state championship. The correct date is 1992. 

This story was produced in collaboration with the Reinventing Journalism course at Brandeis University, taught by Professor Neil Swidey, with mentoring for student journalists by Brookline.News editorial adviser Ellen Clegg and editor Sam Mintz. Read more about the collaboration here.