Taunton boys volleyball fall short to powerhouse Needham in D1 Elite 8

NEEDHAM — This spring season has been quite a ride for Taunton boys volleyball.

Though the Tigers went 5-15 last year, there were signs of promise in a talented squad of largely juniors and underclassmen. This year, with the Hockomock League launching a boys volleyball division for the first time, that potential was reached.

The Tigers roared back to life in 2025, going 15-3 in the regular season while finishing 8-1 in league play to earn a split of the first ever Hockomock crown with Milford. Led by the program’s all-time assists leader in senior setter Daniel Freitas and powerful senior outside hitter Travis Johnson, who recorded over 500 career kills, the Tigers at one point had a 9-match winning streak and won all 12 of their final regular season sets.

Come tournament time, No. 27 Taunton only picked up the intensity in less-than-ideal circumstances. Their Preliminary and Round of 32 matches took place within 18 hours of each other, one at Bristol-Plymouth and the other on the road, but the Tigers prevailed, including an upset over No. 6 Nipmuc in the Round of 32.

Then came an emotional rematch with the Scarlet Hawks in the Round of 16, with the Milford community rallying around the team in support of the release of junior Marcelo Gomes da Silva after he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while on his way to practice a few days prior. In front of a massive crowd and with thoughts of Gomes da Silva, a club teammate of a couple Taunton players, the Tigers once again prevailed against a higher-seed, setting up an Elite Eight showdown with powerhouse No. 3 Needham.

Though the Rockets prevailed in four sets (25-15, 25-14, 22-25, 25-22) Friday, the Tigers put up the same fight and tenacity they’ve displayed all season until the final point.

“It was just all-out effort,” Taunton coach Toby Chaperon said. “They just didn’t quit.”

After a slow start, the Tigers found themselves down 2-0. In set three, they seemed to find another level, taking an early advantage before fighting off a Needham comeback effort. After the Rockets tied the set 16-16 and called timeout, Taunton responded by out scoring the hosts 9-6 down the stretch to earn the 25-22 set win.

SCOREBOARD: Follow all of the Greater Taunton area high school postseason action here

Needham started the fourth set off strong, at one point going up 17-9, before the Tigers showed their teeth and came clawing back, to go within two before the Rockets ultimately pulled out a 25-22 set win.

“I felt like we could’ve just laid down (there), but we didn’t,” Chaperon said. “We made it a game and almost caught them, so I’m proud of the guys for fighting the entire way.”

While saying the team made some errors to put them down early in the opening sets, Chaperon couldn’t have been prouder of the resilience his players showed in battling back against a powerhouse opponent on the road and hopes the successful season inspires more boys and girls in the Silver City to pick up volleyball.

“I just hope the younger kids see this (success) and the program grows,” Chaperon said.

Without a strong youth feeder program in the city like baseball and softball have to drive their success, Chaperon said many players that start in eighth grade aren’t really ready to perform until their sophomore year. It’s his hope that seeing the success of this year’s boys team will help provide a spark to build the framework and turn Taunton into a consistently strong volleyball program across the board.

“We need to get more kids playing club volleyball,” Chaperon said. “We need to get more kids signing up at a younger age and playing in the middle schools.”

If an increased interest in volleyball in Taunton is the lasting legacy of the Class of 2025, it would be fitting for a group Chaperon was incredibly proud to lead.

“I’m proud of these guys for being one of the top teams that play three months a year,” Chaperon said.

Stats

Johnson led the way for the Tigers with 13 kills and three digs, while sophomore middle blocker Syre Duverna had 13 kills and Senior middle blocker Ike Asiegbunam had seven kills and a dig.

Freitas had 36 assists while senior libero Dantae Bauer had 16 digs.