NASHUA, N.H. – Justin Scott was well aware of the tall task at hand.
Taking on undefeated Coe-Brown Northwood, the No. 1 team in New Hampshire, who Pinkerton had lost to in a 3-0 sweep just weeks prior, he knew a potential upset would be a colossal duty.
“Coe-Brown is a really, really good team,” said Scott. “There’s a ton of athletes, they’re big, they jump, they simply crush it every game.”
Unfortunately, Scott was right on Tuesday night. Coe-Brown dominated from the opening point, sweeping Pinkerton on their way to the finals, 3-0.
“Our plan was to try to keep them on their heels serving, and we had some really good swings, they just have a great Libero,” said Scott. “Coe-Brown has no holes, they have guys that can do it all.”
It’s not an understatement to consider Coe-Brown’s 2025 campaign as arguably the most dominant in New Hampshire volleyball history. They’re not just undefeated — they’re winning everything with ease.
In fact, the No. 1 seed has swept every team, 3-0, except for one match, a five-set thriller versus the No. 2 seed, Dover.
It seemed to be a collision course for those two powerhouses, until No. 3 Hollis-Brookline stunned Dover in five sets, setting up their match versus Coe-Brown on Saturday afternoon in the title game.
While Pinkerton had a respectable first set, falling 25-16, the next wasn’t so sweet for the underdogs, falling 25-5 in the second set, pulling the Bears away for good.
However, Pinkerton did come out strong in the third set, leading 10-6, before Coe-Brown stormed back on a 12-3 run, ending the set, 25-17.
For the Astros, it’s the end of an era for two of the best to do it in recent memory, in Kaden Layne, and Ben Koelb. Layne will continue his playing career at Rivier, while Koelb is headed to Northeastern.
Despite the exit in the semifinals against an impressive Coe-Brown team, Scott believes this run is just the beginning of something to come, with untapped potential for a bevy of underclassmen.
“Ben was a three-year starter, Kaden was a three-year starter, and we have five other seniors that we have to replace,” said Scott. “It’s hard to fill those holes, but with the underclassmen we have, you have to feel confident. We have the power next year, and getting this experience is huge.”
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