The Cavaliers and their fans celebrate their 3-2 Divison I semifinal win over Dover Tuesday at Nashua North. (Photo by Richard Tierney)

NASHUA — They’re back in the finals. Is anyone surprised?

Three-time defending champion, No. 3 Hollis-Brookline avenged a late-season sweep with a five-set victory over No. 2 Dover in the Division I boys volleyball semifinals Tuesday at Nashua North, winning 24-26, 26-24, 15-25, 25-15, 15-13.

The win sends the 16-2 Cavaliers to their fourth straight championship appearance, and their first under head coach Jake Balfour. They’ll face unbeaten No. 1 Coe-Brown Northwood on Saturday – a team that dropped just two sets all year. CBN swept Pinkerton 3-0 in the other semifinal.

After dropping the first set 26-24 in a tight battle that saw four ties and four lead changes, Hollis-Brookline rebounded in the second. Despite falling behind 16-9 after seven straight points by Dover, which included two service aces from senior Brady Twombly, the Cavaliers stormed back. Norris tallied four straight kills, and a double block by sophomore Jameson Evelyn and senior Mateo Morel brought them within two. Hollis-Brookline eventually tied it at 24 before a double block from freshman Zachary Wu and sophomore Liam Gagne sealed a 26-24 win to even the match.

Dover responded emphatically in the third, dominating from start to finish behind the steady attack of Twombly and three early kills from senior Alex Zielfelder. The Cavs couldn’t keep up, and the Green Wave cruised to a 25-15 set win to take a 2-1 lead.

Hollis-Brookline flipped the switch in the fourth.

Norris got them rolling with a block and three kills as the Cavs opened an 8-3 lead. Dover answered with a 4-0 run, but Hollis-Brookline matched it with a burst of their own, including a timely block from junior Jemil Patel. Morel and Norris combined for the final seven kills of the set to close it 25-15.

In the fifth and deciding set, Dover led 4-1 after a kill from junior Gavin Wuisan. But Norris and Morel once again came through. A kill and an ace from the senior duo tied the score at 4. Dover regained the lead at 10-8 following kills from junior Bryan Chanthavong and another Wuisan ace. After a timeout, the Cavs responded with a Morel block and a pair of Dover attack errors to tie it at 11. Morel then put down three of the final four kills, including the match-winner, as the Cavaliers ended on a 7-1 run to shock the Green Wave.

Twombly led Dover with 20 kills and was followed by Zielfelder with 13. Wuisan paced the Green Wave with 47 assists, while Chanthavong added three blocks. Norris led all players with 28 kills for Hollis-Brookline.

“We had the previous match in our thoughts when we got swept early this season,” said Norris. “But today was one of our better days. We were able to pull it together and play as a team, rather than everyone playing their own game.

The win was even more impressive given the absence of several key players who were on a school trip.

“This was our first official match without them – they’re on a plane to Japan,” Balfour said. “It’s a huge accomplishment for a lot of players who got to see tournament action for the first time. I’m proud of them and the development they’ve put in throughout the year to get us to this point.”

While Norris was dominant throughout, Balfour emphasized the full team effort.

“It’s not just the Ethan show,” he said. “There are a lot of people around him, supporting him and allowing him to be the player he can be.”

Still, Balfour didn’t shy away from praising his senior captain.

Hollis Brookline’s Ethan Norris fires a return during the Divison I semifinals at Nashua North vs.Dover on Tuesday. (Photo by Richard Tierney)

“Ethan is definitely one of the best players I’ve coached on the boy’s side – and I only say that because his sister is pretty good too,” Balfour said with a grin. “He’s creative, he sees the game, has a high IQ. It’s like having a coach on the floor. He’s a huge influence, and it’s a delight having another pair of eyes out there.”

Balfour also credited his squad’s growth over the course of the season.

“When we first started out, we had a lot of ups and downs and oftentimes we’d crash and burn,” he said. “Ethan was one of our only returners from last year, so we had to teach our kids how to handle pressure, how to reset. Be a goldfish. Forget the last point and move on. They’ve figured that out now, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

Dover head coach Katie Lynch praised the effort from both teams in a high-level semifinal clash.

“The game was hard-fought and that’s exactly what a semifinal should be,” Lynch said. “Anyone can win on any given day, so we were expecting it to be a battle. I think both sides played well, and they caught us in the end.”