St. John's Pioneers Volleyball
#PioneerEra
SJVB Photos:
Pioneer History:
League Championships:
2019
2021
2023
State Quarterfinal Appearances:
2000
2002
2024
State Semifinal Appearances:
2024
State Championship Appearances:
None
State Championships:
None
CURRENT ERA:
2025: 10-11 (MIAA Round of 16)
2024: 9-11 (MIAA Round of 32)
2023: 18-5 (MIAA State Semifinalists)
2022: 10-10 (MIAA Round of 32)
2021: 11-3 (MIAA Central Quarter-Finalists)
2020: Cancelled2019-2010:
2019: 17-7 (MIAA Central Quarter-Finalists)
2018: 10-11 (MIAA Central 1st Round)
2017: 10-9 (MIAA Central 1st Round)
2016: 2-16 (No Playoffs)
2015: 6-12 (No Playoffs)
2014: 7-11 (No Playoffs)
2013: 4-13 (No Playoffs)
2012: 4-13 (No Playoffs)
2011: 6-16 (No Playoffs)
2010: 6-16 (No Playoffs)
2009-2000:
2009: 9-13 (No Playoffs)
2008: 9-12 (No Playoffs)
2007: 13-11 (MIAA Central 2nd Round)
2006: 13-7 (MIAA Central Quarter-Finalists)
2005: 10-11 (MIAA Central 1st Round)
2004: 13-8 (MIAA Central Quarter-Finalists)
2003: 12-12 (MIAA Central Quarter-Finalists)
2002: 17-6 (MIAA Central Finalists)
2001: 15-8 (MIAA Central Semi-Finalists)
2000: 17-7 (MIAA Central Finalists)
Pioneers Season Comes to a Close
Pioneers saw their season come to an end on Sunday night at the hands of the powerful #4 seed Chelmsford. The Pioneers couldn't slow down the offense of the Lions as they fell 3-0. With a sincere thank you to our three seniors, the Pioneers will look to regroup with 10 returning varsity lettermen for the 2027 season!
Pioneers Push into 32
After along wait to find out their fate, the Pioneers got the word Tuesday that they would be the 29th seed in the 2026 MIAA State Tournament. The Pioneers played host to the 36th seeded Golden Tornados from Malden on Thursday night. From start to finish, the Pioneers outpowered the 14-6 visitors on their way to a 3-0 sweep. The Pioneers picked up a playoff win in back-to-back years for the 1st time since 2006-2007.
Pioneers will head to #4 Chelmsford in the Round of 32 on Sunday at noon!
Pioneers Fall Short in Finale
Despite a strong start, finishing set one with a 24-26 loss, the Pioneers came up just short against #5 Westfield in their season finale. Pioneers finished the season at 8-11 and will now await the MIAA tournament seeding. Pioneers currently sit just out at 33 in DI
Perfect Pioneers
On the road at Catholic Memorial on Monday, the Pioneers finished out Catholic Conference league play at a perfect 8-0 with a 3-0 sweep over the Knights. This is the 2nd time in history the Pioneers have finished 8-0 and the 1st time only dropping 1 set. Pioneers travel to Westfield Thursday for their season finale.
Champions Once Again!
St. John's is champions of the Catholic Conference once again! In front of a packed house Monday night, the Pioneers welcomed in the girls' volleyball team from their sister school Notre Dame Worcester to acknowledge their accomplishments and thank them for allowing the Pioneers to practice at their facilities while Coaches Pavilion was used for various school events. After that, the Pioneers took charge and rolled to a 3-0 sweep over visiting Boston College High to move to 7-0 and clinch the Catholic Conference championship!
This is the 4th league title for the Pioneers and their 1st since 2023! Pioneers will look to finish league play undefeated as they travel to Catholic Memorial next Monday!
Panthers outlast Pioneers
With what seemed like a playoff berth on the line, the Pioneers found themselves come up just short against 22nd-ranked Marlborough on Wednesday night. Pioneers overcame a slow start, dropping the 1st set 25-17 to take the next two and a 2-1 lead. Despite a Pioneer lead late in the set, the Panthers rallied to force a 5th. Pioneers came out hot to claim a 9-3 lead, but Pioneer miscues left the door open and the Panthers battled back to take it 3-2.
Pioneers will look to recover quickly from a tough loss as they host Boston College High on Monday with a chance at the Catholic Conference title on the line.
Seniors Shine on Senior Night
Pioneers played host to Xaverian Monday night in a Catholic Conference clash! Pioneer seniors Jackson Foster, Michael Probst and Rishik Patel were honored pregame and shined throughout the match. Combining for 16 kills, 5 blocks and 12 digs, the seniors led their Pioneers to a 3-0 sweep over the Hawks. Pioneers dominance over the conference continues as they improve to 6-0 and are 1 win away from clinching at least a share of the Catholic Conference title for the 1st time since 2023!
Pioneers Battle With Wamps
Pioneers traveled to #18 Braintree on Friday night. Pioneers came up short losing 3-0, including 2 sets that were by just 2 points. Pioneers will look to bounce back and remain undefeated when they host Xaverian for Senior Night on Monday!
Autism Awareness Match a Success
For Monday's match, the Pioneers played host to their rivals from St. John's Prep. While a big conference match was on the line, there was a lot more to it. Pioneers grabbed a 3-0 win on the court, while they raised over $700 for autism education and research! Pioneers held raffles, door fees and spread the word to help this cause. A great night overall for the Pioneers and Eagles led to help for a great cause!
Pioneers Finish 4th
It looked as though a different team took the floor Friday morning as the Pioneers put up a good fight with #20 Winchester in the consolation match of the 2026 ALS Invitational tournament. After falling down 0-2, the Pioneers stormed back to take the next 2. A back and forth 5th set saw Winchester pull out a 15-13 win. Pioneers will take the trip down to Rhode Island College tomorrow to compete with the best of the best from multiple states in the 2026 Rhody Invitational.
Warriors Control Pioneers
After what seemed like one of their better games of the season on Tuesday, the Pioneers take a setback as they drop a 3-0 decision to Nipmuc in the semifinals of the ALS Invitational. Warriors controlled the match from start to finish as the Pioneers could not slow them down. Pioneers will look to regroup as they travel back to Winchester for the tournament's consolation match on Friday.
Pioneers Show Growth in Loss to Lions
Pioneers show a ton of growth, but ultimately fall to the #7 squad from Chelmsford on Tuesday night. Pioneers found themselves down early on, but battled back to force a close 1st set and keep the remainder of the match in arm's reach. Strong defensive play provided the Pioneers with some uplifting energy. A strong front row presence kept the Lions off-balance for a lot of the match. Although the match resulted in a 3-0 sweep, the Pioneers looked better than previous matches against Top-10's this season.
Pioneers Undefeated 1st CC Round
With their 3-0 sweep over visiting Catholic Memorial on Thursday night, the Pioneers finished their 1st go-through of the Catholic Conference at 4-0 and in 1st place. Pioneers improved to 4-5. They will host #7 Chelmsford on Tuesday night to open up April Break.
Pioneers Bested By Brownies
In their 5th battle with MassHSVB Top-10's, the Pioneers can't find their groove as they fall 3-0 to 5th-ranked Agawam. Pioneers return to Catholic Conference play as they host Catholic Memorial on Thursday.
Pioneers In First
For the 1st time since 2023, the Pioneers sit alone atop the Catholic Conference. Powered by 16 kills from August McGonagle, a full roster effort, including the match ending kill by junior Sean Hoban, gave the Pioneers a 3-0 sweep on the road at #19 BC High. Pioneers improve to 3-0 and are the only undefeated team in the conference. This was the first ranked win for the Pioneers of the season.
Pioneers will face off with #5 Agawam on Wednesday at home.
Lions Dominate Pioneers
Pioneers played host to the #9 Lions from Newton South Friday night to finish off the week. Pioneers were unable to slow down the powerful offense and get swept 3-0 to fall to 2-4 on the year. Pioneers will look to re-group as they travel to BC High on Monday in a battle of Catholic Conference undefeateds.
Pioneers Survive Struggles
Despite struggles with consistency throughout the match, the Pioneers pulled out a 3-0 sweep over Xaverian on the road Thursday. Pioneers will look to quickly clean it up as they host #9 Newton South on Friday night!
Pioneers Drop Home Opener
Streaky Pioneers lose home opener to #2 Wayland on Tuesday. With moments of great, the Pioneer's struggled heavily with consistency, which led to the 3-0 loss to the Warriors. Now at 1-3, Pioneers will return to Catholic Conference play when they head to Xaverian on Thursday!
Pioneers Fall to Rockets
Pioneers show growth, but end up falling in straight sets to #3 Needham on the road Saturday morning. This dropped the Pioneers to 1-2 overall. Pioneers continue tough stretch with #2 Wayland coming to town on Tuesday!
Pioneers Take Rivalry Match for First Win
With a lot of new faces taking part in the traditional rivalry on both sides, St. John's overcame 41 unforced errors to snag a 3-1 road win to move to 1-1 on the season on Thursday night at St. John's Prep. Led by August McGonagle's 19 kills and 36 assists from Lucas Foster, the Pioneers sit at 1-0 in the Catholic Conference.
Pioneers have a quick turnaround as they head to Needham on Saturday for an early morning battle with the 3rd-ranked Rockets!
New Pioneers Come Up Short In Opener
Bolstering a completely new lineup, Pioneers came up short against #7 Newton North in the 2026 Season Opener. Pioneers received strong backrow play from sophomore libero Tait Ta and showed moments of growth throughout the match. Pioneers will look to regroup quickly as they head to St. John's Prep Thursday for their Catholic Conference opener!
Pioneers unranked in the MassHSVB Pre-Season Poll
For the 1st time since 2018, the Pioneers, who will look to rebuild a roster that saw the loss of 12 players from last year's sweet sixteen season, are unranked in the MassHSVB pre-season poll.
2026 Schedule Released!
Here we go! The 2026 schedule has officially been released!
After a battle tested 2026 campaign saw the Pioneers upset #10 Springfield Central on their way to the sweet-16, St. John's will enter their 1st rebuilding season since 2020. With the loss of 11 players from last year's varsity roster and only 1 returning starter, the Pioneers enter another tough regular season. The Pioneers will look for surprise the Catholic Conference as they were picked 3rd in the conference and are unranked by MassHSVB for the 1st time since 2018.
Led by Jackson Foster, a crew of younger players, headlined by August McGonagle and Lucas Foster will look to battle out in one of the toughest schedules in the state. Pioneers will have 19 matches & the 2025 Rhody Invitational, which is headlined by nine Top-10 matches as a part of their game schedule.
Head over to the Schedule Page to check out the full schedule!
Pioneers fall to Barnstable
The Pioneers saw their season come to a close on Tuesday night as they dropped a close 3-1 battle with the 26th seeded Red Hawks from Barnstable in the Sweet sixteen.
Pioneers finish the season at 10-11. Congratulations to our 10 seniors and good luck!
Pioneers finish 4th
After a tough start on Friday, the Pioneers showed a lot more fight on Saturday in the consolation match of the 2025 Pioneer Kick-Off Classic. St. John's would eventually fall to #7 Lexington 3-0 (18-25, 17-25, 18-25).
Pioneers will get some reps in on Sunday as they prepare to host #6 Westfield on Monday night!
McGonagle New Kill Leader
Following a 9-kill performance against 7th ranked Lexington on Saturday, Francis McGonagle has surpassed the career kill record at St. John's. The record was previously held by Matt Deeley ('23) at 531. Saturday's finish puts McGonagle at 537 and counting.
McGonagle Earns All-State!
Pioneer's Francis McGonagle was selected as a 2024 MAVCA All-State team this past Saturday when the team was announced at the annual All-Star Game! Francis is the 5th All-State selection in school history & the 1st ever junior to receive this acknowledgement!
Francis joins Senior Eric Barcelos who was selected as a Central Mass All-Star.
Congrats Eric & Francis!
Pioneers land 3 on Catholic Conference board!
Congratulations to Seniors Eric Barcelos & Suraj Marla and Junior Francis McGonagle on being selected as members of the 2024 Catholic Conference All-Star team this past week!
Pioneers finish 2nd
Despite an 0-1 start to the 2024 season, the pioneers were able to battle back against Catholic Conference foes all season, including revenge on St. John's Prep to finish in 2nd place in the Catholic Conference. This is the 5th straight season that the Pioneers have finished in the top-2 in the conference!
Pioneers take 3rd in the 2024 ALS One Invitational
Pioneers hit the road to Winchester on Thursday & Friday to face off with #2 Needham, #7 Winchester & #18 Cambridge R&L. To open the tournament, St. John's took on Needham in a rematch of last season's state semifinals. Despite a hot start from SJ, Pioneers lost to the second-ranked Rockets 3-0. In match number two, Cambridge R&L faced off with Winchester, which saw the host team taking the match 3-0.
Pioneers regrouped on Friday as they grabbed their 1st ranked win of the season 3-0 against #18 Cambridge R&L. Eric Barcelos shined with 21 kills, 6 aces, 9 blocks during the tournament which earned him a spot on the 2024 all-tournament team!
2024 Highlight Film: