October 7, 2026 Written By David Wolcott (Photos By Josh Ross)
Nothing brings volleyball fans to their feet quicker than a big swing from the front row.
The powerful hits are the exclamation point to a point for your team and enough of them strung together can completely alter the momentum of a match.
The quiet hero in those exciting moments is the setter. The setter has to make an instant decision of who should get the ball, where the ball needs to be, or if she should be the one to send it back over the net. Hingham High is fortunate to have one of the top setters in the state in junior Ava Boschetto.
Hingham (9-3) officially qualified for the Division 2 state tournament Monday night with a four-set win over Cohasset. A leading reason for the team’s winning start has been the way Boschetto directs the offense.
At the beginning of this week, she was second in all of Massachusetts in the category of assists. Her club and high school coach, Fabe Ardila, believes a mixture of her numerous skills makes Boschetto a key cog in Hingham’s successful season.
A Patriot League all-star as a sophomore, she helped her team move on from a 1-6 start to make the playoffs. Boschetto’s had an impressive start to the season that included 27 assists in a five-set win over Duxbury.
“One thing Ava does well is she gets to the volleyball before it starts its descent. She can create good opportunities off the net for hitters and she can also choose the right people to set upon based on the defense being shown,” said Ardila. “Ava has a unique skill in choosing to do the right thing at the right time.”
Boschetto had a chance to switch her position to Libero when starting out, but she feels setter is the right spot for her.
“I like the intellectual part of volleyball. Knowing where the other team’s defense is set up and then choosing where to send the ball is a mental challenge,” she explained. “You have to think about what you are doing instead of just doing it.”
Ardila believes Hingham’s offensive structure is in good hands with Boschetto.
“She’s the one who touches the ball the most on the team,” said Ardila. “I coached her last season on the club team and she has made a huge jump in how much she communicates on the court. She has come out of her shell as a team leader.”
Boschetto initially picked up volleyball as a seventh grader. She has no plans on seeing her path with the game end anytime soon. The junior started hearing from colleges on the first day of the official recruiting season, Sept. 1, and her telephone hasn’t stopped ringing.
“There is no doubt I want to play in college and there are several schools that I’m interested in talking with,” said Boschetto. “I’ve always loved the family aspect of all the volleyball teams. The fun of the game got me started and the competitive part of volleyball hooked me later on.”
With the rest of the regular season and then the state tournament in front of her, Boschetto knows there are many areas where the team, and especially herself, can still improve.
“I still feel like I can learn to connect with my hitters better and run plays smoother out of our offense,” said Boschetto.