2023 Boys RI Volleyball Set to Go!
3/13/23
With the Winter still providing some demonstrations of power, it is time to start looking to the Spring and the beginning of the 2023 Rhode Island High School Boys Volleyball season!
Gone are monsters of the past year that included Mason Andrade (Wentworth), Jordan Bou (Rivier), Tyler White, Matt Beaudry (Wentworth), Brendan Pendergast, and Greg Bousquet (Kings). The new season will re-shuffle the deck and new power brokers will come to the front. Early bets look to players like Nick Lisi, Jack Johnson, and Ephraim Abhulime (All three from LaSalle), Ryan Harrington, Jared Samson, and Cody Tow (All three from North Kingstown), and Connor DeSousa, Ben Sousa, and Caden Sullivan (All three from the Hybrid known as Mount Saint Charles / North Smithfield) to be factors in the season…among others!
As the norm, 2023 season opens with many questions…
Can La Salle Academy bounce back from their loss in the finals last year to be the top dog in 2023? Can North Kingstown go for the tri-phecta with a new cast of characters? How will the schools that moved Divisions fare (looking at you Hybrid and Cranston West)? Whose home court will be most impenetrable? Who will ultimately make the ResV Top 26 players in the state?
Divisional play opens on April 4th, with some great matchups in the first week…
Mount Saint Charles / North Smithfield hosting the Avengers of East Greenwich - 4/3/23 : 6:45pm
Pilgrim traveling to Cranston West - 4/4/23 : 6:30pm
East Providence heading to the outskirts of Westerly - 4/4/23 : 6:30pm
East Greenwich hosting the Rams of LaSalle Academy - 4/5/23 : 6:30pm
Cranston East hosting the Hybrid of Mount Saint Vincent / North Smithfield - 4/5/23 : 6:30pm
Hendricken hosting the defending champs of North Kingstown - 4/5/23 : 6:30pm
You can see the re-aligned divisions with schedules here…rST Standings - Boys Volleyball - Rhode Island Interscholastic League (riil.org)
2023 Preseason Top 15 RI Boys Volleyball Teams…
LaSalle Academy - (Head Coach - Nik Wojciechowski) - Nick Lisi and Jack Johnson will be potential player of the year candidates. Ephraim Abhulime could be the top middle blocker in the state.
North Kingstown - (Head Coach - Brian Hesford) - Ryan Harrington should be the top libero in the state, should he stay at the position. Tyler Yang has set in numerous big matches. Jared Samson will be top shelf in the middle, while Cody Tow will score plenty of points on the pin.
Cranston East - (Head Coach - Jhamal Diggs) - Jackson Rennick will be a big presence in the middle. Charlie Pincince has an arm that will cause problems for the opposition. Jethro Vargas is a high-flyer with the potential to put up double digit kills every night.
Chariho - (Head Coach - TBD) - Matt Tiernan will once again run the show and should put up huge numbers in assists, aces, and blocks. James Azzinaro will be better than last year though already solid at the libero position for the Chargers. Michael Perry will provide pop on the right side.
Mount Saint Charles / North Smithfield - (Head Coach - Josh D’Abate) - Connor DeSousa will once again lead his team in kills and be one of the primary passers as the Hybrid moves up. Ben Sousa is another solid libero in the league and will keep plays alive. Caden Sullivan will run the offense to high efficiency.
East Greenwich - (Head Coach - Ridge Porter) - Brayden Stanger will be the hammer on the pin for the Avengers. Max Silverman will play a huge role offensively. Michael Dobrzanski will also feature prominently.
Coventry - (Head Coach - Jonathan Bartlett) - Logan Voelker is a big arm on the left and will be called upon to carry the offense for the Oakers. Noah Gaudreau will be the middle blocker Coventry will rely on the most.
Hendricken - (Head Coach - Michael Harrington) - Hawks are in a rebuilding mode. Should Brian Garrepy return from injury, he’ll set and score at an alarming pace. Cooper Wier has grown into a sure handed libero as well.
Cranston West - (Head Coach - Jennifer Ferencko) - Aiden Hay will run the offense and look to get the ball to Chris Harvey for significant points.
East Providence - (Head Coach - Dan Cabral) - DJ Lepine will lead the way for the Townies as he should take on the bulk of the scoring responsibilities. Jason Cadwell should hold down the middle position as well.
Westerly - (Head Coach - Erinn Beal) - The Bulldogs lost plenty to graduation, but Jack Kenyon will be a force in the middle to build around.
Barrington - (Head Coach - Christian Lambert) - The Eagles have two arms that will make a huge difference in the season this year. Cameron Kelley and Maddox Godwin should lead the team in kills and allow Barrington to make a go of it.
West Warwick - (Head Coach - Josh Malloy) - Projectively, Chad Rondeau will take over the hands for the Wizards as they look to Justin Sisson and Nathan Vanasse in the middle with Brady Rajotte providing some pop on the right side.
Lincoln - (Head Coach - Lyndsey Sweeney) - The Lions ran the table all the way to the semis last year where they unexpectably fell in five sets to Exeter West Greenwich. Coach Sweeney will look to pick up the pieces and make another run at the cup despite graduating a boatload of seniors and returning four varsity athletes.
Pilgrim - (Head Coach - TBD) - Last year’s crew advanced to the semi-finals and were stopped in their tracks by the Hybrid. 2023 brings a roster that has lost eight seniors and returning only four varsity players. Plenty of work to do!
2023 Preseason Players to Watch…
Pin - Nick Lisi - LaSalle Academy - Committed to Ramapo
Pin - Jack Johnson - LaSalle Academy - Committed to Merrimack
Pin - Brayden Stanger - East Greenwich - Attending University of Vermont
Pin - Cody Tow - North Kingstown
Pin - Christian Mak - Cranston West
Pin - Connor DeSousa - Mount Saint Charles / North Smithfield
MB - Jared Samson - North Kingstown
MB - Ephraim Abhulime - LaSalle Academy
MB - Maddox Godwin - Barrington
MB - Jackson Rennick - Cranston East
MB - Chris Harvey - Cranston West
MB - Jack Kenyon - Westerly
S - Matt Tiernan - Chariho - Committed to Endicott
S - Brian Garrepy - Hendricken - Committed to Providence College
S - Tyler Yang - North Kingstown
S - Max Silverman - East Greenwich
S - Caden Sullivan - Mount Saint Charles / North Smithfield
L - Ryan Harrington - North Kingstown
L - Ben Sousa - Mount Saint Chares / North Smithfield
L - Cooper Wier - Hendricken
L - James Azzinaro - Chariho
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Coaches…
To send season updates, stories, stats, and players to consider, email Coach Reslow at Scott.Reslow@protonmail.com. You can also send me stats and stories as they happen, or shortly after, by messaging me on Messenger @ResV Systems. Stats are crucial and help make the case for rankings so always feel free to send them to me.
Thank you, and best of luck on the season!