2023 RI Girls Volleyball - The Finals…
11/10/23
On a fall Saturday, in the middle of day, at a college campus…
Coach Reslow’s Prediction Score to date… 19 - 5!
D4:
(2) Providence Country Day vs. (1) Shea High School at Rhode Island College - Always fun to see the top two teams square off in the final! Providence Country Day squeaked out the second seed from The Valley and that created a path to the finals avoiding Shea. Now that both teams are heading to RIC, the success quotient is the same…Can PCD serve Shea off the floor or not? If the match becomes a grinder at the net, Shea should prevail as they have the top net presence in D4. However, if PCD serves to their capability, well, Shea may be in for a long day. My money is on Shea to get this one done in four sets, however, should PCD go off from the service line…well, it’s money well spent regardless.
D3:
(B2) Burrillville High School vs. (B1) Tolman High School at Rhode Island College - Two teams with tough middles do battle at the Murray Center at Rhode Island College. Tolman feels like the favorite here as the Trinity Burk vs. Mackenzie Cleary battle should be electric…but Tolman also has Selly Garcia who has been putting up big numbers this playoff season. Burk and Garcia will be hard to stop meanwhile the Broncos will be leaning hard on Cleary to score points and help nullify the Tigers offense. Broncos have been in some wars to get to this point including a five-set thriller with Juanita Sanchez and gritty four-set win over Tiverton…so the fight is in there. I still have Tolman taking this one as I suspect the pin play of Garcia will be the difference, however there were plenty of voices in the mist who felt that Tiverton would win handily over Burrillville in the semis…
D2:
(3) Cumberland High School vs. (1) East Providence High School at Rhode Island College - Potentially the best game of Championship Day. Cumberland is hungry to showcase while East Providence has been the class of the league from start to finish. The Townies did stumble into a quagmire when they saw Barrington in the semis, however. That five-setter could have gone either way with ultimately EP surviving in the truest sense of the term in volleyball. Meanwhile, the Clippers wasted no time escorting Mt. Hope to the fan section of Championship Day. That performance along with East Providence’s scare should give Cumberland plenty of confidence going into the final. I’m on record saying that EP should take this one…but there is something poking my brain saying take Cumberland for the ride. Don’t think I’ve ever changed my horse mid-race before, but today is a good a day as any to try something new. Cumberland in four with me in the corner ready to eat crow if EP wins, which could easily happen as well.
D1:
(3) Coventry High School vs. (1) North Kingstown High School - Oakers pull off the upset of Chariho in the semis but now have to deal with the top team in the state…a team that is clicking on all cylinders, hasn’t lost a set in the playoffs, and only dropped eight sets all year. The Skippers have one defeat to their name and that was the fifth match of the season versus La Salle. Since that time, they’ve only dropped three sets (La Salle, Prout, and South Kingstown) and they’ve gotten better. Coventry exorcised the loss to Chariho late in the season and are playing their best volleyball to date, so there is certainly a puncher’s chance here. However, on paper, the matchups favor the Skippers. Coventry needs Liv Rollinson to be electric on the pin, but NK has the best blockers to deal with left sides in the state in Ella Maack and Annie Draper. Addison Patrick will need a big night in the middle, however with Syd Henson devouring any shot to the “T” and beyond on the left side of the court, Patrick will have to turn the ball into that Draper and Maack blocking unit. Abby Spadoni could be the key to everything for Coventry, however will she be able to stop / control the firepower on the left from Tessa LeFrenier and Ava Sardelli? I’m going with the defending champs here in three. NK has it all this year, and that early loss may have been the best thing for them…because now they are adamant it’s not going to happen again. Coventry, on the other hand, can get it done if they survive the waves and get enough accomplished to put doubt in the minds of the Skippers. It’s a tough mountain to climb, but as a famous movie line once put it, “Well, I didn’t get all dressed up for nothing!” Regardless of the outcome, to the victor will go the spoils and undoubtingly both campaigns were a success.
Update…
Coach Reslow will be a Rhode Island College to broadcast the finals for the 11am and 1:30pm matches. Feel free to come down and say hello!
To send season updates, stories, and players to consider…or inquire about coffee beans that Coach roasts himself, to Coach Reslow - Scott.Reslow@protonmail.com
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