Preseason Top 15 RI Boys High School Volleyball Teams Announced…
March 30th, 2022
With the start of the 2022 Rhode Island Boys Volleyball season about to commence, ResV Systems releases their first top 15 team ranking and the Top 26 Players to Watch on the ResV Systems website. Headlined by Mason Andrade, Jordan Bou, and Matt Tiernan, the top 26 preseason players to watch is a collection of players that have shown a good level last year, performed at a high level in their recent club season, or projected for a high level by high school coaches across the state. As with the Top 15 Teams, each week, both lists may (likely) change as results come in. You can find the preseason Top 26 Players to Watch here.
The 2022 Preseason Top 15 Teams:
North Kingstown
Coventry
Hendricken
LaSalle
Chariho
Cranston East
Cranston West
South Kingstown
Mount St. Charles / North Smithfield (MSC/NS)
Pilgrim
Westerly
East Greenwich
Classical
West Warwick
Mt. Hope
***Each week, based on results, this list will be altered.
In the hunt for the Division 1 Title (An educated guess, but one never knows how a season will unfold):
North Kingstown - The defending champs lost a lot of players due to graduation, so finishing undefeated again is unlikely. However, they do return arguably the top player in the state in Mason Andrade. Andrade will keep them in matches with his arm and all around skill, while the Skippers will look for Tyler Yang, Jared Sampson, and a pair of news faces in Ryan Harrington and Cody Tow to make another run.
Bishop Hendricken - Hendricken was also a senior laden team last year so they too will be rebuilding. Hendricken does have NK legacy Brian Garrepy Jr. dishing the ball, however. Garrepy Jr. will look to get the ball to newcomer Matt Brock on the pin often, while it’s always worth noting that Head Coach Mike Harrington tends to have his crew ready for a championship run almost every year.
Coventry - The Oakers will take on 2022 with John Shea running the show, Chase Bagley on the left, and Grant Ramsey in the middle. Coventry often plays a physical form of volleyball that starts in the middle. Expect Ramsey to have a big year and Coventry to cause problems for everyone.
LaSalle Academy - Featuring a core of four, LaSalle will lean on Nick Lisi, Jack Johnson, Brendan Pendergast, and Gregory Bosquet to improve on last year’s campaign and perhaps put themselves in the rare air.
Chariho - With a new coach (former Johnson & Wales University stand out and current Boston Bounce outside) in Jack Pincince, Chariho is armed with three college ready players on their roster. Matt Tiernan, Matt Beaudry, and Tyler White lead the way for the green as they make a go at the promise land.
Cranston East - East features high flying Jordan Bou who can often jump over the block and find the floor. New Head Coach Jhamal Diggs (former Johnson & Wales University player) has some tough decisions to make, but none more important than where to utilize Vincent Yin. Yin, who set for most of his high school career, was a high level libero in club this season.
Cranston West - West features the crafty Chris Buonaccorsi. Buonaccorsi has a strong arm and is able to hit around blocks pretty well. New Head Coach Jennifer Ferencko (former Providence College player) will look to assemble the pieces around Buonaccorsi in hopes of putting numerous wins on the board.
In the hunt for the Division 2 Title (An educated guess, but one never knows how a season will unfold):
Mount Saint Charles / North Smithfield - The Mounties and the Northmen merge in 2022, which could spell tough times for the rest of the teams in division two. The Mounties were last seen pushing Hendricken to five in the semis in division one. Meanwhile North Smithfield bowed out in the semis of division two to a very good Classical team. Connor DeSousa and crew will help the North Mountie Men hold court in the division two landscape.
Pilgrim - Last season Pilgrim finished 7-4 and was right at the door, but couldn’t kick it down. This year, with leadership from senior libero John Mixner, they hope to break on through to the other side and compete for the ship.
Westerly - The Bulldogs are another teams that have improved through experience and battles. Lead by senior outside hitter / setter Hunter Armitage, Westerly hopes to crack the top three and advance to the money round in 2022.
West Warwick - The Wizards graduated seven from last year’s team but still have the some key players ready to push for 2022. Senior middle blocker Nathan Vanasse will look to have a big year while senior setter Evan Lafrenaye will set the table for a playoff run.
In the hunt for the Division 3 Title (An educated guess, but one never knows how a season will unfold):
Woonsocket - The Villa Novans were in control of the DIII landscape most of last year (especially at the end) en route to the championship victory. In 2022, they return a lot of their crew which includes all conference selections Nathan Fowler and Kacper Kurowsk, and starting libero Andre Visouveth.
St. Raphael’s - The Saints cinderella run ended in four vs. Woonsocket last season, while upsetting two higher seeded teams to get to the finals. Returning, is Moses Meus who can change a game on a dime. Meus is physical and can dominate the net like few in the division.
Mt. Hope - Last year’s second seed succumbed to Woonsocket in four in the semis after a tone setting, nail-biting, first set. Returning all conference players Noah Rocha and Bruce McGuire will help the Huskies make a run in 2022.
Burrillville - The Broncos return two all conference players in Cameron DeSante and Mitchell Farrell while owning one of the best home-court advantages in Rhode Island. If they get hot, the Broncos can make a run.