Round 2 - RI Volleyball Royalty Reclaims Pole Position
4/16/23
Week two provided an early premier match as La Salle visited the Forge where Champions are built at North Kingstown High School. Both the Skippers and the Rams were undefeated in the young campaign and both hadn’t lost a set yet. Changes were coming for both programs as the match lifted off and the teams began to do their work. NK would lose their first set of the season…La Salle would lose their first match.
The Skippers prevailed with a three sets to one victory with Sophomore’s Cody Tow and Ryan Harrington doing the bulk of the heavy lifting offensively. Senior, Jared Samson played very well in the middle and Tyler Yang was able to find his attackers when needed. The Rams looked to Jack Johnson, Nick Lisi, and Ephraim Abhulime for the offense and relied on their strength at the net, however it was the Skippers serving prowess that ended up being the weight that tipped the scale.
ResV Player of the Week (2) - Brayden Stanger (East Greenwich) - 44 Kills, 4.9 KpS, 28 Digs, 3.1 DpS, 5 Aces (Stanger put up 30 kills, 20 digs, and an ace in their five-set win over Cranston East)
[↑ 1] North Kingstown (4 - 0) - The Skippers reclaim the top spot in the poll after dispatching La Salle at home in four, answering the main question about them…can they win it minus Mason Andrade? Andrade, now a Wentworth Leopard who just won the Great Northeast Athletic Conference as the starting libero, was the main component in the Skippers championship run last year. This season, they’re young on the pins, but very talented and it appears the serve may be their most potent weapon. With the Hybrid, Chariho, and Cranston East coming up in week three, the Skippers will look to widen the gap from the rest of the pack.
[↓ 1] La Salle Academy (3 - 1) - The Rams setback to the Skippers is frustrating and somewhat disheartening, however it is a good loss in a way. This match should give La Salle solid film to watch to smooth out some rough edges. Winning at the Forge isn’t easy anyway, regardless of the situation, and having that experience early allows for prep for the next time…potentially in the playoffs. Not to be forgotten, however, is Ephraim Abhulime’s monster match at Hendricken earlier in the week where he collected 10 kills and 7 blocks! Coventry, Classical, and the Hybrid are on deck and should give the Rams some opportunities to work on what they’ve learned.
[↑ 2] Chariho (3 - 1) - Matt Tiernan continues to acquire 20 plus kills in matches, he’s yet to go below the coveted viente. He currently leads the state in kills and he’s taking a lot of swings. With a win against the Avengers on the road and then a strong showing against South Kingstown, the Chargers are in business. Kody Poplaski is doing a nice job getting the ball to Tiernan, Brandon Knowles, and Michael Perry as the Chargers are absolutely built to make noise. Hendricken, North Kingstown, and Coventry are next and they’re all planning to slow down the top kill getter.
Mount Saint Charles / North Smithfield (2 - 2) - Still without Connor DeSousa, the Hybrid is none-the-less putting wins on the board. Week three is going to be the week, however, they really hope DeSousa is ready to go as they’ll see both the Skippers and the Rams. Getting wins versus injured Cranston East and Hendricken is one thing. W’s versus the top horses in the division is something completely different. If DeSousa can go, it’ll be interesting to see how the Hybrid matches up with the cream of the crop thus far. Caden Sullivan and crew have been making it work to date, but boy would they like their O1 back on the hardwood.
[↓ 2] East Greenwich (2 - 2) - Well, the Avenger hosted the Chargers and the match turned into a nightmare quickly. Unforced errors, bad decisions, and no real answer for Matt Tiernan, led to a match that didn’t feel close. The main highlight in the match for EG was the level of Michael Dobrzanski who hit a .389 on the Chargers and even left some kills on the table. Brayden Stanger showed flashes of his normal self against the Chargers, then did absolute work putting up the first 30 kill match of the season with 20 digs against Cranston East in a five-set thriller that forbid the Bolts their first victory of the season. Dobrzanski added 16 kills, 12 digs, and 4 aces as well. Classical, South Kingstown, and Hendricken are next and could be a nice week to make a run with a new lineup.
[↑ 2] Cranston West (5 -0) - The Falcons are loving Division Two! The Falcons have yet to drop a set and they’ve dispatched all in their way with solid scores including opponents such as Central, East Providence, and West Warwick. Christian Mak is averaging 3.4 kills per set and hitting north of .500. Chris Harvey is hitting above .600! Aidan Hay is averaging 7.7 assists per set and is blocking a ton with 14 to date. With all that being said, they’re on the road in week three facing a solid Toll Gate crew and then the big match up with Barrington…a potential Division Two championship preview.
[↑ 4] Westerly (5 - 1) - Jack Kenyon has been the focal point for a rebuilt Bulldog side and was the runner up for the week two ResV player of the week. They’ve come out pretty strong, only dropping one match to Central, and that was in five sets of work. With three wins over quality D2 opponents this past week, they’ve jumped up the charts. Kenyon’s numbers speak for themselves as he amassed 36 kills, 7 blocks in the run. With only one match on the week three docket, a big-time shindig with Barrington at their home barn, look for Jack and his brother to battle Maddox Godwin in the middle. Should Westerly survive unscathed, Week four starts off with the Falcons from Cranston West!
[↑ 1] Barrington (3 - 0) - The Eagles are pacing themselves and collecting wins. In two weeks of play, they’ve collected scalps from Central, Lincoln, and West Warick, all in convincing fashion. Business is about to pick up, though, as week three has Westerly, Cranston West, and Toll Gate in the line of sight. Only the Cranston West game will be at home. The Bulldogs and the Falcons are D2 championship favorites and would be great wins to have this early in the season. Thinking the D2 race may be a three-team scramble, the Eagles would love to start at the top of that heap going into the second half of the season. Cam Kelly and Maddox Godwin will need to put up some numbers for that to happen.
[↓ 2] Bishop Hendricken (1 -4) - The Hawks are hanging on by a talon awaiting the return of Brian Garrepy. Currently, Ben Warr and company are playing teams admirably, but are missing an offensive punch to put them over the top. Week two was not kind either as they saw La Salle and the Hybrid. Unfortuantely, week three doesn’t provide any more comfort as it’s a three match week featuring two home matches against Chariho and East Greenwich and a trip to Cranston East. Getting two wins somehow would be key toward building momentum for the second half of the campaign when likely they’ll be at full strength.
[↑ 4] Classical (3 - 1) - The Purple jump up on the board with strong performances. Their signature win over Chariho got them on the map, their level versus North Kingstown, Cranston East, and Coventry (loss / win / win) moved them up four spots as they are a program to consider early in the season. Teddy Wallace and Alpha Barry are the arms and James Men is the setter getting them the rock. They still have work to do, but this Purple team is dangerous, and they’ll cause headaches to opponents. East Greenwich, La Salle, and South Kingstown round out the week…opportunities all!
[↓ 5] Cranston East (0 - 4) - Well…the Bolts have yet to get a win, however they are playing everyone tough. Hard not to think what the scores may have been if Jethro Vargas was on the floor. With no update on his potential return, Cranston East has to figure out a way to break through. Turning the page is hard though when you’ve lost your top pin attacker before a serve ever flies. They’ve moved Larry Yinn to libero, to shore up the passing and Caleb Xum is running hands. The trick will be to stay composed in game time situations and keep siding out. Charles Pincince is taking most of the swings while Jackson Rennick fights to return to form in the middle. The Bolts see South Kingstown, Hendricken, and North Kingstown next.
East Providence (4 -2) - The Townies stay on the board with two consecutive wins going into week three. Nipping Tolman / Shea (second Hybrid?) in 5 sets (surviving Dembo Konte’s 17 kill night) and a convincing three set win over Pilgrim and EP is back in business. With Central, West Warwick, and Lincoln up next, East Providence is going to need strong play from DJ Lepine and crew as this week might decide pretty quickly where everyone stands in D2…perhaps for the long term.
[New] Central (3 - 2) - Welcome Knights to the big board! Central has played a whole bunch of sets already and they’ve done pretty well in those five set thrillers. Pilgrim and Westerly have both tasted defeat in five to the Knights making them two for two in that setting. Week three has East Providence and West Warwick as the opponents in the sights of the Knights. Winning two here would elevate them considerably and put them as contenders in the D2 race.
[New] South Kingstown (1 - 2) - Welcome Rebels to the big board! South Kingstown enters the fray with a win over Coventry and then two loses coming at the hands of La Salle and Chariho. We’ll learn more about them in week three as they see Cranston East, East Greenwich, and Classical to conclude. The Rebel’s gym is always a tough place to play and the league benefits from SK being a factor. Taking two out of three here would open some eyes.
[↓ 5] Coventry (0 - 4) - The Oakers fall as they desperately need Logan Voelker to get back on the floor. They are missing offensive power. Cam Dotter is a solid addition to the backcourt and Noah Gaudreau can do work in the middle, but they require a big pin that can get them out of trouble and Voelker is that guy. Can Coventry hang on long enough or will this be a total rebuilding year? Time will tell, but Coach Krebs (filling in for Coach Bartlett) has her hands full. Note: Just been alerted that Logan Voelker has returned to the lineup and played against North Kingstown and Classical. No doubt he’ll need a week, or so, to regain form.
Getting Votes… St. Raphaels, Johnston, Toll Gate
ResV Player of the week…
Week 1 - Matt Tiernan (Chariho)
Week 2 - Brayden Stanger (East Greenwich)
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.
If you like this story and other content from ResV, please consider visiting our store! Click the Image below and consider supporting ResV’s coverage of the Rhode Island Volleyball world!
