South County Boys Volleyball Wins Second Open Regional Tournament
1/16/24
For the second time in their history, South County Boys Volleyball won a regional tournament at the open level. Playing at the Connecticut Convention Center, during a snow storm, the South County 18 Blue side capped off an undefeated tournament with a straight set sweep of their finals opponent, Husky 18 Red. Husky 18 Red previously knocked off the South County 18 Blue team in straight sets in Providence, RI, before the Christmas / Holiday break, in the semi-finals. Thus, the championship match of the Hartford Winterfest tournament had a little more riding on it then just the medals.
With inclement weather plaguing all who attended, South County 18 Blue (SC 18 Blue), battled on day one…sweeping United VBC, Sportime Quogue, and MVP Academy 18 in many close sets. Tom Matchett, played a solid day one, blocking well and scoring signature points in the final two matches. Unfortunately, Matchett was unable to attend day two which created a quandary for Head Coach Scott Reslow. With Quinlan Fahy already unavailable and Matchett now gone as well, who would play middle? For Reslow, it was a pretty quick decision as Jet Nascimento (who plays opposite) would get the assignment. Nascimento played a lot of middle in his high school seasons thus the learning curve wouldn’t be as steep for him.
Day two poised the SC 18 Blue with three matches. Three matches with a brand-new middle two and zero substitution options. Opening up against their brother team in South County 18 Gold, SC 18 Blue were able to overwhelm with serving and timely counter attacks. G’ovani Collazo (In Coach Reslow’s view, the most improved player to date in the season) made two crucial digs in the match that kept Gold from making a move. From there, outside hitter Connor Lloyd helped secure the result. Lloyd’s consistent level has been one of the major keys in all the victories this season.
Second match featured a solid Pioneer Valley 18 National side that upset a very good New York team to get to the semis. Well coached and with some arms, Pioneer Valley 18 National posed a threat. They also supported strong middles and a right side that could cause havoc. Throughout the match, Titus Brown and Ephraim Abhulime made play after play. Ali Abdur-Razzak set some of his best volleyball in this match (and the one to follow) finding Brown, Abhulime, and Ian Hoskins is great situations to make swings. Hoskins (who played his best volleyball to date this day) has a big arm and blocks well on the right. Nascimento’s play in the middle improved from the first match, scoring points and holding up his end of the bargain on the block. Vanquishing Pioneer Valley thrust the SC 18 Blue into the finals.
In the finals, three things happened to secure the win. First, the serving and play from Connor DeSousa was top shelf. DeSousa’s ball control, passing ability, and precision of his serves has been a weapon for the SC 18 Blue for two years now. The ability to serve to make the opposition uncomfortable, paired with big jump top spin serves from Titus Brown, Connor Lloyd, and Ian Hoskins secures a tough grinding match for all opponents.
Secondly, the play from Titus Brown and Ephraim Abhulime set the tone in the event. Brown and Abhulime are top five players in their positions in the region. Abhulime may be the best middle blocker, especially on the blocking end, while Brown is right there as well on the left. Errors are often the only thing to ground both players, but errors were few and far between in the championship match. Both players did their job supremely well, especially at the net.
Lastly, Nascimento played incredibly well in the middle…slowing down the Husky’s 6’9 middle, scoring often, along with making plays at the service line as well as in ball control opportunities. Nascimento got better in the middle role each match he played in, cultivating in a huge performance in the finals. Add that Abdur-Razzak set a very good match and Ian Hoskins made a ton of plays and there was very little room for the Huskey 18 Red squad to make a run. Following a swing on the right from Brown to secure the victory, SC 18 Blue found themselves in front of the huge inflatable volleyball with medals and pictures being taken.
This is Coach Reslow’s, as well as Titus Brown’s and Connor DeSousa’s, second open regional win in their careers.
South County 18 Blue will compete in the AAU Championship League on 1/20/23 (a one-day tournament whose results go toward a league championship following a three to five event season…SC 18 Blue finished first in the opening event). Following that, SC 18 Blue will be in the 18 open division at the AAU Grand Prix at Mohegan Sun on 2/3/24. They won that event last year defeating a very solid LVC team as well as overcoming a good Northeast side.
South County 18 Blue
OH - Titus Brown (Attends school in Connecticut)
OH - Connor Lloyd (Attends school in Massachusetts)
MB - Ephraim Abhulime (La Salle Academy)
MB - Thomas Matchett (North Smithfield / Mt. Saint Charles)
RS / MB - Jet Nascimento (Central HS)
RS - Ian Hoskins (Attends school in Massachusetts)
S - Ali Abdur-Razzak (La Salle Academy)
L - Connor DeSousa (North Smithfield / Mt. Saint Charles)
L - G’ovani Collazo (Woonsocket HS)
Unable to Attend…
MB - Quinlan Fahy (North Kingstown HS)
S / L - James Men (Classical HS)
Head Coach - Scott Reslow
Assistant Coach - Josiah Brown