As Summer Fades…2024 HS Volleyball Serenades…
8/5/24
Rolling with the Olympic vibe, the 2024 RI Girl’s Volleyball season starts to appear closer in the windshield of the cyclical bus of time. To every thing, turn, turn, turn. It’s been an adventurous, if not melancholy, summer with trips to Orlando for Nationals, recruiting for college teams across the land, just said Olympiad, and beach days when they were needed most.
For me, the melancholy came from hearing the passing of Big Red (Bill Walton) this summer. It shook me. I admired the big fella as one of the greats in basketball lore, but also for his broadcast work which was anything but an easy thing for him to do. The big guy had a stutter and didn’t like attention until he did. Almost anyone who fights through their discomfort and embarrassment to do something has my admiration as it’s way harder to do then people often realize and putting yourself out there ensures there will be detractors to follow. Every human being is complex and the chances of us agreeing on anything is so ridiculously statistically impossible that I’m never surprised that people dislike other’s endeavors. It’s the lying and cruelty that often stuns me, especially to those who are attempting self-less, or worse helpful acts to other fellow humans on the planet…
I digress…
Watching the American Women defeat Serbia in five has reset me…Also liked that USA / Japan match too! lol.
Let’s return to the re-birth of high school volleyball in the smallest state in the country. Cyclical! A season ends with a championship. We talk about it. We take some months off. A new season is born and the speculation begins anew. So, here we go…
2024 Stories to Watch…
North Kingstown going for the threepeat in D1!
East Providence returns to D1 and trying to make it to the finals for a third time in a row!
Rebuilds all over the place…Coventry, Cumberland, Middletown, East Greenwich, and Chariho (other teams too?) have graduated seven or more players!
New RPI rankings system that will dictate playoff seeding!
Realignment of the Divisions…New faces in new places!
ResV Interviews on the Horizon on the ResV YouTube page / Video Page…
Coach Brian Garrepy - North Kingstown High School Girl’s Volleyball - Arguably one of the most successful coaches in the region, especially at the high school level.
John O’Brien - Collegiate Official, also Head of Officiating for AAU New England, that has seen it all and is willing to tell it like it is.
Coach Jeff Vautrin - Head Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Coach at Lasell College. Also, the MVP of the recent VLA season where his Boston Bounce club just won the championship!
Coach Ridge Porter - Head Boy’s Volleyball Coach for East Greenwich high school and back-to-back AVCA under 30 under Thirty High School coaches award.
2024 Preseason All-ResV teams:
First Team:
Pin- Tess LeFrenier - North Kingstown - Sr.
Pin- Hailey Labonte - Portsmouth - Sr.
Middle- India Vaughn-Hallene - South Kingstown - Sr.
Middle- Kayliegh Garrepy - North Kingstown - So.
Pin- Keira Mullen - East Providence - Jr.
Setter- Caitlin Mediate - Portsmouth - Sr.
Libero- Syd Henson - North Kingstown - Sr.
Utility - Lyla Auth - Westerly - Jr.
Second Team:
Pin- Ava Sardelli - North Kingstown - Sr.
Pin- Maisy Naff - LaSalle Academy - Jr.
Middle- McKenzie Clery - Burrillville - Sr.
Middle- Elyssa Lacross - Coventry - Sr.
Pin- Sarah Wilcox - Mt. Hope - Jr.
Setter- Alexandra Spinella - South Kingstown - Sr.
Libero- Sofia D’Agostino - LaSalle Academy - Jr.
Utility- Emma McCrann - Barrington - Jr.
Relive the 2024 ResV All-Star Matches! Click the picture and watch the top volleyball matches in the state at the High School Level!
Realignment! Check out the divisions this year…
Division 1:
North Kingstown - 2023 D1 Champs!
LaSalle Academy - Bowed out in the D1 semis to North Kingstown
Coventry - 2023 D1 Runner Up, lost to North Kingstown
Chariho - Bowed out in the D1 semis to Coventry
South Kingstown - Defeated in the D1 Quarters by Coventry
Classical - Defeated in the D1 Quarters by North Kingstown
Portsmouth - Defeated in the D1 Quarters by LaSalle Academy
East Providence - 2023 D2 Champs!
Cranston East - Did not qualify for D1 playoffs
East Greenwich - Defeated in the D1 Quarters by Chariho
Cranston West - Defeated in the D2 Quarters by East Providence
Prout - Did not qualify for the D1 playoffs
Division 2:
Barrington - Bowed out in the 2023 D2 playoffs in the Semi Finals to East Providence
Cumberland - 2023 D2 Runner Up, lost to East Providence
Mt. Hope - Bowed out in the D2 Semi Finals to Cumberland
West Warwick - Did not qualify for the D1 playoffs
Lincoln - Defeated in Play-In round of the D2 playoffs to Bay View
Burrillville - 2023 D3 Champs!
Pilgrim - Did not qualify for the D2 playoffs
Westerly - Defeated in the D2 Quarter Finals by Cumberland
Exeter-West Greenwich - Defeated in Play-In round of the D2 playoffs to Westerly
Middletown - Defeated in the D2 Quarter Finals by Barrington
North Smithfield - Defeated in Play-In round of the D2 playoffs to Cranston West
Bay View - Defeated in the D2 Quarter Finals by Mt. Hope
Division 3:
Johnston - Did not qualify for the D2 playoffs
Rogers - Did not qualify for the D2 playoffs
St. Raphael - Did not qualify for the D2 playoffs
Tolman - 2023 Runner Up in D3, lost to Burrillville
Central Falls - Did not qualify for the D3 playoffs
Mt. Pleasant - Bowed out in the D4 Semi Finals to Providence Country Day
Narragansett - Defeated in the D3 Quarter Finals by Tolman
Ponaganset - Did not qualify for the D3 playoffs
Block Island - Defeated in the D3 Quarter Finals by Scituate
Scituate - Bowed out in the D3 Semi Finals by Tolman
Providence Country Day - 2023 D4 Champs!
Juanita Sanchez - Defeated in the D3 Quarter Finals by Burrillville
Tiverton - Bowed out in the D3 Semi Finals by Burrillville
Division 4:
Central - Did not qualify for the D3 playoffs
Shea - 2023 D4 Runner Up, lost to Providence Country Day
Woonsocket - Did not qualify for the D3 playoffs
Hope - Defeated in the D4 Quarter Finals by Mt. Pleasant
Toll Gate - Did not qualify for the D3 playoffs
Davies - Defeated in the D4 Quarter Finals by Blackstone Valley
North Providence - Did not qualify for the D4 playoffs
Blackstone Valley - Bowed out in the D4 Semi Finals to Shea
Times2/Paul Cuffee - Did not qualify for the D4 playoffs
Achievement First - Did not qualify for the D4 playoffs
ResV 2024 Preseason Top 15…
North Kingstown - North Kingstown’s footprint in the volleyball world in Rhode Island is as large as Rocco Baldelli’s legend in the sport. If they’re not winning the whole thing, they’re certainly in the top four and you’ll need a herculean effort to best them. So what does 2024 bring? Though they graduated the player of the year in Ella Maack, the Skippers still have, arguably, the top two players in the state on their roster in Syd Henson and Tess LeFrenier, respectively, as well as another deep roster of players who can do work. Add last year’s Newcomer of the year award winner Kayliegh Garrepy plus Ava Sardelli (the fourth member of last year’s NK squad to be named to the ResV top 26) and you have a team looking to threepeat. Who sets for this squad will be of interest and minor coaching changes may also require some adjustment, but no one in the state has the talent influx that the Skippers enjoy…
LaSalle Academy - …except maybe LaSalle. The Rams graduate Kaelyn Whitaker and Oliva Higgins, two essential cogs to last year’s machine. Higgins was arguably the top middle in the state, while Whitaker was often the O1 that the Rams leaned on to score points. So, that hurts…plus there was a plethora of talent that were important practice gym players also moving on to their college careers. If nothing else, LaSalle has talent ready to step up to go along with starters already in place. Maisy Naff (pin) was the runner up for Newcomer of the Year and Sofia D'Agostino is one of the top libs in the state. The offense should be orchestrated by Abby Crowley and expect Myriah White to play a bigger role in 2024. They also have one of the more beloved coaches in the state in Jhamal Diggs, whose teams regularly finish in the final four (most recently being a semi-finalist boys Cranston East volleyball side and Johnston girl’s basketball team of which lost in the state championship). Diggs and crew would love to break through this year, snapping the Skippers line on championships.
South Kingstown - In 2021, the Rebels were the class of the town. They upset North Kingstown at the Forge and then thoroughly frustrated Prout in the finals at Rhode Island College. That championship season was remarkable…but also feels a lifetime away now. In 22, SK made the finals but NK was quick to take the cup in three sets. Last year, the Rebels were dispatched in the quarters by a suddenly hot Coventry side that would ride the lightening all the way to the finals (only to be snuffed out by the Skippers as it appears many so often do). Where does that leave this 2024 SK team? Well, it kind of feels like it’s the last rodeo (graduating 9 will do that, I suppose). India Vaughn-Hallene and Mia Iemma are back from the starting roster last year and could be utilized in different ways. Last year they played Middle and Libero respectively. Who will set this year? Alexandra Spinella, and she’ll be a good one in the league. Who will play the pins? Don’t know. Is this why writing a preseason article is challenging? You betcha!. What I do think is that I agree with Coach Batzinger from NK boys…the league is better when SK is a force and I’m hopeful they have the horses to do the work to make another go at it.
Portsmouth - One of the questions I often get is, “Who do you think are the top five players in the state?” Some years that question is harder than others, but I do know one thing…Portsmouth has one of them in Caitlin Mediate. Mediate has been running the show from the get-go for Portsmouth and her senior year is almost guaranteed to be a beauty. Few in the league play the game as well both physically and between the ears as Caitlin. She reminds me of Annika Gliottone of Toll Gate and Brown University lore. Hailey Labonte will be one of the main weapons on the pin for the Patriots. From there, similar feel to SK…not sure who will step up and help bring the heat, but someone will. If memory serves, there is a young crew of middles that will challenge this season. Libero position may be in a solid state as well. Add, and I always love adding this, but the gymnasium for Portsmouth is an absolute advantage for the home side…haunting it is. All those pieces mean perhaps another top four finish in D1.
East Providence - Here comes that top five players in the state question again… We got Tess, Syd, and Caitlin… Keira Mullen has to be on there as well. Mullen is in that top five as the lefty pin / setter is pretty lethal in most aspects of the game and she will make things extremely difficult for anyone who plays the townies. Now, EP has lost a lot due to graduation. Kate Bernhardt (the top left), Malia Mullen (middle uno), Daniella Escudero (one of the top libs in the state last year), and Elle DeCosta (O2, who had a monster championship match) are gone leaving Keira and Eliza Vest to carry on. So, there is a case to be made that EP is ranked too high in this preseason ranking…but I like them here as I think Keira is top shelf and Eliza will be pretty close too, plus I think the supporting cast may be up to the challenge faster than thought…though the move to D1 is going to be a heavy lift. As it is, you’re talking about a team that’s gone to the finals in back-to-back years, so that expectation is already embedded in the fabric…even with the call up.
Barrington - The Eagles were an interesting squad last year. They had lots of good pieces to the puzzle, but the passing would sometimes let them down. They certainly were not alone in that. Then the playoffs came and woah, what a whirlwind! Five-set thriller to get by Middletown followed by a five-set thriller that probably should have ended East Providence’s run…but it didn’t. Bad calls plague sports (necessary evil until AI takes over all of the jobs…lol) and there were some questionable ones in that match… In the end, however, the Eagles pushed the eventual champs and left it all on the table. Sometimes, that’s all one can ask for. Barrington graduates their horse in Kasey Dillon and five other seniors who were pretty instrumental to their level of play. Emma McCrann and Morgan Martin (Pin and Libero) return along with Sophia Denham with hands ensuring the Eagles will still fly in a league with lots of new faces. As with virtually all the teams, passing will be the factor to success this year too.
Coventry - The Oakers had a strange season last year. They won a lot of games, but when they saw the top three schools on the schedule the wheels would come off in a big way. So, watching all of that…well, the theory was that they would be in trouble in the playoffs as they were guaranteed to see someone who appeared to have their number in the regular season. Instead, they saw a streaky South Kingstown squad, followed by a Chariho side who had been playing probably a tic above their weight class. Granted, Coventry also saved their best level for the playoff run which suddenly landed them in the finals against the dreaded Skippers of NK. North did the job, but Oakers battled valiantly, getting gutty performances from Liv Rollinson and especially Abby Spadoni. Rollinson, Spadoni, Addison Patrick, and Sydney Lang have graduated, leaving Coventry with a little bit of a rebuild on their hands. I say that, but perhaps not. It may just feel that way, as the offense ran through Rollinson, Spadoni, and Patrick for the last two years. With plenty of returners and solid ball control, the Oakers may be right in the hunt again…ready to catch lightening in the bottle when it matters most.
Mt. Hope - The Huskies enter the 2024 season as one of the more complete teams returning. Granted the prior season came to a sudden halt as Mt. Hope was stifled in three sets against Cumberland in the semis…but that team featured many sophomores on the floor, and you can’t ask for a better learning opportunity. Only graduating four, though one of them was starting setter Mia Shaw, Mt. Hope returns their prime attacker in Sarah Wilcox as well as their starting Libero in Mia Hanson. Abigail Allen will once again run the middle while Gianna Lunney will be another solid pin option. Who is going to set? Don’t know. Shaw was legit at that position and her leadership and decision making will be missed on the floor. One thing is for certain is that the Huskies will serve tough and pass well. Thus, if they can find a stable set of hands, it’ll be year two of Mt. Hope being a tough out along with legit D2 playoff aspirations.
Middletown - Last year the Islanders burst onto the scene as a threat in Division Two. Sporting three pins that were headaches for the opposition and a middle who was as dynamic offensively as any middle in the state…the feeling was Middletown had the tools to make a deep run in the playoffs. The trio of pins included Gwen Delaney (a potential player of the year caliber player), Gianna Piker, and Aidan Reilly…while middle Skylar Schuster was the real deal on the offensive end if not her entire game. Unfortunately, the playoff draw they got matched them up with Barrington on the road…with a five-set loss following the fanfare. Not ideal. It’s a year later, Delaney, Piker, and Schuster are gone, along with five other seniors graduating as well. Reilly does return and it’s a good bet her volume of sets will increase while new players will be required to step up to the prime-time lights. The good news is that almost everyone in D2 is in the same boat with plenty of sturdy seniors gone to graduation and new faces being asked to take their place. Bad news is Barrington and Mt Hope are not one of those teams.
Classical - The Purple were a formidable foe in 2023 featuring the big three of Taliyah Pereira, Harmony Forrest, and Deana Baez. Pereira was arguably the top offensive weapon on the left in the state, Forrest was a handful on the right side, and Baez was one of the top setters in Rhode Island. Unfortunately, one too many miscues lead to a rough playoff seed and the Purple had to face the Skippers in the quarters. It was still a solid year and certainly some experiences to build on. The main problem, as many schools are facing in 2024, is that graduation has changed the roster entirely. Pereira, Forrest, and Baez are gone, and whomever take their roles will have a learning curve to be sure in the spotlight of the demanding world of D1. Unlike some other teams, whose rosters were completely gutted, there are plenty of returners to the Purple. Marvellous Awe and Esther Nyabally could play integral roles this season along with Siena O'Connell who likely will take over the setting duties. The D1 waters are slightly different then the past two seasons, but still, plenty of danger and opportunity awaits.
Cumberland - Well, the Clippers made their run. Finishing in the finals is no slouch feel at all. They ran into a buzz saw, unfortunately that day, and at times played too conservatively to make East Providence uncomfortable. It happens and it’s the game of volleyball in a lot of ways. Play too timid and the opposition will run hitting lines on you. Play too out of control and you error yourself into that death by a thousand cuts finish. The Clippers did a little of the former and again, East Providence was just locked in that day as well. Rear view mirror is for learning, but lets go to 2024. Graduating seven is tough sailing and losing the top lib (Brennah Abilheira-Cargill), top pins (Lindsay Molis and Hailey Kuncz), top middle (Grace Iannuzzi) and your setter (Kaylee Bradley) means the rebuild is in full swing. Coach DeJesus should have a crew ready to compete, however, as the waters of D2 feel pretty murky at the moment. As in all sports…anyone can make a run which is why they play the games.
East Greenwich - The Avengers nabbed a playoff seed after a tumultuous 2023 campaign which sent them to the cave in a bout with Chariho. They fought, but in the end Chariho made less mistakes (Chargers were so dominate on home ice last year…), and thus the season came to a close. It’s 2024 and another year of change for East Greenwich. They graduated ten players and will have a new coach at the helm so the rebuild is completely on. Luckily for the Avengers, there are some starters returning. Amanda Duke set as well as played on the opposite and become a pretty featured player for the Avs along with Hannah Gaffney. Gaffney solidified the Libero spot and was sure handed all season. With Coach Chris Ford taking over the reins, East Greenwich will have had three coaches in four years so certainly some stability is of need. If the new faces on roster can bring some pop to the scene, EG could be in the mix as 90% of RI volleyball seems to be in state of flux as well.
Westerly - My top five players in the state, for the preseason anyway, ends on this line with the Bulldogs. I try to give a lot of thought when it comes to lists like these as often there are many players in the conversation and thus it is essential that I’m able to defend my selections. There are a lot of good players I know about. You can see the list below. If I don’t know about you yet, please trust I will…and please feel free to use every article I write as motivation to prove me incorrect. Tess, Syd, Caitlin, Kiera, and Lyla Auth are my preseason top five. I really like multifaceted players who have the versatility and the volleyball IQ to jump into any situation and help their team be successful. Auth fits that bill. I like her as a setter as she has good hands, makes solid decisions, and has the size to be a pain at the net. She can also play pin as she passes well and has an arm along with good approaches to getting points. She’d be fine in the middle to boot. The Bulldogs, like their boy’s team counterparts last season have one of the top players in the state. The question will be can they play clean enough, limited errors and pass well, to put pressure on the top teams in the Division with that ace in their pocket.
Chariho - When you graduate eight, and that includes your starting setter (Lexi Cole), your M1 (Katja Nelson), your top point getting pin (Jules White), your starting Libero (Emma Kocab), your M2 (Elle Clark), the door man, the mascot, and the person who does the turf…well, you might be in a rebuilding mode. Now it has to be said…that crew of players accomplished quite a bit. You’re talking a D2 championship in an undefeated season and then bouncing up to D1 where they earned the second seed in the tournament! They would unfortunately bow out to Coventry in the Semis, but the accomplishments of this past senior class will not be soon forgotten. Erin O’Leary returns as the primary pin for the Chargers. From there, it’ll be a lot of new faces looking to make their bones in the often-harsh D1 lights. Still, Chariho has one of the best home gyms to play in and these fresh new players will have had at least a year competing against this most recent senior class. That was always one of the things that I think Coaches can sometime miss…your secondary squad often times need to be coached up more than your starting six as the future is always coming and best to be prepared for it as opposed to taken off guard by it.
Burrillville - Let’s go Broncos! The playoffs last year were done so weirdly in D3, and nowhere else, it’s hard to figure out who fit where. My theory was, if the playoffs were done normally, Burrillville would have been the third or fourth seed in 2023. Regardless, they certainly ran the gauntlet, upended Juanita Sanchez (I would have had them the #3) then discarding Tiverton (ResV #2 team in D3) before shocking the top team in the tournament in Tolman for the cup. That’s a run to say the least. So, with that, Burrillville moves up to Division Two and will see what kind of success they can attain with new adventures and a new ranking system. They’re also not the same either. The Broncos graduated seven which makes things a little challenging. Granted, 2023 championship MVP Mackenzie Cleary is back for another campaign, but it’ll be interested to see what a revamped roster will bring with the bump in Divisions. As with most things, only time will tell.
Receiving Votes… Providence Country Day, Cranston West, Bay View, North Smithfield, Lincoln, Exeter-West Greenwich, Tolman, Scituate, Tiverton, Shea, Mt. Pleasant
Players to Watch in 2024…
Tess LeFrenier (OH) - North Kingstown - Sr.
Syd Henson (L) - North Kingstown - Sr.
Ava Sardelli (OH) - North Kingstown - Sr.
Kayliegh Garrepy (MB) - North Kingstown - So.
Maddie Eriksen (Pin) - North Kingstown - Sr.
Keira Mullen (Pin/S) - East Providence - Jr.
Eliza Vest (OH) - East Providence - Jr.
Caitlin Mediate (S) - Portsmouth - Sr.
Hailey Labonte (Pin) - Portsmouth - Sr.
India Vaughn-Hallene (MB) - South Kingstown - Sr.
Mia Iemma (L) - South Kingstown - Sr.
Alexandra Spinella (S) - South Kingstown - Sr.
Abby Crowley (S) - LaSalle Academy - Sr.
Maisy Naff (OH) - LaSalle Academy - Jr.
Sofia D’Agostino (L) - LaSalle Academy - Jr.
Sofia Benevides (OH) - LaSalle Academy - Jr.
Lyla Auth (S/Pin) - Westerly - Jr.
Emma McCrann (Pin/L) - Barrington - Jr.
Morgan Martin (L) - Barrington - Sr.
Sophia Denham (S) - Barrington - Sr.
McKenzie Clery (MB) - Burrillville - Sr.
Elyssa Lacross (MB) - Coventry - Sr.
Hannah Gaffney (L) - East Greenwich - Sr.
Amanda Duke (S/Pin) - East Greenwich - Sr.
Jett Cronin (L) - Prout - Sr.
Avery Gomes (Pin) - Bay View - Jr.
Mary McNulty (MB) - Toll Gate - Sr.
Lana Kooligan (S) - Providence Country Day - Sr.
Sarah Wilcox (OH) - Mt. Hope - Jr.
Mia Hansen (L) - Mt. Hope - Sr.
Sophia Pires (L) - Cumberland - Sr.
Aidan Reilly (Pin) - Middletown - Sr.
Lucy Steppen (Middle) - North Kingstown - Sr.
Abigail Allen (Middle) - Mt. Hope - Sr.
2024 ResV Preason Top Five Players in the State:
Syd Henson - Libero - North Kingstown - Sr.
Caitlin Mediate - Setter - Portsmouth - Sr.
Tess LeFrenier - Pin - North Kingstown - Sr.
Kiera Mullen - Pin / S - East Providence - Jr.
Lyla Auth - Pin / S - Westerly - Jr.
Getting to Know Your Officials!
Meet Ben! Ben Lind has been in the officiating ranks for six years now. He’s a graduate from Johnson & Wales University where he majored in Network Engineering. Ben is also a coach for South County Volleyball Club on the boy’s side of the aisle. He’s also a line judge as well as scorer for collegiate matches across the Northeast. Make sure to say, “Hi” to Ben as he’s absolutely one of the good guys in the business!
To send updates, stories, and players college decisions…or inquire about coffee beans that Coach roasts himself, to Coach Reslow - Scott.Reslow@protonmail.com
Coaches! Please feel free to reach out if interested in scheduling some time to talk shop! I’d love to help your program out!
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