Week Six - How About That…
10/16/23 - Cancun Edition - Part One
They don’t make comedies like the Naked Gun (the above picture) anymore. The Naked Gun was a spoof on the police dramas that were around during the day, and, quite frankly, continue to this day, 35 years later. So many good scenes that make you laugh in that one…I absolutely loved when Frank Drebin, our hero, becomes an umpire at the Angels game because he heard that one of the players was going to assassinate the Queen. So, he is frisking every player before they bat, trying to find the gun, and he’s a terrible/awesome umpire to boot. Classic stuff.
The picture above are the commentators for that game, and they are at a break between innings watching a video on the jumbotron of all the weird plays in baseball that season…from players colliding, to a base runner being hit by a car, to another runner being attacked by a tiger, to a fielder losing his head trying to rob a home run! Each clip scene in the video is weirder then the last and on the final one, the broadcaster on the left is completely stunned, and maybe slightly horrified, while the one on the right laughes, quipping, “How about that!”
How about that… I think about that scene all the time when I see upsets happen in sports. Makes me giggle. Upsets certainly can create different emotions for people, but boy are they necessary and fun. Upsets have to happen. It’s why the games are played at all. What fun would sports be if we knew the that higher seed would win every single time? Week six had a bunch of said upsets and it left me thinking…How about that!
Big Stat Games of the Week…
Tessa LeFrenier (North Kingstown) - 8 kills, 2 aces, 2 digs and a block at East Greenwich
Jules White (Chariho) - 21 kills, 21 digs versus Portsmouth — 15 kills, 4 aces, 9 digs at Mount Saint Charles
Emma Kocab (Chariho) - 37 digs, 3 aces versus Portsmouth
Mazie Phillips (Mount Saint Charles) - 6 kills, 3 aces, 11 digs versus La Salle
Sophia Baeta (Mount Saint Charles) - 16 digs, 2 aces versus La Salle
Julia Polofsky (Tiverton) - 13 aces, 9 kills, 9 digs versus Woonsocket
Julia Raymond (Woonsocket) - 23 assists, 23 digs, 3 aces at Tiverton
Aidan Reilly (Middletown) - 7 kills, 3 aces at Barrington
Tess Egge (Barrington) - 12 digs, 4 aces versus Middletown
Ella Rwenzo (Bay View) - 16 kills, 3 aces, 3 blocks at Exeter-West Greenwich
Avery Gomes (Bay View) - 17 kills at Exeter-West Greenwich
Erin Tierney (Exeter-West Greenwich) - 10 kills, 4 digs, 2 assists versus Bay View
Hannah Pearson (Exeter-West Greenwich) - 9 kills, 4 blocks versus Bay View
Lyla Auth (Westerly) - 15 assists, 6 kills, 6 aces versus St. Raphael’s
Emma Caracciolo (Westerly) - 12 aces versus St. Raphael’s
Casey Weaver (Lincoln) - 15 kills, 2 aces at Ponaganset
Breanne Bouthilletle (Lincoln) - 18 digs, 3 aces at Ponaganset
Caitlin Mediate (Portsmouth) - 44 assists, 14 digs, 2 kills, and an ace at Chariho — 27 assists, 4 aces, 8 digs at South Kingstown
Jett Cronin (Prout) - 28 digs versus West Warwick
Liv Rollinson (Coventry) - 9 aces, 6 kills at Classical
Olivia Vergaro (Cranston West) - 8 aces, 15 assists, 6 digs, 2 kills versus St. Raphael’s
Daniella Escudero (East Providence) - 10 aces, 9 digs versus Ponaganset
Avery Gomes (Bay View) - 11 kills, 7 aces, 12 digs versus North Smithfield
Jackie Buffery (Bay View) - 5 aces, 4 kills, 22 digs versus North Smithfield
Janet Batista (Central) - 18 assists, 7 aces versus Toll Gate
Taliya Robillard-Montas (Davies) - 9 aces, 7 kills, 5 digs versus Blackstone Valley
Hayleigh Korzeniowski (Tiverton) - 10 kills, 8 aces, 23 digs at Narragansett
Abigail McRoy (PCD) - 9 aces, 6 kills at Wheeler
ResV Player(s) of the Week (6) - Jules White (Chariho) / Caitlin Mediate (Portsmouth) - Both White and Mediate just had outstanding weeks both in competition with each other, and then moving on to get wins in the second matches of their respective weeks. In the five-set thriller between both teams, White’s 21 kills, 21 dig night and Mediate’s 44 assists 14 dig performances were tops in the state in ResV’s opinion and both had very good stat lines to follow.
North Kingstown (11- 1) - The Queens of Kingstown had themselves a solid week. Following the taking care of business versus a pretty game East Greenwich side, the Skippers decided to let the Rams know on the Mountain Top who was in control of the league. In four sets, NK finished off the Rams leaving little doubt that the route to the championship runs through the canyons of the Forge. Annie Draper and Tessa Lefrenier led the way with Syd Henson controlling the defensive side of the ball. West Warwick and Portsmouth visit the Skippers next with NK looking to finish the regular season untouched.
[↑ 2] Chariho (10 -3) - The Chargers did some work this week! Chariho hosted the premier Portsmouth Patriots and battled to a five-set finish. Up and down, back and forth, the match was always tilting, but in the end, Jules White and crew finished the job (Emma Kocab had a masterful performance as well) …and another good team was swallowed up at the Cave. White had a monster 5th set, scoring at will toward finishing the match with 21 kills and 21 digs. That is a monster of match… Afterwards, the Chargers saw Mount Saint Charles and got the vic in four. All good things and plenty of questions answered as Chariho sit second overall on the ResV top 15 after seven weeks of play. They’ve also played a lot of volleyball so it’ll be interesting to see what they have left in the tank for the playoffs.
Portsmouth (8 - 4) - The Patriots split this week, but played a lot of volleyball. In ten sets of work, Portsmouth fell to Chariho at the Cave (not unusual as Chariho can ball and the Cave is the toughest place to play in RI) and then went to another tough place to get it done at South Kingstown, reversing their fortune from a couple nights before. Caitlin Mediate is the truth at the setter position and had a monster night against the Chargers with 44 assists, 14 digs and 2 kills. No doubt she was as good against SK as Mediate puts the ball in a steady spot constantly for her attackers and makes just so many tough plays look easy. Granted, the Patriots would love to have the Chariho game back as they had them on the ropes, but getting a road win at SK puts them in the top three and that position is probably safe. Getting three out of their next four, especially against a La Salle side that is floundering a little, could, depending how they do the playoffs, sit them at the two and allow them to host until the end… Spooky season was made for Portsmouth and their gym too…
[↓ 2] La Salle Academy (9 - 4) - The Rams have the feel of a ship that’s accidently run aground. The ship is sturdy and the ship is built for speed, but at the moment, the crew is trying to assess the damage, if any, and then make repairs. Losing to North Kingstown is one thing, as the Skippers are the standard and taking them down is always a challenge, however the falter at Mount Saint Charles is a head scratcher. Granted MSC is another place that’s considered a tough venue, but one has to think the Rams would like that one back. With back-to-back losses and a visit to the haunted gymnasium of Portsmouth next, plus a lurking South Kingstown, La Salle has to batten down the hatches and focus up or they could find themselves on the road for the playoffs and seeing teams that certainly won’t be in their best interest.
East Providence (12 - 0) - Nothing has slowed down the Townies thus far and there is a wonder if that just may be the case this year. Cumberland and Westerly are left on the schedule and may be in the only two teams that stand in their way of the always fabled regular season sweep. Only Lincoln, Middletown, and Pilgrim have taken a set off of EP with the rest of the teams falling in three. There have been a couple of tight sets here and there but looking at the whole body of work to date, East Providence has been in a league of their own. Keira Mullen is a player of the year candidate and may be one of the top five players in the state as a sophomore. Malia Mullen is having a career year as is Kate Bernhardt and Daniella Escudero, while Eliza Vest (another sophomore) is playing real good volleyball as well. Things always can change on a dime, but right now it’s all EP. The Clips get their shot next.
[↑ 2] Coventry (9 - 3) - Big week for the Oakers! ResV asks for some quality wins…Coventry delivers. The week prior loss to Portsmouth wasn’t pretty, so the feeling was Coventry might be teetering, but not the case. The Oakers take two in week seven serving up three-set sweeps to South Kingstown at home and Classical on the road. Both matches are huge for the development of their team as SK is skilled and cause issues in the middle, while Classical is a pin team that can be highly effective (especially at home). Mount Saint Charles at home should be a decent challenge as MSC can and will cause issues, and then there is that date with Chariho at the Cave coming up the following week… If the Oakers get that one, look out come playoffs.
South Kingstown (6 - 6) - Well, the Rebels weren’t rebelling too hard this past week…at least against Coventry anyway. The three-set sweep at the hands of the Oakers was pretty unexpected. The five-set thriller with Portsmouth at home was more to par with the level SK can bring to the table. South Kingstown is an interesting case this season as there were moments where it looks like they’ll take off and then there were moments where all the steam got let out of them. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team of this year’s campaign, to say the least. Depending on who you get, your night could go either way. Sitting at .500, tied with East Greenwich in D1, the Rebels get a small reprieve before they once again face a tough week featuring the Skippers and Rams to close out the regular season. It’s all about building for the playoffs, probably on the road, now.
[↑ 2] Mt. Hope (10 - 2) - The Huskies decided to make life difficult for D2 and now the division looks more like a three-horse race rather than two. The win over Cumberland brought the Huskies to the focus and from there, though they were swept by EP, they have a legitimate shot to win out the rest of the regular season and take the second seed in the playoffs. Westerly and Barrington stand in the way…Westerly in week seven and Barrington in week eight and certainly those two teams are plenty powerful to knock Mt. Hope off. Still, Mt. Hope has solid pieces in the right spots, and they serve really tough…all good ingredients to finish the season second leaving a bad taste for Cumberland and solid eyes toward seeing perhaps seeing EP in the finals.
[↓ 3] Cumberland (10 - 3) - Who knew the Mt. Hope match had so much riding on it? As each week passed by, it was clear that Mt. Hope would be a tough out, but as the playoff picture became clearer and clearer, all of a sudden that game was gigantic and unfortunately the Clippers were on the short end of it. Certainly, Cumberland was even with Mt. Hope as the match went five, but you have to have that one at home. Worse, it sort of takes the shine out of the East Providence match coming up…though not much. Cumberland is still a viable threat for the D2 crown and picking up the pieces and beating Lincoln was a key victory in itself. The premiere matchup tonight with East Providence could decide where they stand going forward. It’s a good bet that EP holds the one, but due to losing to Mt. Hope, the two is very much in doubt. Beat EP, however, and you wrestle the two back…and hosting in the playoffs, often, is everything.
[↑ 1] Mount Saint Charles (6 - 7) - The Mounties may be one of the scarier teams on the board at the moment. They’ll play you tough, and if you don’t mind your Ps and Qs, they might nip you. Coach Gould has done a nice job this season as MSC has had plenty of adversity along the way, yet they battle each match and have come up with some key wins. With signature vics over La Salle, Classical, and East Greenwich, the Mounties do bring enough to the playoffs where whomever they play will need to take care or risk getting bounced early. Week seven brings Coventry on the road and East Greenwich to their door. Both teams are on their side of the Division One divide and both teams would be solid feathers to aid to MSC’s playoff cap and resume.
[↓ 2] East Greenwich (6 - 6) - Not sure the Avengers earned two spots down on the board, more so, they were the unlucky fall-out victims of MSC’s huge win over La Salle Academy. East Greenwich is the other .500 club in Division One along with South Kingstown though one wonders where they may have sat should Amanda Duke not gotten injured in the first match of the season. Duke is fine now, and the Avengers are dangerous, but the early slide certainly affected there positioning. With Chariho on the horizon, at the Cave, as well as Mount Saint Charles, also on the road, things do not get any easier for EG. Probably need to get one of the two here, as the Avengers have to do everything they can to hold the Mounties at bay in playoff seedings.
Classical (4 - 7) - When the Purple have it going, they are terribly tough to stop. It’s just getting to that point has been challenging. With three wins and three losses in their last six matches, it’s clear that Classical is playing better ball and causing some issues for opponents. The signature win over Portsmouth rings true to what their overall performance potential can be. Juxtapose the most recent Coventry loss, however, and one can see where the Purple are sort of at. In a Division One world where there are dangerous teams everywhere, Classical has the feel of an eighth seed that no one would want to play. Execution of passing and serving will be key throughout, especially if Classical wants to improve their playoff seeding versus getting into the playoffs at all. With back-to-back Chariho matches ahead, a lot can change if Classical does work on them.
Middletown (8 - 3) - The Islanders appear back on track in week six as they were able to wrangle a four-set victory over Barrington. The Eagles had been playing some good ball of late and were hoping to bounce Middletown from the board. Not so fast, said the Islanders. Both Middletown and Barrington sit at 8 - 3 overall, but Middletown has the win head-to-head. Rogers, Ponaganset, and Tiverton are on the docket next and it’s a safe bet that Middletown should take care of business this week. As for the foreseeable future, there is a match with Cumberland coming up to finish the regular season which should have pretty considerable playoff seeding implications. Playoffs follow that, where Middletown is certainly looking to make a long run.
Tolman (10 - 1) - Well, the Tigers had a small hiccup at Narragansett, but there was some weirdness to that match. All in all, it’s not a terrible misstep, however, as Tolman has some room to play with. Only Burrillville is within striking distance in the loss column, but even then the Tigers could still afford another loss if necessary. Past that, got to win out, which is exactly what Tolman plans to do anyway. Handing Burrillville, Block Island, and Central defeats this week would all but seal the top seed for the Tigers. With all that being said, however, Burrillville and Block Island are dangerous foes so things could shift depending on how those matches go. If they drop all three, nightmare scenario. So, as with every match this week for every team…we’ll see what happens.
Shea (13 - 0) - The Raiders navigated through some tough waters this past week. Shea survived two five-set challenges from PCD and The Valley! That tells D4, that Shea, though undefeated, is perhaps a little vulnerable. If you’re Shea, however, you look at it as battle tested for the playoffs! Either way, Shea remains the class of D4 and that top seed should hold for them. With Davies, Hope, and Mt. Pleasant still waiting for their second shot at them, it’s not a breeze for the Raiders, however, they could drop one or two and still be fine. One thing is certain, D4 playoffs are going to be wild as Shea will look to hold off some solid contenders to the crown.
Receiving Votes: Barrington, Westerly, Lincoln, North Smithfield, Juantia Sanchez, Tiverton, Burrillville, Block Island, Blackstone Valley, Providence Country Day, Mt. Pleasant
ResV Player of the Week…
Week 1 - Caitlin Mediate (Portsmouth)
Week 2 - Lyla Auth (Westerly)
Week 3 - Ella Maack (North Kingstown)
Week 4 - Casey Weaver (Lincoln)
Week 5 - Deana Baez (Classical)
Week 6 - Jules White (Chariho) / Caitlin Mediate (Portsmouth)
Playoff Races Through Week Five…
Division One…
North Kingstown - All of sudden it feels like the Skippers are in complete control.
Chariho - Chargers make a strong move and positioned themselves well. Can they hold the line to host throughout?
Portsmouth - Patriots need the Chargers to make a misstep and then win three out of four.
La Salle - Rams need to right the ship quick or they’ll find themselves in an unusual position…on the road.
Coventry - The Oakers feel a little forgotten…do that at your own peril.
South Kingstown - The die is probably cast for the Rebels…now it’s about fortifying the plan and being road warriors and upset specialists.
Division Two…
East Providence - Townies are untouched and it may stay that way throughout.
Mt. Hope - The Huskies surviving the Clips in five changed the landscape a little. Do they have the juice to disrupt EP come playoffs?
Cumberland - Unfortunate lose to Mt. Hope takes some of the shine out of the EP match up…
Middletown - Win over Barrington was huge. Plus, Cumberland feels a little vulnerable…
Barrington - Strong showings everywhere but can’t seem to get over the top four…for now. Can they keep Westerly at bay?
Westerly - EP and Mt. Hope are coming up…strong showings there could tip the scales.
Division Three…
Tolman - Narragansett shocked them, but sort of weird stuff there. Tigers still in control and have some room to play with.
Burrillville - Getting upset by Scituate certainly hurt the cause as now it’s back to back loses. BI losing helps to keep them in the second slot.
Block Island - Juanita Sanchez got them in five, but they were missing a starter. With all the pieces BI is still a contender.
Juanita Sanchez - Took advantage of BI’s situation and got a huge vic. Building off of it for playoffs.
Tiverton - Still the team no one wants to see in D3.
Scituate - Quietly, Coach Emma Martin’s team is 6 - 4 and looking to bounce teams…
Division Four…
Shea - Survived both PCD and The Valley in five-sets a piece…Hope and Mt. Pleasant get another shot to disrupt the clean season sweep soon.
Blackstone Valley - The Valley sits second in D4, but the upset loss to Davies should put them on high alert.
Providence Country Day - PCD serves tough and has a win over Mt. Pleasant, so they sit third.
Mt. Pleasant - Three up, three down in their last six. Hope, North Providence, and Shea are all threats coming up.
Hope - Playing their best volleyball at the right time and have entered into the playoff equation.
Davies - Taking down The Valley shows it’s in there. Just need a couple more big vics!
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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