Week Eight - The Playoffs Take Off!
10/30/24
Back to Life, Back to Reality…
First, a quick apology to everyone as this article is massively late to come out. There is so much going on, and the weekend away did not help matters, so apologies for the tardiness of this week 8 article which has now morphed into a week 9ish article with playoffs.
With the regular season completed, all turn their gaze to the playoffs and what matchups are on the horizon. Interestingly enough, this year’s pairings seem to have teams that cause each other problems in the regular season. It’s amazing, sometimes, how that can happen. “Oh wow, that stunk. Glad we don’t have to see them again… What, them in the first round!?!”
Divisions aside… LaSalle kind of startled North Kingstown last they saw them, and they might see each other in the second round…if LaSalle survives Prout, who just upset them couple of weeks ago. South Kingstown nearly upended East Providence just last week, while Cumberland took care of Mt. Hope mid-season. It’s a different Mt. Hope side, now, but still that’s got to be on the mind of the Huskies.
Update, LaSalle did survive Prout, and Mt. Hope took down Cumberland!
North Smithfield and Westerly doing battle features two of the best utility players in the state in Lyla Auth and Kenzie Marcoux. Lincoln beat Middletown midseason but hasn’t been the same since October ninth, while the Central Falls vs. Narragansett match has crazy feel already. Shea and Hope potentially meeting in the semis could send sparks flying, while Central is the only team in the state with a first-round bye…could that be an actual detriment?
Playoff volleyball tends to be awesome…especially in the semifinals. Everyone is fighting for the chance to play one more time…preferably in the afternoon of a fall day, a Saturday, on a neutral court on a college campus. So, tune in and enjoy as volleyball, like most sports, is electric when teams are comparable and in win or go home mode.
Rounding third…heading home, we are…
[Coach Reslow’s playoff predictions are his alone. If you are on a team that Coach Reslow thinks will lose in any of the rounds, it’s your job to prove him wrong. Clearly, he’s out of control with his predictions, so make him look silly!]
D1 Playoff Predictions:
Quarter Finals
North Kingstown (1) hosting Chariho (8) - The Chargers survive a five-set battle from Cranston West to get to the dance, keeping their season alive. Lillian Baxter led the way with 12 kills and 3 blocks. It’s a solid playoff win for a team that has experienced all the struggles of new faces in new places…yet never stopped competing. From there, however, I like the Skippers to get out of the quarter finals pretty clean. The Chargers go, often, as Sonja Beasley goes, and she’ll need to have a monster match for the upset to be a possibility. Nothing is outside of the possible, but the Chargers will need to navigate around serve receive and serving prowess to try to negate, if possible, Tess LeFrenier and Ava Sardelli level on the pins.
Skippers in three…the Chargers will be gassed due to the path to get to the dock.
LaSalle Academy (4) hosting Prout (5) - This match is intriguing. Prout has the better record, and even upended LaSalle in week seven…however, Prout had a pretty weak schedule compared to the Rams. Rams also host, plus LaSalle actually put a moment of fear into North Kingstown the other day when they stole a set. Sometimes with teams that have been dominant, just the moment of doubt leads to bigger things. Could LaSalle have started the virus that takes down the juggernaut in week eight? Two of the top Libs in the state are in this one, Sofia D’Agostino and Jett Cronin. It is also a pins versus middles affair as the Rams have Maisy Naff and Sofia Benevides on the left, while Prout features Paige Megley and Alice Mcguire in the middle. It’s worth noting that both teams have had trouble limiting their errors in the past so it’s easy to say whoever plays cleaner will come out of this one.
Rams in four. I think the stronger schedule has LaSalle more battle tested…Prout’s magic will run out on the Mountain Top.
One for one!!!
East Providence (3) hosting South Kingstown (6) - Rolling the dice on this one. I think East Providence has had a great season and have ridden some great vibes to this point. Meanwhile, South Kingstown has battled tooth and nail to get where they are now. I can’t think of many teams in the last five years that had the challenging start of the Rebels and still nabbed a seed in the playoffs that wasn’t eight. EP is built on Kiera Mullen. Mullen is a top five player in the state and can do almost everything at a high level. Eliza Vest is solid on the pin and Trinity Johnson-Carter is a formidable middle. Meanwhile, India Vaughn-Hallene is one of the top two middles in the state, along with Alexandra Spinella having a great year at hands and Mia Iemma crushing it at Libero. The styles are different, as are the records, but the level of volleyball is closer then one thinks. It was only the other week or so that SK fell to EP in five sets. So this one is a tough one to gauge, as I think it could go either way.
Rebels in five. South Kingstown is gritty now and will find a way… It’s also not out of the question that Kiera Mullen just wills EP to win this one…but I’m thinking SK is due. I’ll take my medicine promptly if it goes the other way. lol
Portsmouth (2) hosting East Greenwich (7) - First thing first…I want to give some props to the Avengers. With East Greenwich having their third coach in four seasons, this side could have easily packed it in. Instead, they were a proper pain for opponents, and they beat Chariho twice as well as South Kingstown once…all while playing a pretty stout strength of schedule. Addison Fain had a great season in the middle and teammate Hannah Gaffney played well on the pin…as did many others on that Avenger roster. However… Portsmouth has been borderline dominant all season. They were one of three teams to take a set from NK. They’ve only lost one match all season…to NK. Caitlin Mediate and Hailey Labonte are both player of the year candidates, and the rest of the roster is playing real good ball as well. Lastly, it’s at Portsmouth’s barn where opposing team’s dreams of winning go to die…
Patriots in three. Not much the Avengers can do to stop what’s coming and the Portsmouth gym is one of the top home gyms in the state.
Semifinals
North Kingstown (1) vs. LaSalle Academy (4) - The theory goes that since LaSalle wobbled the legs of North Kingstown late in the regular season, perhaps when they see them again, they can knock them off the board. Anything is possible; however, I’d like to direct your attention to the brutal world of boxing. There are plenty of contests that showcase that wobbling the champ doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going down. On the contrary, once wobbled, the champ gains an instant respect and caution for the opponent. I guess it could go the way of the above theory, but more likely it goes the way of the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, who I thought I heard say once, “He got me, and bravo to that, but then he had my attention, and from there it was time to make him pay.” LaSalle will need to limit errors, pass well, and get solid production from the middles. North Kingstown will probably try to establish the middle early, which will give their pins more room to make plays as the match goes on. Rams have the Libero match up, but from there, it’s all Skippers.
Skippers in three. Rams will ball heroically, but it’s just too many playmakers on that NK side, and as LaSalle presses harder to make things happen, the errors will pile up.
Portsmouth (2) vs. South Kingstown (6) - The last good Star Wars movie was Rogue One (My opinion of course). In the previews for that flick, the lead actress basically stands before the group of Rebels who are quizzically and cautiously stunned to their next move. So, she quips, “You guys are the Rebels, right? Well, let’s rebel!” Solid line. It did not, however, make the movie itself. Don’t get me started on modern Disney making movies… Anyway, if you see that flick…spoilers…none of the Rebels make it. They do achieve their goal of getting the plans to the Death Star to Mon Mothma who will promptly use them, allowing a farm boy from Tantoine to execute the greatest ship laser fire in the history of space to destroy the bloody thing…but that is another story for another time. My point here is that SK battled all sorts of odds to get to the semis, and this is where their story will end. The Patriots play too clean, serve too tough, and just make too many plays for the Rebels to keep up. Sure, there will be plenty of Bothans rooting for SK to make one incredible stand and win the night like when those proton torpedoes amazingly found their mark, but I just don’t think it’s in the cards. Good news is, not many care what I think. It’ll be sorted on the court, and always remember; they play the games for a reason…
Patriots in four. Rebels will throw one haymaker and steal a set, but it won’t be enough to change Portsmouth trajectory this playoff season.
Finals
North Kingstown (1) vs. Portsmouth (2) - Upsets are what sports dreams are made from. My favorite one was the 2004 Red Sox over the Yankees in the American League Championship. That was a borderline religious experience… Those that grew up in New England absolutely recognized, believed in, the Babe Ruth curse. Thus, when the Yankees went up 3 games to none, we suspected, heck knew, that the Red Sox, we, were doomed. Then, a funny thing happened. The Sox won a game in extra frames. Another win followed. Hope. We were working on like three hours a night of sleep as each game went long into the darkness. Another win. Deuce with one to go. It was at deuce when all of us in New England were most vulnerable. We had seen it before. Crawling to the precipice only to be thwarted at the final moment. Gutted. As that final game commenced to see who would go to the World Series, even though the Red Sox ended up dominating the game, all of us were scared till the final out. Each run earned from the Sox, we’d turn to each other and agree it’s not enough. No lead was safe. We were destined to wallow in playoff misery. When it was over and the Sox won, it was a cathartic episode…even more so when they swept the Cardinals to win the whole thing. I’ve not felt that way since in sporting events. So much pressure. So much importance at every step of every action of every play…
It would be a fool’s errand to compare a Skipper / Patriot finals in RI girl’s volleyball to the 2004 Yankees / Red Sox series for the American League Championship. Two different animals. Stakes are completely different. However, there is a hint of truth. Skippers would be undefeated to this point. Patriots with only one loss. This would be the second meeting of these two this season, with the overall matchups, at least going back ten years completely in the Skippers favor. Patriots would be the talented, plucky, underdogs who could have the same Kevin Millar motto in sets…”Don’t let us get one!” Or the Curt Schilling moto that year, “Why not us?” The Skippers definitely have that Yankee feel, with sustained dominance for a decade. The numbers 187 wins, only 17 losses in those ten years… (Coventry is second in decade record with 138 - 73…South Kingstown third with 107 - 68, followed by LaSalle at 106 - 80)…
Or maybe, Sox / Yanks is the wrong analogy. Maybe, it’s more like Patriots / Rams! The greatest show on turf vs. do your job.
Or…
Ok, Res, get on with it.
Quite right.
It’s going to take some incredible play by Portsmouth to stop the NK bulldozer. First and foremost, they have to serve the Skippers as uncomfortable as possible. Nullify the many offensive options to a single threat and you’re in the right ballpark. It will also take some incredible defensive plays to create doubt. Huge dig here, huge dig there, and not erroring in the counterattack more than twice all match… The Skippers will need to make a lot of unforced errors. Hitting balls out of bounds, net violations, serving out, out of rotation, the whole kit and kaboodle. It could all happen, but I’m not betting on it…though what a story it would be.
Skippers in four. Portsmouth will win set one, but from there the Leviathan that is Skippers volleyball will crack to life and snatch three sets straight to earn another title before disappearing back to the gloomy deep of the ocean…not to be seen again until the next challenger knocks.
D2 Playoff Predictions:
Quarter Finals
Barrington (1) hosting Burrillville (8) - The Eagles are built pretty stout with real good pin play, solid contributors everywhere else, tough serving and competent ball control. They’re the top seed in the D2 world for a reason and have left the rest of the field scratching their heads trying to figure them out. Emma McCrann is a player of the year candidate, Ruby Ciummo is a very solid middle, and Morgan Martin is a defensive and serving nightmare for the opposition...just to name a few on this roster. For this round, the opposition is Burrillville. The Broncos feature two middles that can ball. Kenzie Cleary is a top middle in the state and can will her team to victories from time to time. Sadie Larue is the second middle and is quite solid in here own right. Because most of their offense comes from the middle, it’s crucial the Broncos pass well enough to get them the ball…which will be tough considering the serving power of the Eagles.
Barrington in three. Eagles will overwhelm from the service line which will negate the middle attack.
Two for two!!!
North Smithfield (4) hosting Westerly (5) - This match is intriguing to me. Both teams are built the same way. They both have a player on their side that does a bit of everything for the team in Kenzie Marcoux for North Smithfield and Lyla Auth for Westerly. The easy thing to say would be that whichever has the better night, Marcoux or Auth, is going to win this one. I guess it could be that simple, but surely there will be some other things to consider. North Smithfield is hosting, so that helps the cause for them. I feel that Westerly played the tougher schedule so they may be a little more battle tested then their better seeded opponents. Both teams have shown flashes of brilliance in the regular season, though North Smithfield did sweep Westerly when they saw them last. I do think North Smithfield is the grittier team, while I think Westerly can serve a little better. Don’t know… I guess there is a reason why the 4 / 5 seeded match is so hard to pick!
North Smithfield in four. I think Westerly will have opportunities, but in the end the relentlessness of Marcoux to not let the ballon touch the floor will outduel the more polished Auth.
Middletown (3) hosting Lincoln (6) - Don’t have to say much, as this match already happened! My goodness where do the days go. I will say that Middletown is a problem for everyone this playoff. Thye have two top pins in Gianna Piker and Aidan Reilly which allows them to get good passing and attacking most of the time. Meanwhile, for Lincoln, it was a shame that injuries came on late and left them in a bad way. As the season went on, I became a Kimi Hickey fan as she is a very good Libero. In the loss she had 24 digs, 4 aces (Amassed her 1000th dig in the process), which consequently became a regular stat line for her most of the season. Nonetheless, Middletown moves on to see either Mt. Hope or Cumberland.
I would have gone Middletown in three, as I felt Piker and Reilly would just wear down the Lincoln defense quickly. It was nice to see Hickey and crew battle to take set one and not go down without swinging.
Mt. Hope (2) hosting Cumberland (7) - Teams can be constructed in so many ways. The goal is always to feature your strengths, disguise and hide your weaknesses, and get everyone on roster to buy in. The first two are challenging but not incredibly difficult. The last one, however, is enormously hard. Human beings are complex, and their wants and desires will never match up with another’s, let alone a roster of fourteen plus players. This is why coaches exist. How do you get everyone on the same page? Well, the coach needs to take the time to talk to everyone, collectively as well as individually, and continue to make the case why everyone’s role exists. It’s a painstaking process. However, if you can get everyone to buy in, crazy stuff can happen…like Mt. Hope and Cumberland. Both teams have had to ask unique things from their teams. Whether it’s putting a first-year player on the floor or moving your top pin to Libero for a hot second, both teams have required their roster to buy in…and they’ve done just that. Cumberland features a first-year pin in Darryl Ashilaka who came on midseason and gave the Clipper offense a shot in the arm. Meanwhile, Sarah Wilcox for Mt. Hope, has been moved around all season…sometimes playing pin, others Libero, maybe setting once or twice. Both players have handled the adjustments well and both teams have bought in, which is all you can ask. Now, two may enter, but only one may leave (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome for all of you wondering where that line came from…)!
I’m going with Mt. Hope in four. Lights are bright now, so I’m thinking Cumberland makes a couple more errors then normal and that will be enough for the Huskies to capitalize.
Three for three, but I was wrong on the sets…
Semifinals
Barrington (1) vs. North Smithfield (4) - I’m writing a lot…perhaps even too much for you, dear reader. I shall try to show some brevity here and get us through the night. Barrington’s fire power will probably be too much for North Smithfield. The Lady Northmen are at their best, in my opinion, when they’re able to turn the match into a scrappy, annoying, mess. Unfortunately for them, the Eagles just serve too tough and pass too well for the event to devolve into that.
I think the Eagles flex their muscles here and leave North Smithfield in the dust in three sets.
Mt. Hope (2) vs. Middletown (3) - In high school volleyball, especially in the state we currently live in, the team with the better left sides tends to get it done. Not always does this happen, mind you, but more often it does. For this reason, I like Middletown here. Piker and Reilly are solid and their level, should it not dip, should cause lots of headaches for Mt. Hope. I do think the Huskies have the better Libero in Mia Hanson and Abby Allen could have a big day in the middle as well. However, I just can’t shake this idea that Piker and Reilly will take roughly twenty-five swings a piece, pass well, and probably generate eight aces combined…which is my head gets it done.
Middletown in four. Islanders will get their revenge and get that sweet bus trip to Rhode Island College.
Finals
Barrington (1) vs. Middletown (3) - Eagles, Islanders, has a good ring to it. Both sides have strong pins. I think Barrington, however, wins the middle, setter, and Libero battles. It’s been no secret all year that Barrington has been loaded. ResV dubbed them the North Kingstown of D2 and that moniker has proved pretty true. It’s really hard to get them uncomfortable. They do the standards well. No one in D2 serves like them. They have weapons all over the floor and they have a player of the year candidate in McCrann. There isn’t much not to like about this Eagle side to be sure. For the Islanders, to have a shot, it starts with the play of Piker and Reilly. They need to hit .350 a piece to cause enough doubt for the Eagle foundation to start to crack. The Islanders will also need to pass nails, and serve the game of their lives to keep the confusion rolling for the Eagles. Lastly, and most importantly, Middletown must limit errors. You can’t have missed serves after a big kill. You can’t have three hitting errors in a row. You can’t win a long rally only to find that you netted and it goes the other way. No question, it’s a tall order for the Islanders, but they can do it. Just need to execute, have a little faith and some luck, and make the Eagles earn every single point. From there, the chips fall as they may.
I believe Middletown will play admirably, but Barrington will be just too much. Eagles in four.
D3 Playoff Predictions:
Quarter Finals
Ponaganset (1) hosting Juanita Sanchez (9) - Ponaganset became the surprise favorite in D3, I’m guessing, due to strength of schedule. In conference play, they had losses to Tolman, Scituate, and Block Island. Meanwhile, Tolman only had loses to Tiverton and Scituate, with the other two losses coming from D2 and D1 teams. Seems weird, but what do I know? If your Ponaganset, you take the result and take care of business. I think they’ll see Juanita Sanchez here as the Saints faded toward the end of the season and JS has had a relatively solid campaign. From there, I think the Chieftains will be in business. They control the net better and should be able to generate points with their serve as well.
Ponaganset in three. Juanita Sanchez will start off ok, but the Chieftains will finish them off pretty cleanly.
Central Falls (4) hosting Narragansett (5) - It felt all year that Central Falls was sort of in control of the D3 landscape…then in the last three weeks or so, Ponaganset, Scituate, and Tolman, took the reins and the Warriors were left to scramble. Meanwhile, Narragansett had that sneaky campaign where most weren’t thinking about them and then all of a sudden, they have eleven wins. All this means, is that the 4 / 5 match here for D3 should be a good one. Can Narragansett pass well enough and play solid enough ground defense to keep the Warriors from breaking the Mariner lines? Can Central Falls score enough on the left to keep Narragansett from overwhelming them? We’re going to find out!
I have Central Falls in four. I think the power on the left for the Warriors will do enough to leave the Mariners gasping for air.
Scituate (3) hosting Block Island (6) - Block Island is that team you don’t want to see, mainly because they can do enough to cause you discomfort. Discomfort leads to errors. Errors lead to lost matches. Meanwhile, Scituate is another program that has just quietly had a strong campaign. Their signature win is Tolman, but they’ve also scared Central Falls in a five-set defeat. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top here…
Scituate in three. Unfortunately, for Block Island, their powers get muted a little when they’re away from their home court. Scituate serves better and should be able to cleanly get through the first round.
Tolman (2) hosting Tiverton (7) - Tigers are looking to exorcise a loss early on in the season as Tiverton was able to dispatch them in the first match of the season. That, was a long time ago, and both teams are matured and playing different level of volleyball since then. Tiverton has a solid arm on the pin in Hayleigh Korzeniowski. Tolman has arguably the top player in the division in setter Davina Kodua. It’ll come down to passing and play execution as it often does.
Tolman in four. Tiverton will steal set three, but Tigers will remain on the path.
Semifinals
Ponaganset (1) vs. Central Falls (4) - Left side power versus all around play? Central Falls’ Arielly DeAndrade is the engine that makes the team roll. DeAndrade is physical and can spray the ball all over the court to find kills. If she is able to get going early, I think Ponaganset is in trouble. Remember, Ponaganset has four losses on the season…all to conference opponents. They also snuck by Central Falls last time they saw them in five sets. Gut tells me Central Falls is in good shape here, but I certainly, as always, could be wrong. Serve and passing will be the easiest indicator, but watch out if DeAndrade gets five or six kills in the first set.
Central Falls in five! Too much DeAndrade and a couple of missed serves for the Chieftains will decide this one in dramatic fashion.
Tolman (2) vs. Scituate (3) - I’m on record already on the idea that I think Tolman got hosed for the top seed. RPI rankings are great and all, but what happens in conference play should be the decider for tournament rankings, full stop. Think of it as a college team would…if I beat five nationally ranked teams, but go .500 in conference play, I don’t get a higher seed in the conference tournament then what I earned just because I beat five nationally ranked teams. Those huge five wins may help me if I can’t win the conference tournament and need an at-large bid, but I don’t move up two seeds in the conference tournament because of them. Conferences / Divisions are there for a reason and those wins and losses should be the only barometer of seeding for the playoffs.
Stepping off my soap box, let’s turn our attention to Tolman / Scituate. What makes this match most intriguing is that the Tigers lost to the Spartans in a tough four sets only the other week. If Tolman had held serve, there, even by the ridiculous RPI standards, they’d be the top seed. None-the-less, here we are and the rematch for a chance to go the finals means tough volleyball. I think Davina Kodua and her Tigers side will cause all sorts of issues this time for Scituate. Spartans will meanwhile try to serve the Tigers tough to thwart their crafty offense.
Tolman in five. It’s going to be one of those crazy games where it’s back and forth till the end. Tolman will make one more play then Scituate and that’ll be enough.
Finals
Central Falls (3) vs. Tolman (2) - Big left side attacker versus the crafty setter. This should be a fun match as both teams do their style of volleyball well. This would be the first time the Warriors have been back to the final dance since the Joana Rodrigues days (21 and 22). It would be back-to-back appearances for Tolman who were upset last year by Burrillville. So, both programs will be looking to capitalize on the opportunity and bring home the gold. Generally, the better attackers tend to do better in big matches. However, in this instance, I think a crafty setter might be the way to go. Kodua has been really good all year and the focal point for her team’s success. She’s gritty and makes smart choices, especially when it matters most. Certainly, I like DeAndrade to be a force in this one for Central Falls, however, I do prefer the Tigers serving over the Warriors.
Tolman in four. The Tigers exorcise the demon keeping them from girls’ volleyball gold and ride off into the sunset.
D4 Playoff Predictions:
Quarter Finals
Central (1) - Has a bye…Not much else to say!
Toll Gate (4) hosting Woonsocket (5) - Titans and Novans going at it in the dreaded 4 / 5 seed match. Unfortunately for the Novans, Toll Gate has had their number all year. Perhaps, this is the match that Woonsocket breaks through. As they say, “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a row.” Titans are hosting which could be the difference.
I have Toll Gate in three. Just not the Novans year for taking down Toll Gate.
Four for four!!!
Shea (3) hosting Davies (6) - Davies has been up and down all year, while Shea is playing pretty good ball to date. It’s certainly been more a rebuilding year for Shea as there have been some losses that weren’t there last year…which is part of it as every year will be different. In the end, I think Shea takes care of business and wins the serve and pass battle.
Shea in three. Too much serving prowess for Davies to hang in there.
Five for Five…but I got the sets wrong again…
Hope (2) hosting North Providence (7) - Hope was more of a surprise for me then I excepted. I figured they’d be in the mix, but I had Shea and ultimately Cental ahead of them. Regardless, Coach Don Chu builds winners and he has his hope side playing well. They snagged the second seed from Shea and are now on a mission to take it to the house. North Providence snuck in as the seventh seed but have not really been able to put in together.
Hope in three. Just too much solid play from the Blue Wave!
Six for Six!!!
Semifinals
Central (1) vs. Toll Gate (4) - Danna Garcia is the truth in D4. She has a huge arm and can score at will. Toll Gate has a solid pin in Mary McNulty who has the ability to do the same. So, it’ll be interesting to see which player has the night. Not many have been able to stop Garcia’s steady drumbeat of 14 kills, 4 aces, which she seemed to hit almost nightly. McNulty has the ability to put up big numbers…17 on the Novans the other night, but I wonder if the Titans can pass well enough to get her the ball.
Central in three. Garcia will put in her normal effort and the Titans won’t be able to withstand it.
Hope (2) vs. Shea (3) - Hope has owned Shea in the regular season with two wins. The first one was a five-set thriller that could have gone either way. Later on, it was all Hope. So, what makes anyone thing that Shea has a shot? Well, there is the “it’s hard to be a good team three times in a season” bit, but I also think the streak that Shea is on is worth noting. They’ve won ten of their last twelve (both losses were to Hope) and won a playoff match. So, Shea may be on that roll that allows them to confront Hope and get it done.
Shea in four. Hope will be reeling from Shea coming in making plays from the get-go and never get fully on track.
Finals
Central (1) vs. Shea (3) - I think it’s going to be one of those tales where Shea had to work so hard to dispatch Hope that there isn’t much left in the tank for Central. Meanwhile, if Central was going to go, it would be in the semis as they had no playoff matches to that point and sometimes that can mess with a team. If they get to the finals, I think Central will just over power.
Central in three. Crown Garcia the D4 player of the year and get medals for everyone on the Knight’s roster.
ResV Team of the Week (8)…
Pin- Tess LeFrenier - Sr. - North Kingstown
Pin- Danna Garcia - Sr. - Central
Middle- Addison Fain - Sr. - East Greenwich
Middle- Paige Megley - Sr. - Prout
Pin- Avery Gomes - Jr. - Bay View
Setter- Caitlin Mediate - Sr. - Portsmouth
Libero- Mia Iemma - Sr. - South Kingstown
Utility- Keira Mullen - Jr. - East Providence
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week:
Biggest playoff tip I can give is treat a playoff match with the same care you treat regular season games. Emotion is the villain in the playoffs. So, if you talk to your players like it’s the be all end all moment, that will drive emotions up seven notches. Prepare how you normally prepare. Focus on the keys that you’ve been focusing on all week. Have a little bit of fun, but do not go reckless. It’s another game, which mean the same amount of prep and focus are required. I would say the one other thing to keep your team grounded is to talk about how rare it is that people play well in the playoffs. More often than not, it comes down to who stinks less, over who played better. So, do your best to limit errors, keep big emotions at bay, and don’t get outworked is a good message to have for your team.
ResV Player Tip of the Week:
We’ve entered the win or go home bracket of the season, and some playoff matches are already done. What makes win or go home even more nerve-racking is that for many, this is the final match of their careers. I’ve had players from time to time ask me what I thought the mind-set going into these matches should be, especially if you’re staring down the barrel of the last time you take the floor. I’m a firm believer that emotions can be fatal in matches. You get too upset, heated, even joyous or pumped up, and mistakes will follow almost assuredly. So, for this situation, I like this pattern…Take the floor in awe. Be present in the moment. Look around and take all of it in…the venue, the court, your opponents, your teammates, the coaches, the officials, the fans in the stands. Start your warmup loose and having fun. You’ve just absorbed the importance of the event, so laugh and be happy to have this experience as many do not get too. Halfway through your warmup, turn the switch on…all business now. Do not permit yourself to think about anything but the task at hand. From that point on, you work as hard as you can point to point. Do not leave the floor that night without giving everything you know how to do. You want to be physically exhausted…and no doubt crushed if your lost and your career is over. But that’s ok. It’s ok to be crushed, sad, shocked, stunned, whatever you’re feeling. That’s what family and teammates are for…to be there for you when those moments come (and this won’t be the last time you feel that way). What you want to make sure of is that you do not have regret…I wish I dove for the ball. I wish I made that block attempt. I wish I… Your time in the program mattered and you helped another team experience something that few get to feel. Just leave everything you have on the floor…and then turn the page.
ResV Top 15…
North Kingstown (17 - 0)
Portsmouth (17 - 1)
East Providence (13 - 4)
Prout (15 - 5)
LaSalle Academy (11 - 6)
Barrington (16 - 3)
South Kingstown (9 - 9)
Mt. Hope (14 - 5)
East Greenwich (8 - 8)
Middletown (11 - 6)
North Smithfield (11 - 5)
+2 Chariho (8 - 12)
Cranston West (9 - 11)
—2 Lincoln (10 - 8)
Tolman (14 - 4)
ResV Player of the Week…
Week One - Caitlin Mediate - Sr. - Setter - Portsmouth (Committed to Saint Michael’s College)
Week Two - Tess LeFrenier - Sr. - Pin - North Kingstown (Committed to Adelphi University)
Week Three - Syd Henson - Sr. - Setter - North Kingstown (Committed to Adelphi University)
Week Four - Darryl Ashilaka - Fr. - Pin - Cumberland
Week Five - Maisy Naff - Jr. - Pin - LaSalle Academy
Week Six - Davina Kodua - Sr. - Setter - Tolman
Week Seven - Tara Dacey - Sr. - Libero – Coventry
Week Eight - Hailey Labonte - Sr. - Pin - Portsmouth - Huge week for Labonte! Three up, three down, averaging 14 kills a match and serving mean. All the proper ingredients for a brilliant playoff run…
ResV Honorable Baller of the Week…
Week One - Kealyn Pearson - Sr. - Pin - Exeter/West Greenwich
Week Two - Jude Landero - Jr. - Libero - North Providence
Week Three - Danna Garcia - Sr. - Pin - Central
Week Four - Jennifer Dos Santos Soares - Sr. - Middle - Shea
Week Five - Mary McNulty - Sr. - Pin - Toll Gate
Week Six - Amelia Holmes - So. - Middle - Pilgrim
Week Seven - Danae Bruckner - So. - Pin - North Providence
Week Eight - Sadie Larue - Sr. - Middle - Burrillville - In a split week, Larue played real good ball, putting up 14 kills and 2 blocks in the defeat to North Smithfield. Larue’s level all season has provided Burrillville to have arguably one of the top middle tandems in the state.
Big Stat Games of the Week…
Caitlin Mediate - Setter - Portsmouth - 22 assists, 2 aces vs. Chariho : 21 assists, 4 kills, 6 digs at South Kingstown : 30 assists, 11 digs, 5 aces vs. East Providence
Hailey Labonte - Pin - Portsmouth - 14 kills, 11 digs vs. Chariho : 13 kills, 5 aces, 10 digs at South Kingstown : 15 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces vs. East Providence
Trinity Johnson Carter - Middle - East Providence - 8 kills, 2 blocks, 2 aces vs. Coventry
Keira Mullen - Setter / Pin - East Providence - 15 kills, 17 assists, 8 digs at Portsmouth
Eliza Vest - Pin - East Providence - 13 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces at Portsmouth
Luci Capizzo - Pin - South Kingstown - 14 kills, 5 aces, 5 digs at East Greenwich
Alexandra Spinella - Setter - South Kingstown - 35 assists, 16 digs at East Greenwich : 21 assists, 10 digs vs. Portsmouth
Mia Iemma - Libero - South Kingstown - 25 digs, 5 assists, 3 aces at East Greenwich : 26 digs, 3 aces vs. Portsmouth
Addison Fain - Middle - East Greenwich - 13 kills, 3 blocks vs. South Kingstown
Dara Agramonte - Setter - Classical - 20 assists, 2 aces against Cranston West
Tess LeFrenier - Pin - North Kingstown - 14 kills, 4 aces vs. LaSalle Academy
Ava Sardelli - Pin - North Kingstown - 11 kills, 8 digs vs. LaSalle Academy
Paige Megley - Middle - Prout - 17 kills, 2 blocks at Cranston East
Alice McGuire - Middle - Prout - 12 kills, 5 digs, 2 blocks at Cranston East : 5 kills, 5 aces vs. Cranston West
Anna Jalbert - Setter - Prout - 26 assists, 12 digs at Cranston East : 14 assists, 6 aces, 4 digs vs. Cranston West
Lyla Auth - Setter / Pin - Westerly - 11 kills, 6 aces, 6 assists vs. West Warwick
Abbey Donato - Setter - Westerly - 15 assists, 8 aces vs. West Warwick
Claudia Leonard - Pin - Barrington - 12 kills, 4 digs at Bay View
Avery Gomes - Pin - Bay View - 13 kills, 5 aces vs. Barrington
Kayli Sherlock - Pin - Pilgrim - 10 kills, 3 aces vs. Lincoln
Grace Trowbridge - Pin - North Smithfield - 10 kills, 12 digs vs. Burrillville
Sadie Larue - Middle - Burrillville - 14 kills, 2 blocks at North Smithfield : 13 kills, 5 digs against Pilgrim
Kenzie Cleary - Middle - Burrillville - 11 kills, 3 blocks at North Smithfield : 13 kills, 3 blocks, 8 digs against Pilgrim
Kenzie Marcoux - Setter / Pin - 15 assists, 8 kills vs. Burrllville
Danna Garcia - Pin - Central - 14 kills, 3 aces against Davies : 14 kills, 5 aces against Central Falls
Olivia Venagro - Setter / Pin - Cranston West - 12 kills, 21 assists, 6 aces at Westerly
Mia Crudale - Libero - Cranston West - 24 digs, 8 aces at Westerly
Lyla Auth - Setter / Pin - Westerly - 10 kills, 13 assists, 3 aces, 16 digs vs. Cranston West
Abbey Donato - Setter - Westerly - 20 assists, 7 kills, 17 digs, 4 aces vs. Cranston West
Molly Riordow - Middle - Lincoln - 11 kills, 3 blocks at Exeter-West Greenwich
Hayleigh Korzeniowski - Pin - Tiverton - 13 kills, 3 aces, 6 digs against Johnston
Isabelle Shields - Defensive Specialist - Ponaganset - 10 aces, 4 kills against Mount Pleasant
Isabella McCombs - Pin - Exeter-West Greenwich - 10 kills, 9 digs, 3 aces against West Warwick
Rachel Freshman - Setter / Pin - Barrington - 8 kills, 9 aces vs. North Smithfield
Gianna Lunney - Setter - Mt. Hope - 16 assists, 11 digs, 4 aces vs. Middletown
Aliana Lindgren - Libero - Burrillville - 33 digs, 4 aces against Pilgrim
Amelia Holmes - Middle - Pilgrim - 10 kills, 9 blocks against Burrillville
Gianna Piker - Pin - Middletown - 12 kills, 20 digs against Cumberland
Olivia Kestler - Setter - Middletown - 35 assists against Cumberland : 20 assists against Mt. Hope (achieved her 1000th career assist!)
Maighan Parsley - Libero - Middletown - 30 Digs against Cumberland : 23 digs, 4 aces against Mt. Hope
Mila Abedon - Libero - Portsmouth - 18 digs, 4 assists vs. East Providence
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!