Week Four…Halfway Through, Consider What You Need to do…
9/30/24
What do you want?
What do you really want?
It’s a serious question that often times we don’t actually consider. In a world where instant information is at our figure tips and often the name of the game is reacting to what is happening in the present, is there ever serious thought to what is really desired?
Secondly, if you have really taken a moment to think about what you really want…have you gone the next step and thought about the timeline for what you want and the sacrifices you’ll have to make? Long term views are certainly not in style these days, however, often the amount of work needed to get what you want is less intrusive than one realizes.
Example…everyone wants to be good at the sport they love. So, sit down and really define what that is.
I want to be the best outside hitter on my team. Cool, we now have our goal. Now, let’s work backwards. What does it take for me to be the best outside hitter on my team? Well, it takes good passing, strong serving, high level attacking, solid blocking, stamina plus a volleyball IQ. Great, now how do you get there. Watch film twice a week, play ball in the off season three times a week, maybe lift weight twice a week, and perhaps work on skills with friends three times a week. Then, you actually schedule that out. Nothing on that list would be over an hour, short of playing matches. Everything else is an hour here an hour there. You can spend perhaps two hours a day on volleyball…
It all starts with a plan, which is generated by sitting down and deciding what you actually want. So, when you have a moment, remove all distractions. Sit, and jot down what you actually want. Then, figure out what the end product looks like. Work backwards and design the plan. Understand that consistency and sacrifice are necessary ingredients to make the plan go and then activate it.
If you really want something, would you actually work for it?
What do you really want?
Big Stat Games of the Week…
From this past Friday that didn’t get into the Week Three article…
Jennifer Dos Santos Soares - Middle - Shea - 6 kills, 6 blocks, 6 aces, and 6 digs at St. Raphael’s
Daniela Cardoza - Setter- Shea - 19 assists, 7 digs, 2 aces at St. Raphael’s
Zahra Barbosa - Pin - Shea - 9 kills, 12 digs, 2 assists at St. Raphael’s
Emma McCrann - Pin - Barrington - 11 kills, 10 aces, 11 digs at Mt. Hope
Week Four Big Stat Games…
Syd Henson - Setter - North Kingstown - 31 assists, 6 aces, 11 digs at East Providence
Tess LeFrenier - Pin - North Kingstown - 17 kills, 3 aces, 6 digs at East Providence
Madeleine Eriksen - Pin - North Kingstown - 9 kills, 7 digs at East Providence
Ava Sardelli - Pin - North Kingstown - 9 kills, 9 digs at East Providence
Alexandra Spinella - Setter - South Kingstown - 31 assists, 4 kills, 7 digs vs. Coventry : 33 assists, 10 digs at Prout
Mia Iemma - Libero - South Kingstown - 43 digs, 11 aces vs. Coventry : 45 digs at Prout
Shannon McGarty - Pin - South Kingstown - 14 kills, 10 digs vs. Coventry
Luci Capizzo - Pin - South Kingstown - 11 kills, 9 digs, 3 aces vs. Coventry
Maisy Naff - Pin - LaSalle Academy - 17 kills, 11 digs at Portsmouth
Madison Marella - Setter - LaSalle Academy - 26 assists, 5 kills, 2 digs at Portsmouth
Mariah White - Middle - LaSalle Academy - 12 kills, 2 blocks at Portsmouth
Caitlin Mediate - Setter - Portsmouth - 24 assists, 15 digs, 2 aces vs. LaSalle Academy (Recorded her 1000 assists in this match!)
Hailey Labonte - Pin - Portsmouth - 17 kills, 15 digs, 4 aces vs. LaSalle Academy
Maddie Krzych - Libero - Portsmouth - 16 digs vs. LaSalle Academy
Emily Spadoni - Pin - Coventry - 21 digs, 3 aces, 2 kills at South Kingstown : 16 digs, 8 kills vs. Classical
Tara Dacey - Pin - Coventry - 22 digs, 1 ace, 4 kills at South Kingstown : 23 digs, 5 aces vs. Classical
Darryl Ashilaka - Pin - Cumberland - 12 kills, 6 aces, 5 digs at Pilgrim : Cumberland - 16 kills, 5 digs vs. Mt. Hope
Kiera Mullen - Setter / Pin - East Providence - 10 kills, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 8 digs vs. North Kingstown : 10 kills, 12 assists, 2 blocks vs. Cranston West
Eliza Vest - Pin - East Providence - 7 kills, 4 blocks, 12 digs vs. North Kingstown : 7 kills, 10 digs, 4 aces vs. Cranston West
Audrey Lambert - Middle - Cumberland - 4 kills, 6 blocks vs. Mt. Hope
Sophia Pires - Libero - Cumberland - 14 digs, 3 aces vs. Mt. Hope
Addison Fain - Middle - East Greenwich - 6 kills, 5 blocks, 3 aces vs. Chariho
Hannah Gaffney - Pin - East Greenwich - 10 kills, 5 digs vs. Chariho
Sarah Wilcox - Pin - Mt. Hope - 15 digs, 5 aces at Cumberland
Scarlett Massey - Setter / Pin - Narragansett - 8 kills, 6 assists, 4 aces against Juanita Sanchez
Mackenzie Gallagher - Setter - Narragansett - 4 assists, 4 digs, 2 blocks, 10 aces against Juanita Sanchez
Godiss Santos - Libero - St. Rays - 19 digs, 5 aces against Johnston : 28 digs, 2 aces against Rogers
Adrianna McPhail - Pin - St. Rays - 3 kills, 27 digs against Johnston
Nicole Patenaude - Pin - Johnston - 12 kills, 15 digs, 5 aces against St. Rays
Alyssa Lupo - Libero - Ponaganset - 16 digs, 7 aces against PCD
Kaitlyn Campbell - Pin - Ponaganset - 10 kills, 4 aces against PCD
Trinity Preston - Middle - PCD - 6 kills, 10 blocks against Ponaganset
Danna Garcia - Pin - Central - 14 kills, 3 aces against Toll Gate : 13 kills, 3 aces against Davies
Davina Kodua - Setter - Tolman - 4 kills, 5 aces, 6 digs, 13 assists against Central Falls
Rachel Freshman - Pin - Barrington - 9 kills, 6 aces, 4 digs vs. Cumberland
Ruby Ciummo - Middle - Barrington - 6 kills, 4 blocks vs. Cumberland
Nina Hamlin - Pin - Narragansett - 15 digs, 2 kills, 5 blocks, 5 aces against Tiverton
Hayleigh Korzeniowski - Pin - Tiverton - 20 digs, 8 kills, 5 aces against Narragansett
Liv Rodrigues - Libero - Tiverton - 31 digs, 6 aces against Narragansett
Nevaeh Stone - Pin - Achievement First - 7 aces against Blackstone Valley (First win in program history!)
Sherlie Pena - Pin - Achievement First - 8 kills against Blackstone Valley (First win in program history!)
India Vaughn-Halene - Pin - South Kingstown - 11 kills, 6 aces at Prout
Sarah Turner - Pin - Prout - 16 kills vs. South Kingstown
Michaela McGovern - Pin - Coventry - 7 kills, 6 aces vs. Classical
Gianna Piker - Pin - Middletown - 13 kills, 3 aces vs. Burrillville
Adian Reilly - Pin - Middletown - 9 kills, 6 aces vs. Burrillville
Natalie Labossiere - Libero - Burrillville - 43 digs at Middletown
Julia Page - Pin - Rogers - 12 kills, 3 aces against St. Rays.
Kim Hickey - Lincoln - Libero - 21 digs, 5 aces at Bay View
Avery Gomes - Pin - Bay View - 15 kills, 11 digs vs. Lincoln
Sarr Ameena - Lincoln - Setter - 22 assists, 7 digs, 2 kills at Bay View
Sofia Moreno - Libero - Bay View - 14 digs, 5 aces vs. Lincoln
Angellina Saing - Libero - Cranston East - 24 digs, 3 aces vs. Mt. Hope
Leah Marshall - Pin - Mt. Hope - 10 kills, 7 digs against Cranston East
Anna Jalbert - Setter - Prout - 6 aces, 16 assists, 6 digs against Classical : 24 assists, 5 aces, 7 digs at Chariho
Alice McGuire - Prout - Middle - 8 kills, 6 aces, 3 digs, 2 blocks at Chariho
Big Matches Coming Up…
9/30 - LaSalle hosting Prout - 6:30pm
9/30 - Lincoln hosting Cumberland - 6:15pm
9/30 - St. Rays hosting Tolman - 6pm
10/1 - Prout hosting Middletown - 6:30pm
10/1 - LaSalle hosting East Providence - 6:30pm
10/1 - Chariho hosting South Kingstown - 6pm
10/3 - Portsmouth hosting Prout - 6pm
10/3 - Lincoln hosting Barrington - 6:15pm
10/3 - Mt. Hope hosting North Smithfield - 6pm
10/5 - Prout hosting Tolman - 3:30pm (The first (to be annual?) Bevilacqua Bowl)
ResV Team of the Week…
Pin- Danna Garcia - Sr. - Central - Consistency personified through the halfway mark. You can bet almost each match that Garcia is going to get you 12+ kills and 3+ aces on the night. She did it twice in week four in both matches they had.
Pin- Maisy Naff - Jr. - LaSalle Academy - On a top five team in the state, that still feels like they’re trying to find their footing, Naff put up 17 kills and 11 digs on the road at Portsmouth. Big performance in a tough gym, to be sure.
Middle- Trinity Preston - Jr. - PCD - In a year of change for Providence Country Day (moving up a division and graduating some core players) Preston has done some solid work in the middle. Her 6 kills, 10 blocks performance against Ponaganset are a great example of that.
Middle- Nina Hamlin - Jr. - Narragansett - I believe Nina may technically be a pin, but I felt her week was worth of making the team regardless. Her huge night against Tiverton, capped with 5 blocks and 5 aces kept the train rolling for the Mariners.
Pin- Avery Gomes - Jr. - Bay View - 15 kills, 11 digs in a setback to Lincoln shows that Bay View has some pop and could start putting pressure on the D2 landscape, but they do have to start putting dubs on the board. Gomes is one of the major keys to doing just that.
Setter- Alexandra Spinella - Sr. - South Kingstown - Dating myself…every time I see Alexandra’s name, I think of the rappers Salt and Pepper asking DJ Spinderella to spin it up one more time. DJ Spinderella was the unsung hero of that group, likewise Spinella is the glue to this SK side. It’s been a tough road for the Rebels, but Spinella’s effort this week were huge and memorable.
Libero- Mia Iemma - Sr. - South Kingstown - Speaking of Rebels having big weeks, Iemma fits that mold as well. Two wins, huge numbers, just what the doctor ordered for this SK side. 43 digs in a match is a crazy effort and when you add 11 aces to it, well that’s just nonsense…in a good way!
Utility- Davina Kodua - Setter - Tolman - Davina does a lot of everything for the Tolman squad which is the definition of a utility player. Kodua touched all the stats in her match against Central Falls…moving her team into the pole position in D3…at least in ResV’s eyes.
ResV Top 15…
North Kingstown (9 - 0, Wins over East Providence, Cranston East, and East Greenwich) - Not much to say here. It’s the halfway point, they’ve seen the top teams in the state, and they’ve taken care of business. They’re loaded with talent, well coached, and everyone seems to have accepted their roles. Naturally, nothing is a sure thing…see the Patriots in the super bowl with the Giants after the perfect regular season…but this Skipper side has all the components. LeFrenier has an off night, Sardelli may get you. Sardelli off too, well, Garrepy may have the night. The list goes on. Basically, the only thing that hasn’t happened yet is for this team to be truly tested, which may be the only way to get them. Second half will have challenges, but for right now, not much touching NK.
+1 Portsmouth (7 - 1, Win over LaSalle Academy) - Pros of normal conference scheduling…have to play each team twice and your record for playoffs is truly based off of those who are in your league. Cons…getting kind of boring playing the same teams. Pros for RPI scheduling…playing all sorts of teams throughout the state, creating matches that aren’t normally seen in the process. Cons for RPI…may have only one opportunity to see a team in your conference in the regular season. This con for RPI is the complaint I have with Portsmouth…not that it’s their fault. East Providence is the next top four test, and the Patriots won’t see them until the final match of the regular season. Too long to wait, in my opinion! Thus, the way it’s looking to play out, Portsmouth and EP will be intertwined at the 2 / 3 spots till the final match when the head-to-head occurs. Until then, it’s results against comparable opponents, and for the time being, the Patriots have the slight edge with Mediate and Labonte having great seasons, and the rest of the cast playing pretty good ball.
—1 East Providence (8 - 1, Loss to North Kingstown, Win over Cranston West) - There is an old Johnny Cash song that goes…You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later, God’ll cut you down. Obviously, I’m not suggesting the heavy content of that song literally applies here. What I am saying is that East Providence finally met a team they couldn’t best…that day at least. Ask any coach worth their salt and they’ll tell you, running the table is nice, but never planned. Loses are the learning tools generally required for teams to reach their ultimate potential. How else are you to grow? No reason to change if you win all the time. Thus, the NK loss hurts but may be the best thing for the Townies. As they begin the second half of the season, expect Mullen and company to make small adjustments with those darn Skippers on the mind.
LaSalle Academy (6 - 2, Loss to Portsmouth, Win over Coventry) - The thing about building championship caliber teams is that it’s hard to do. If everyone could do it, well, playoffs would be absolutely nuts! It starts with talent…you need the horses that can get it done. No way around that. What you also need is for those horses to be willing to work together and sacrifice. Who is going to be where, and do what, is hard to figure out, especially for players who have their own selfish goals in mind. Selfish is a tough word, though not necessarily meaning the most negative connotation in this context, but it’s well within reason for players to want what’s best for themselves. This is why the coach exists. He, or she, allows the players to play and not have to worry about who plays where and when. However, the one piece that needs to be in play with this particular social contract is the trust in the coach. Nothing can dismantle a team faster than player(s) battling the coach. It’s ok to be frustrated. It’s ok to want clarification. However, if it’s all-out war, the team will never reach their potential for a multitude of reasons. So, why mention all this here? No real reason. I will say Naff, D'Agostino, White, Marella, and the rest of the crew are right there. Just need something to pull it all together. Second half of the season, as it always does, will tell the story.
Prout (8 - 2, Wins over Classical and Chariho, Loss to South Kingstown) - The Crusaders are the feel-good story of the D1 world. Languishing in the basement for a couple of years, it’s great to see Prout battling at the top of the heap again. That’s often times how it goes in high school volleyball. Some years, things are rough, others, everything snaps into place and away you go. In 2024, Prout has a side that has snapped into form. With a top tier Libero in Jett Cronin, two middles (McGuire and Megley) that can score and do work, plus a setter who is player her best ball of late (Jalbert)…well, you got yourself a ball club. South Kingstown appears to be their early kryptonite, but otherwise they’ve won a lot of matches already and in a variety of ways. To note, they’ve not seen the big four yet and that is coming up, so from there we’ll see what we see. Regardless of how that turns out, it’s already been a pretty successful first half of the season and man, would it be fun to see them upset the apple cart in the playoffs as well.
East Greenwich (4 - 4, Win over Chariho, Loss to North Kingstown) - The Avengers are a very interesting .500 ball club. They’ve lost to the big four (NK, Portsmouth, EP, and LaSalle), but past that, they’ve battled some solid teams to favorable outcomes. I do like Hannah Gaffney on the pin and Allison Guerzon in the Libero position. It basically sures up the passing and it’s a no brainer to have you best ball control players on the floor at the same time. Addison Fain is having a great season in the middle while the addition of Grace Lottich has helped bolster a roster that features a lot of solid ballers already. The Avengers remind me of what Lincoln is doing in D2. Try to win the passing and digging battles, while the offense is still working out all the kinks, which means a lot of sets of volleyball. Offense can cure a lot of sins, but if you don’t bring a lot of heat, you’re going to play a lot of volleyball as waiting for opponents to error is a tough road. Similarly to Prout, a big win over a top tier team is probably necessary, but regardless it’s nice to see my partial high school alma mater in the mix this season.
+1 Barrington (6 - 2, Wins over Westerly, West Warwick, and Cumberland) - Week four felt like a week where there was no real news for the Eagles, yet they took the opportunity to flex their muscles a little. Knocking Westerly from the board, while also halting Cumberland’s mini run back on, while also taking a moment to thump West Warwick, shows the level Barrington can play at. Their two losses were out of conference matches, and in those two they did not go down easy. Both losses to EP and Prout were five-set adventures. They’ve not dropped a set in their last four matches, all conference opponents, and only Cumberland was able to take a set from them in D2. McCrann is the real deal. Ciummo is playing good ball in the middle. Martin is a top four Libero, and the Eagles are getting good setting from Denham or Freshman depending on who gets the nod that day. It could be argued that Barrington is the NK of D2 and the rest of the division is wondering how they’re going to deal with them when all the chips are pushed to the middle of the table.
—1 Chariho (3 - 6, Losses to East Greenwich and Prout) - Tied with South Kingstown for the best 3 - 6 team in the state? Kidding…kind of. First, this Charger side is battling and have done a nice job in the first half of their campaign. It’s never fun to graduate the core of your team and then play a tough schedule. I remember it well when I did it for Johnson & Wales. I took over the women’s team in 2011, after being an assistant in 2010 on a team that won the conference championship in dramatic fashion. We graduated all of our horses, however recruited pretty well and felt, though we may not be in position to make another run at the conference title, we could still make the final four of the division. Problem was, we scheduled in 2011 like we were still that 2010 conference championship team…want to make it crystal clear I did not create the schedule that year! lol. Thus, we walked into buzzsaw after buzzsaw. Lots of quick nights that didn’t land in our favor followed and that led to a lot of meetings and conversations. Playing a tough schedule can prep you for conference play and the playoffs, but if it’s too tough, it can demoralize. The second half of the season calms down for Chariho, so some dubs should follow. Expect MacLeod and O’Leary to have strong second halves as well.
+1 South Kingstown (3 - 6, Wins over Coventry and Prout) - Two huge wins to turn the corner? It’s certainly been an adventure for the Rebels this season. Tough schedule to start off the year and then seemingly unable to catch a break. However, this week, a two win week, was a week that was desperately needed. They own Prout, which may really help come playoff seeding time. The loss to East Greenwich hurt, but I suspect SK is chomping at the bit to get another dance with the Avengers. The top four may be out of reach for now, but I think a strong second half of the season is imminent, and I still believe that no one will want to play these Rebels in the playoffs. Spinella, Vaughn-Hallene, and Iemma had solid weeks and will need to continue that trend going into the second part of the 2024 campaign. Getting Chariho this week will be key before they dance with the Skippers once again.
+1 Lincoln (7 - 1, Wins over West Warwick and Bay View) - The Lions brand of volleyball is very interesting. We’re going to play all the sets, is a bold strategy, but it if you like the game, why not? Lincoln has played 31 sets of volleyball in the first half of the season…easily the most sets I’ve seen to this point. Kim Hickey is the real deal at Libero, and as a team, the Lions are stout on the digging side of the game from top to bottom. Long rallies and long matches can be good things to be good at, as it gives a lot of confidence and means often that you’re never truly out of a match. The flip side of that is tired legs when it matters the most. Thus, it’s in everyone’s best interest to win a couple of matches in three sets like the Lions did most recently with West Warwick. The offensive side of the ball will need to improve for this Lincoln team to make a real run, but if it does…the D2 world will need to watch out.
+1 Middletown (6 - 3, Wins over North Smithfield and Burrillville) - I broadcasted two collegiate matches the other day. They were both three set, borderline blow outs…well the one certainly was. Anyway, what the two matches had in common were the teams that were defeated had too many injuries to sustain a solid go of it. Injuries are a natural part of sports and will always be a factor in decisions. Certainly, injuries to starters can provide opportunities for other players, but at the end of the day, the starters are the starters because they’ve earned it in the practice gym and give the team the best chance to win. There is no coach I know that will put a line up on the floor based on anything but the idea that this group gives the team the chance to win the match. Full stop. Anyway, Middletown had been banged up a little bit, but this week they returned to form and scored two vics. Now, with Reilly and Piker healthy and hitting balls, the Islanders are looking to challenge all in D2 to a dance.
(New) Cumberland (4 - 7, Wins over Pilgrim and Mt. Hope, Loss to Barrington) - The Clippers are back on the board! Welcome! Taking two of three in week four has plenty to do with starting a first-year player. Her name is Darryl Ashilaka and she has become the arm Cumberland will rely on going forward at this juncture. This situation gives another opportunity to talk about coaching the game. Most coaches care about their players. Most coaches also realize that there is a hierarchy to the team as well as there is loyalty to seniors on their squad. Why? Well, because a senior that’s been in your program for four years generally earns the benefit of the doubt. However, when you have a new player, a young player, who is the right fit for the team over some seniors…man, that’s hard. Why? Well, again, coaches tend to care about their players and don’t want to see them saddened by the change. It also can create rough waters as jealousy and alienation can destroy a team as fast as a team doing battle with their coach. This is another reason why coaching is hard. For this situation to remotely work, communication is key and I’m guessing everyone has bought into their roles to support the new player coming in to do work. Being on a team is sacrifice, and some sacrifice more than others, but all in all the Clippers have the ship going the right direction to start the second half.
—4 Mt. Hope (5 - 5, Win over Cranston East, Loss to Cumberland) - Tough losses to Barrington and Cumberland in the last two weeks have Mt. Hope looking for answers. What is interesting is that this Husky side did take Portsmouth to the brink in five sets earlier in the year. That’s the team that needs to be present night in and night out. Now, to be fair, Barrington is a tough get and Cumberland looked a little different then last time the Huskies saw them, but still…that Clipper loss is alarming. So, perhaps this Mt. Hope side is this year’s Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde team. From day to day, you just don’t know which team is going to show up. I believe there is plenty of talent on the squad to make all kinds of noise…just need to play consistent ball and avoid the drops in level. I’ll also admit, I’m not in their gym, nor do I know what they’re facing on a daily basis. Perhaps there are injuries, perhaps there are situations outside of their control… It’s not easy to diagnose anything if you’re not in the gym. Regardless, Hansen, Wilcox, and Marshall will need to continue their level to shake the confidence of D2 opponents in the future.
North Smithfield (6 - 2, Win over Westerly, Loss to Middletown) - The Lady Northmen bounced back from their back-to-back defeats against Cumberland and Middletown to nab a vic from Westerly in week four. It appeared the Cumberland squad just stunned North Smithfield while Middletown was able to put a healthy side on the floor for the first time against them. So, North Smithfield certainly has some work to do. Barrington is lurking out there, but they do already have a win over Lincoln so that does help the cause. I like scrappy players and teams, and NS has both. As a team they work hard on the floor and Marcoux is a grinding player who will do whatever it takes to help her team win. I know I use it probably too much, but this side feels like another team that no one would be interested in seeing come playoff time. Offensively they need to improve, though that’s the situation for many teams these days, but I think they play solid enough defense, and their serving is comparable to other playoff teams. Second half will showcase the level to be sure.
(New) Tolman (5 - 2, Win over Central Falls) - Tolman volleyball teams are always in the mix. Coach Bevilacqua has done wonders with those programs and once again the Tigers find themselves on the board. Welcome! Tigers are led by Kodua, who sets for this Tolman side, but also does a little bit of everything to keep them on the path. The key win over Central Falls had me smiling for a moment as I had just been talking the other day about how Tolman will be on the march any day now. It’s fun to be right. lol. I would say that my percentage is more 50/50 than anything else on correct calls, but I’ll take this one. Anyway, as with most things, the tide can change on a dime, and no one knows what the second half of the season will bring. For now, however, Tolman is in the pole position in ResV’s eyes in D3 land with their claws sharpened for Narragansett and St. Rays in the coming weeks.
Receiving Votes: Westerly, Central Falls, St. Rays, Narragansett, Ponaganset, Burrillville, Hope, Central, and Shea
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 - First Year Ashilaka is lighting it up upon being put into the starting lineup. Her 16 kill performance to knock off Mt. Hope, plus other solid outings this week, lands her the ResV POW for week four…and perhaps many more to come?
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 - ResV Honorable Baller of week four goes to Dos Santos Soares for the absolutely incredible stat line she had at the end of week three. “Coach Reslow, wait a minute…if she had the game in week three, how can she be the week four honorable baller?” That’s a great question…hey look over there! Runs away. Anyway, the quad sixes for Dos Santos Soares against St. Rays in kills, blocks, aces, and digs is quite frankly statistically remarkable!
Playoff Races Through Week Four…
D1-
North Kingstown - Well the top four all got a taste and came up empty. NK continues to roll and the rest of the state ponders what it’s going to take.
Portsmouth - Beating LaSalle at home puts them back into the odds-on favorite to meet NK at the precipice of the mountain. It’s mild shame that they don’t see EP until their final match of the regular season.
East Providence - Townies take a step back as they weren’t able to hold the fort against the Skippers. Not a giant step back, but finally given a blueprint on what needs to be worked on.
LaSalle Academy - Rams are still one of the top teams in the state, but now have Ls against NK and Portsmouth. Have to get a big one sooner rather than later.
Prout - The Crusaders have taken care of business…except for SK…but now the real work is here.
D2-
Barrington - Eagles maintain the top spot in D2. They may have a couple of losses, but they played up to get them.
Middletown - Healthy once more and showcase solid pins with excellent serving.
Lincoln - Defensively sound. Scoring points, well, that’s still in production…they do play a lot of sets.
Mt. Hope - Have lost a couple now that gives pause. Still have all the components to make a run.
Cumberland - New face means new offense and new opportunities to close out some matches.
D3-
Tolman - Back in the top slot with the big win over Central Falls. You can never count Tolman out these years.
St. Rays - Quietly doing a nice job this season. D3 is on edge, and rightfully so, as the Saints are in the mix.
Central Falls - Tough loss to Tolman creates questions, but potentially the lessons needed to make the real run at it.
Narragansett- The Mariners are doing the job and setting the table for big time matchups in the D3 world.
Ponaganset - Kind of like the Chieftan’s style. Lots of back-to-back matches with the same teams. It’s great way to overwhelm those that can’t hang and learn quickly from teams you drop to initially.
D4-
Hope - With Shea slightly falling off the pace, Hope fills the void, but for how long. They already have a loss to Central who is right at their heels.
Central - If I had to predict, Central will end up the top seed in D4. They have a player of year caliber pin and they’ve got good results against most of the league. The five-set Shea loss hurt, but it was early. Since then…all Warriors.
Shea - Three losses, with the one that hurt against Hope in five, placing Shea down two. They’ll be in the mix no matter the situation, but man did that Hope loss create a little doubt.
Davies - Losses to Johnston and Central have Davies in this fourth slot. Some big matches coming up of which the Patriots will be making their bid.
Toll Gate - The Titans hold the fifth spot, keeping Woonsocket at bay with their three-set sweep of the Novans earlier in the season.
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week: Serving is one of those skills that teams need to really have control of to make a run at any championship. How you serve, can mean the world for your blocking and digging as well as scoring meaningful points in transition. Yep, it’s all connected. Often times, there is this pressure to find aces with the serve. Aces are nice, but a serving strategy that allows for ace possibilities as well as putting the opposition in uncomfortable sets is the real gambit. In my gym, the goal is for every player to have two serves…the main serve and the serve they’re working on. Jump Float and Jump Top Spin are the general serves of choice, but of course the level of serving capabilities varies throughout the state. I will say, short of having a squad that is learning to serve from the beginning, you do want players to have that two serve capabilities along with teaching them spots to serve. Having codes for different speeds is also a wise choice. For example, I use Yellow, Green, Red as my code for my servers. Yellow is a serve that is 65 to 75% power. Green is 100%. Red is 50% power and must be in and in a good spot. Yellow, Green, Red is also typically the order of which my servers approach their service run. Solid level serve to start, then hit them with the beast, then pull back the throttle to see if they can adjust. I also like to serve wherever the middle is. Shoot the ball past the middle’s ear, almost guaranteeing they’ll be late on their route, which means it’ll be highly unlikely they’ll get set…and thus we now have limited the possible variable and the block has a great chance of doing it’s job. With the coding, I can also quickly adjust a server to the situation as well. The game is all connected to the serve so take some time and really consider a plan for it.
ResV Player Tip of the Week: Body positioning is the tip of the day. I watch a lot of film and the teams that are in an athletic stance when the ball is in the opposing setter’s hands tend to perform better than those that do not. Volleyball is fast, and the amount of time needed to read the play and do the appropriate action is split seconds. Thus, you do not have time to start standing, read the play, then bend your knees to athletic stance, then make your move. Takes too long to do that. So, it’s vital that you’re loaded in your athletic stance right away, so you can just bolt into the move without taking the extra time. Watch yourself on film and stop the video when the ball is in the setter’s hands…are you loaded and ready to go, or are you standing up? That fix alone will allow you to make more plays in this game.
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!