Week Seven - Late in the Day and Time is Short…
10/22/23 - Cancun to Rhode Island part two…
When entering the final two weeks of the season before playoffs, I reminisce back to when Monday Night Football was great. Howard Cosell and Dandy Don Merideth talking about the playoffs for the National Football League. Was pretty young then and half the time wasn’t sure what they were talking about…but I loved when Cosell would say that something was almost mathematically impossible or hear Merideth sing “Turn out the lights, the party’s over…” Similar times to what many younger than me might reminisce with Charles Barkley and the fellas talking about who’s going fishing for the NBA. Point of the story is that once the playoffs have arrived, things unfold quickly, and times get remembered.
Time is short, and for all of the teams in Rhode Island, the day has grown long. In a short week, we’ll know the seedings and we’ll know the roads each team will attempt to travel to play on a Saturday, on a college campus, in the middle of a fall day in November. Embrace the clock, give it everything you got, and let the chips fall where they may…
Big Stat Games of the Week…
Mackenzie Marcoux (North Smithfield) - 35 assists, 5 kills, 2 aces versus Mt. Hope
Sarah Wilcox (Mt. Hope) - 14 kills, 9 digs at North Smithfield
Mia Shaw (Mt. Hope) - 29 assists, 22 digs, 4 kills at North Smithfield
Grace Trowbridge (North Smithfield) - 7 kills, 5 aces versus Mt. Hope
Julia Polofsky (Tiverton) - 10 kills, 8 aces, 8 digs versus Juanita Sanchez — 11 kills, 10 digs, 4 aces at Middletown
Eilish Condon (Tiverton) - 22 assists, 8 aces versus Juanita Sanchez — 11 aces, 13 assists at Middletown
Claudia Lapointe (Tiverton) - 6 kills, 9 aces, 2 blocks, 7 digs versus Block Island
Casey Weaver (Lincoln) - 16 kills, 4 aces at Exeter-West Greenwich
Kimberly Hickey (Lincoln) - 23 digs, 2 aces at Exeter-West Greenwich
Erin Tierney (Exeter-West Greenwich) - 15 kills, 2 aces, 3 digs, versus Lincoln
Gianna Giorno (Westerly) - 7 kills, 3 blocks versus Bay View
Kayli Sherlock (Pilgrim) - 14 Kills, 2 aces
Kait Campbell (Ponaganset) - 6 aces, 9 kill, 2 assists, 2 digs
Avery Pelletier (Portsmouth) - 5 aces, 12 kills, 6 digs
Amanda Duke (East Greenwich) - 45 assists at Mount Saint Charles
Hannah Gaffney (East Greenwich) - 22 digs, 2 aces, 4 assists at Mount Saint Charles
Gabi Jackson (East Greenwich) - 12 kills, 2 aces at Mount Saint Charles
Abby McRoy (Providence Country Day) - 13 kills, 9 aces at Blackstone Valley
Lana Koolian (Providence Country Day) - 10 aces versus North Providence
Arghennis Disla (Blackstone Valley) - 7 aces versus PCD
Aidan Reilly (Middletown) - 10 kills, 10 digs, 5 aces versus Ponaganset
Olivia Kestler (Middletown) - 27 assists, 2 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks versus Ponaganset
Gwen Delaney (Middletown) - 6 aces, 5 kills versus Ponaganset
Annie Draper (North Kingstown) - 11 kills, 9 digs versus Portsmouth
Ella Maack (North Kingstown) - 34 assists, 7 digs, 4 kills, and an ace versus Portsmouth
Tessa LeFrenier (North Kingstown) - 11 kills, 2 digs, and a block versus Portsmouth
Maizy Naff (La Salle) - 10 kills, 6 digs, an ace and a block versus Prout — 10 kills, 9 digs, 3 aces at Portsmouth
ResV Player of the Week (7) - Mia Shaw (Mt. Hope) - Through a big week for Mt. Hope, Shaw was excellent, especially in the win over North Smithfield with 29 assists, 22 digs, and 4 kills.
North Kingstown (13 - 1) - Skippers hold the pole position and it’s going to be a pretty Herculean lift to unseat them this year. They are big, skilled, and physical. When everything is clicking, the pins score from everywhere and force you to defend the entire net while the serving comes at you with darts. Ella Maack is finishing an excellent senior campaign, capping 1500 plus assists for her career and only a lone blemish to date, the five-set defeat to La Salle, already avenged. Annie Draper is playing her best ball of the season and is the top Opposite in the state once again, though Jules White from Chariho has given her a run. Syd Henson’s numbers have dropped from last year at the Libero spot, but that is more because teams are just flat out avoiding hitting the ball cross court to her then anything else. She’s as sure handed as ever and ensures the Skippers get extra swings. The title runs through The Forge and it’s going to take a night to knock them off the line.
Chariho (13 - 3) - Chargers have won five straight since their NK loss and it’s looking like they may host throughout the playoffs. Week eight’s match-up with Coventry will tell the story as Chariho only has a game in the lost column over the Oakers…but the Oakers are on the road at The Cave and that means a tough night for Coventry. Coach McGeehan has done a real nice job directing her team this year as Chariho faced some iffy moments, came out on the other side of them, and now is the second-best team in the state. Armed with a career year from Jules White, a workhorse campaign from Katja Nelson, and steady guidance from Lexi Cole…plus a supporting cast that just works hard and makes plays when they’re most needed…the Chargers have done something really incredible, regardless of how the playoffs finish out. Winning D2, then going up to D1, with basically the same roster and climbing to the top of those ranks…not since Prout did it under the Dan Greene, Kevin Harrington reign, if I remember correctly, has that occurred. Maybe EWG, did it too? Anyway, should they finish week eight unscathed and host…who knows what can happen!
Portsmouth (9 - 5) - Patriots are down one in the win column to La Salle, but also have a sweep win over the Rams, while La Salle beat Portsmouth in four at the beginning of the season. The Patriots also have the feel of a team that no-one is thinking about…but they should. Caitlin Mediate has had a second uber strong year at the setter position for the Patriots while Hailey Labonte and Avery Pelletier are the one, two punch that puts teams on alert. Middle Adelynne Crisfield has also become a scoring option in the middle giving Portsmouth another option to gets some numbers and take some of the pressure off of Labonte and Pelletier. Portsmouth serves pretty tough and can be scrappy when they need to be. Of their five losses, four of them are on the road…which is a little bit of a red flag. It’s a good bet they’ll be on the road in the semifinals, and everyone is on the road if they’re in the finals, so road toughness is probably the key for Portsmouth as we enter for-real time. Hosting West Warwick and Prout, should provide a somewhat restful week, but the Patriots should be prepping for the road demons from now till the end.
La Salle (10 - 5) - The Rams are two and four in their last six matches (currently on three loss streak) and that includes a five-set loss to Chariho at The Cave, two four-set losses to Mount Saint Charles (on the road) and North Kingstown (at the Mountain Top) and getting swept at Portsmouth. Uuf Da… The wheels do feel like they’ve come off a bit, or at least, become a little wobbly. From an outsider’s view, it’s more just errors at inopportune times then anything else. Abby Crowley is still one of the top setters in the league and Maisy Naff, Kaelyn Whitaker, and Olivia Higgins are still weapons. Plus, Sofia D’Agostino is getting compared to Syd Henson from people who know! So what’s going on with the Rams? Well, for starters, they are a pretty young team. Naff and D’Agostino are Sophomores with huge roles, Crowley is a Junior…so three out of your main six are younger. Secondly there is a lot of depth on the team which means there is a lot of competition and a lot of people to keep happy. Not the easiest thing to do from the coaching side of things. Throwing all of that stuff out the window now, La Salle still has a team that is quite formidable. It’s in there, and those that think otherwise do it at their own peril. Week eight does need to be a banger for them, though, to keep South Kingstown at bay…or maybe it’s better not to keep them at bay?
East Providence (14 - 0) - There isn’t much more to be said about the Townies. They’ve taken on the top of the D2 world in Cumberland, Mt. Hope, Barrington, Middletown and haven’t blinked. Only four teams have taken a single set off of EP…Lincoln, Middletown, Pilgrim, and Cumberland. Granted, North Smithfield and Westerly will get their chance in week eight, and both are quite good, but this EP side has the feel of a team of destiny…which is a terrible line, but the point is, they’re super hard to beat and have more pieces to the puzzle than most. Not ready to anoint Keira Mullen the D2 Player of the Year yet, but it’s getting close to that time. The Sophomore scores at will, serves very tough, and is running the offense when in the back row…on a team that hasn’t lost. Libero Daniella Escudero has had a lights out year while Malia Mullen, Kate Bernhardt, and Eliza Vest have all been massive contributors to the run this team has put together. They’ll certainly host throughout the playoffs and it’s anyone’s guess how that will all go. What can be said is that this EP team will be the toughest of outs, if they get bounced at all, and good money is now on them to run the table from start to finish…just like Chariho did last year. Could they then move up and return to D1?
Coventry (11 - 3) - This Oaker side is really something. They have three losses to their 2023 campaign (Chariho, North Kingstown, and Portsmouth) and those losses were train off the tracks, horrible, setbacks…scores were bad (even though they took a set off of Chariho), nothing looked right, nobody happy. Talking loses that could cause skids in the schedule…but not for the Oakers. Nope, Coventry just took them in stride for what they were and then moved on and got wins…many wins. Eleven of them, in fact, and they’re in position to steal the second seed away from Chariho. If they can go to The Cave in week eight and win in three sets, they should wrangle away the second seed from the Chargers (if I’m right on points and seedings, which I may not be…one never knows). Still, quite the accomplishment for Liv Rollinson and crew. Rollinson has had an MVP campaign for the Oakers and has been a force all year on the pin. Addison Patrick battled through some iffy matches to stay on the board and is playing her best volleyball to date. Abby Spadoni has had a solid senior campaign while setter Liliana Bell has improved immensely and is one of the main reasons for Coventry’s four-match winning streak. Improving their playoff seeding is nice as it would mean hosting throughout and potentially avoiding The Cave, but regardless, they’ve done the job staying away from NK’s side of the bracket…
South Kingstown (8 - 6) - Looking at what potentially could happen in the playoff seeding, it dawns that South Kingstown (who finishes with North Kingstown and La Salle) may be really ok with dropping both of those matches. Yes, the gasping from the gallery is substantial, but consider this. Should the Rebels drop both matches, they will finish the regular season 8 - 8 and will either be the sixth or seventh seed (if my understanding of the playoff seedings are correct, which it certainly may not be). Sixth or seventh means seeing either Chariho at The Cave or Coventry at the Oaker’s Paradise. Either way, you’re going to a tough gym…but you’re not seeing Portsmouth at the Haunted Gymnasium or The Forge of North Kingstown. I’ve argued in a past article that The Cave of Chariho is the hardest gym to compete in, however Portsmouth was a close third…in fact, you can separate The Cave, Classical’s Thunderdome, and the Haunted Gymnasium by a thread in terms of the toughest place to play. So from there, also consider which team thrives the most at being at home. No contest…it’s Portsmouth. They’re a different team at home and thus going to Portsmouth must be avoided at all costs. Now here is where it gets funky…what happens when SK and La Salle see each other, and both want to lose to avoid the fifth seed to go to Portsmouth. As C + C Music Factory used to say in the 90s…Things that make you go, Hmmm.
Mt. Hope (13 - 2) - The Huskies have done work all year and have earned the second seed in the D2 playoffs…for now. There is a Barrington team at the end of their regular season that could cause a hiccup. Add that Cumberland will need to dispatch a very good Middletown team to make it even a possibility…and it may not matter as both clubs would be tied in the loss column with Mt. Hope having the head-to-head win over the Clips. Playoff seedings are decided in so many different ways…and it’s always changing, so uncertainty at the keyboard am I. Nonetheless, the Huskies have done the job well and have a date with Cumberland in the playoffs in semis while avoiding the EP side of the bracket. In theory, they would see Bay View in the first round. Bay View has revitalized their season after getting off to a rocky start, but the Huskies feel like too big a lift for them. From there, it’s probably Cumberland who should take out Westerly (though we all play the games for a reason because you never know). Mia Shaw is an MVP candidate in D2, while Sarah Wilcox and Mia Hansen have been heavy contributors to the success of the campaign. Mt. Hope matches up pretty well with everyone and they serve the hell out of the ball. If you are unable to pass the ball against the Huskies…you’re gonna have a bad time. Make sure to check out the Mt. Hope / Barrington match!
Cumberland (12 - 3) - Said it before, will say it again…Who knew that Mt. Hope match would have that much meaning to it? The Clippers knew Mt. Hope was out there, but the way it all unfolded…just the weight on that match snuck up on everyone. Cumberland is three and two in their last five with two five-set matches (Bay View win, Mt. Hope loss), one four-set defeat to EP, and two three-set sweeps of Pilgrim and Lincoln. Middletown is the task in week eight, with a sprinkled in Ponaganset to give the week some flavor. Certainly, Cumberland needs both, with the hope that the Huskies faulter twice, though I don’t see that happening. Barrington may get the win over Mt. Hope, but it’s hard to envision Cranston West getting one as well. So, if it holds, Cumberland will be the third seed, most likely see Westerly in the first round and then travel to Mt. Hope for the semis. Has a similar feel to last year’s playoff run where they had to go to EP. Clips will want a different result this time around. For that to happen, Grace Iannuzzi will need to have a huge playoff. The senior has been strong in the middle all season and Cumberland will need to find her often for points. Lindsay Molis will need to score in bunches as well, while Brennah Abilheira-Cargill will need to be the vacuum that cleans up everything. All doable, and you know the Clips want a rematch with EP in the finals…but that Mt. Hope team is out there…
[↑ 1] East Greenwich (7 - 7) - The Avengers continue their up and down season. With a win over Mount Saint Charles that basically put the Mounties a safe distance away from them and their seeding along with a tough three-set sweep against the Chargers at The Cave, East Greenwich stays at .500, but with bigger sites. The loss against Chariho at The Cave may be a blessing in disguise as it’s a good bet that they revisit that scene in the playoffs. Throughout this entire season, the sense has been that the Avengers have something if they can get clicking on all cylinders and limit errors. Easier said than done to be sure, however it is in there. The win over South Kingstown shows that it is. East Greenwich needs to catch lighting in a bottle and go for it. It starts with Amanda Duke and Hannah Gaffney. Duke sets the ball well and runs a pretty good offense. Gaffney has been as sure handed at the Libero position as most and has kept the Avengers in matches with her prowess. From there, the three-headed attack of Gabi Jackson, Lauren Mignanelli, and Brianna Hartman need to be on point and keep the ball out of the net and in the court. Going to Chariho won’t be an easy road and the odds will be challenging, but there is enough to get it done…and what a story it could be! One point at a time, one play at a time, one moment at a time…
[↓ 1] Mount Saint Charles (6 - 9) - The Mounties are back in tough week land. The loss to East Greenwich at home was brutal. Needed to have that one. Instead, they’re tied with Classical in conference play and are looking at the play-in game (once again, assuming I know what I’m talking about…which is debatable). MSC has only won one out of their last eight…it just happened to be one of the upsets of the entire season over La Salle. Prior to those matches, MSC had some solid wins, including the five-set vic over Classical…which will now be the bar that stands for their week eight match with the Purple. Thinking if they split, it may not matter anyway as they’re going to see each other again for the right to play NK in the first round. The Mounties definitely need to finish strong in week eight to give them some momentum going into the playoffs. Better to play as much volleyball as possible then not and that means knocking Classical out of the picture. It would also help if East Greenwich did their part and give the Purple a loss as well, but you can’t count on that. All any team can do is handle their own business and let the cards fall from there.
[↑ 1] Middletown (11- 3) - Islanders have a strong week getting three vics, all in hopes of prep for the playoffs. Beating Rogers, Ponaganset, and Tiverton aren’t going to make headline news, but there were all opportunities to improve and prepare. Week eight feels like a rubber meets the road moment for them, however, as they are tied with Barrington for the fourth seed in D2. Middletown has Cumberland and that final match may carry some weight for seeding. Barrington has Mt. Hope and Bay View. Should they get both and Middletown falters, the Islanders will grab the fifth seed. Does that change anything…not really. Middletown will still see Barrington in the playoffs first before potentially seeing EP in the semis. The question will be home or away for their date with Barrington whether they’re the fifth seed or the fourth. But, if the Islanders smack Cumberland, that could throw some seeding into disarray, which I talked about in the Cumberland section. Nothing too earth shattering, but still fun. At the end of the day, Middletown needs to take care of business and prep for EP, because if they do well…that match is coming whether they like it or not and the Townies haven’t even considered defeat a possibility.
[↓ 1] Classical (5 - 9) - The Purple have themselves an opportunity, but they need to run the table in week eight. They see East Greenwich and Mount Saint Charles. Beating East Greenwich doesn’t necessarily change anything (for them or EG), but it would be a nice booster for the Purple at the very least. Getting a win over MSC, however, is the difference between a lot of things…and the more I think about it, it doesn’t have to be a win this week…just in the playoffs. From my vantage point, it’s going to be Classical and MSC in the play-in game to see North Kingstown in the first round. Playing the Skippers will be tough at the Forge but will also showcase a Classical side that has been behind the eight ball all year. Just like MSC, Classical has an upset of a top five team when they ousted Portsmouth in five at the Thunderdome. Plus, Deana Baez is dynamic, and Taliyah Pereira and Harmony Forrest can hit bombs. The whole year has been about consistency and passing for this crew and there is a feeling that should they put it all together, crazy things could happen. It starts in week eight and from there we’ll see if the spark lights.
Tolman (11 - 3) - The Tigers have let up on the gas a bit and it’s made the last week of the season interesting. In their last six matches, they are three up and three down. Granted one of those defeats was a non-league match against Prout, but they’re batting .500 in their last six regardless. Looking at the loss column, they’re only plus one on a Burrillville side that has quietly had a very good year. The Broncos have a couple of matches against Central and then finish the regular season with Woonsocket…all matches they should win. Meanwhile, Tolman has Scituate and Scituate is playing good ball. Add that Toll Gate is kind of dangerous too, and you have a recipe for disaster should Tolman not hold the fort. Truth be told, it feels unlikely that the Tigers will slip into the second seed, but the path to exactly that is open and possible. Holding the one means hosting throughout, so probably want to do that one if you can. That Scituate match is going to be electric!
Shea (14 - 1) - Well, the Raiders finally got caught and it was a rejuvenated Hope High School team that did the trick. The loss doesn’t hurt Shea much as they’re well ahead in the loss column to everyone, however the air of invincibility is gone which is a dramatic way of saying, “Hey, we could lose…” Running the table from start to finish is incredibly hard to do, and many coaches welcome a loss or two along the way to build off of. It’s hard to keep hearing, “We need to get better,” when you keep beating everyone. Mind set it everything, by the way. Also, mind that PCD and The Valley have watched this match and are chomping at the bit to see Shea now…though more likely then not both wanted another shot anyway. It’s the beauty of a season and Shea, though suffering a defeat, will be ready to all challenges coming playoff time. Most likely the Raiders will have a bye in the first round and then see Mt. Pleasant in the semis with their chance to go to the finals. Will say this, if I’m the Raiders, I’d rather see The Valley over PCD because a team that serves tough like PCD should always be avoided if possible.
Receiving Votes: Barrington, Westerly, Lincoln, North Smithfield, Juantia Sanchez, Tiverton, Burrillville, Block Island, Blackstone Valley, Providence Country Day, Mt. Pleasant, Scituate
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)
Week 7 - Mia Shaw (Mt. Hope)
Playoff Races Through Week Seven…
Division One…
North Kingstown - Skippers cast away Patriots and look pretty impenetrable through week seven.
Chariho - Kept Classical and EG in check, but can they, or anyone, bring the Skippers to the ground?
Portsmouth - Solid win over La Salle and then a real tough defeat at NK. Must prep for the road, as they’ll likely be there in the semis.
La Salle - Took a tough “L” on the road which brings their prep for the future very clear…be solid on the road or else.
Coventry - Oakers keep collecting wins…ho hum, week, but the question remains, can they put a dent into the armor of the top four?
South Kingstown - Rebels get two, but can they pass well enough to challenge the top?
Division Two…
East Providence - Townies hold the fort against Cumberland and are now set to run the table.
Mt. Hope - Huskies have a huge week leaving North Smithfield and Westerly in the dust. Not going to be fun seeing Mt. Hope in the playoffs, I can assure everyone.
Cumberland - Fell to EP in four. Need Mt. Hope to falter in the final week to host throughout.
Middletown - The Islanders have a three-win week to stay ahead of Barrington, but only by a slight margin.
Barrington - With fourth seed up for grabs with Middletown, Eagles find they have to get two tough ones in the final week.
Westerly - With the fifth seed all but secured, Bulldogs will get a shot to upset the Townies.
Division Three…
Tolman - Tigers still hold a plus one in the loss column…the Burrillville loss hurts, but makes the Scituate match very interesting.
Burrillville - Huge win over Tolman and it’s puts some pressure on Tolman. Should finish 11 - 3.
Tiverton - Pass Juanita Sanchez for the top spot in DIII - A division. Have a non-league match to finish the regular season.
Scituate - Have won five straight, including wins over Burrillville and Juanita Sanchez. May not want to play this team.
Juanita Sanchez - 5 and 5 in their last 10. Key win over Block Island but have struggled against the top four.
Block Island - Some tough losses have come, but still in solid position to make noise should they catch lightening in a bottle.
Division Four…
Shea - Hope clips them for their first loss but they are still plus three in the loss column over PCD.
Providence Country Day - The Ace Machines are back and poised to do work in the playoffs.
Blackstone Valley - The Valley dropped by PCD and now sit at third. Not a bad position but will see PCD again…soon.
Mt. Pleasant - 2 and 4 in their last six, dropping to The Valley, Hope, and North Providence in that stretch. Seeing Shea in week eight could right things quickly.
Hope - Have won five in a row, including wins over North Providence, Mt. Pleasant, and Shea. Hope has arrived!
Davies - 3 and 2 in their last five. The Valley win was gigantic and North Providence was a solid one as well.
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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