Week Six - Patriots Climb as Clippers Slip…with Two Weeks to Go!
10/16/22
With week six in the books, and week six was thought to be a very telling week, let’s see where we are at in the Divisional Races…
D-1: North Kingstown holds the top spot followed by La Salle Academy. South Kingstown is firmly in the third position. Fourth, well, for most of the season it was thought that Coventry would be there. Now, it has a toss-up feel to the situation as Portsmouth and East Greenwich could make a solid run at it. Currently, Portsmouth is the hot team, but both Coventry and East Greenwich can put it all together at any moment.
D-2: Chariho gripped control of the division this week. East Providence is second on the board. Cumberland holds third even after a tough week. Similarly to D-1, the fourth spot was thought to be firmly in the grasp of Westerly, however the Bulldogs have loosened their grip. Mt. Hope has a solid record and Middletown is no slouch either. Johnston appears to be on the outside looking in, while St. Rapheal’s, Barrington, and Lincoln have to pull some upsets fast to climb.
D-3: Central Falls is set firmly in the pole position. Bay View has the second slot. Scituate is probably in the third spot; however, Narragansett may have something to say about that. Past that, Tolman is the other club that is having a solid year.
D-4: Providence Country Day sits atop the division. Mount Pleasant is the second team on the board. Hope and Davies round out the next two spots. Shea has played the top teams in the division tough and could turn some things around to jump into the fray.
North Kingstown (12 -1) - The Skippers continue to have dominate weeks. They really haven’t been pressed since week two which followed their only loss in week one in their first match of the season. This week saw the top team in the state take on East Greenwich and La Salle at home, with Cranston West on the road…all three were 3-set sweeps. The premier match with the Rams (current #2 team in the state) who were trying their best to hand NK their second loss of the season, unfolded better than expected. NK, with the new weapon of sophomore Tess LaFrenier on the left, handled La Salle pretty cleanly to avenge their only defeat and lay claim to the top record in D-1. West Warwick and Portsmouth await the Skippers in week seven.
La Salle Academy (10 - 2) - The Rams knew that North Kingstown would be tougher in their own gym and trained accordingly for the contest. They had to get through Mount Saint Charles first and did so in methodical fashion. Following the 3-set sweep of MSC, it was on to NK for the re-match of their week one victory. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and La Salle was swept. Though not exactly the result the Rams were looking for, the match did provide some lessons to build from. Better to have a defeat like this now, then to have in the semis or finals. With Portsmouth and Prout on the horizon, away from home, and both teams playing with renewed vigor, it’ll be key for La Salle to stay on target while prepping for the next time they see NK again.
South Kingstown (8 - 3) - The Rebels had an interesting week, though they might feel different about it. SK took on Coventry at home and got the sweep in pretty convincing fashion. Then it was on the road to Portsmouth where the idea was to do the same…with trepidation. The Rebels had beaten the Patriots in the first match of the season, but that match was at home, and it took five sets to do it. This time, it was not meant to be, as SK succumbed to Portsmouth in three sets, but boy were those scores tight! 27-25, 25-23, and 26-24. Ava Brock had 13 kills while Karmen Lambert chipped in 8 kills in the setback. With the weekend to think about it, SK travels to another dangerous gym to the newly revived Prout squad followed by matches with West Warwick and Cranston East.
Chariho (12 - 0) - The Chargers figured this week would be big. They had a Ponaganset team off site that was struggling all year, so they had to maintain focus because the Clippers were coming, and they were hungry. Chariho took care of business on the road and then prepped the cave for Cumberland’s arrival. From there, Chariho had little problem, which was surprising as the match was billed as high stakes between two of the top teams in D-2. Instead, it was all Chargers from start to finish. Jules White had 7 kills in the 3-set sweep, while Lexi Cole had 3 aces and 15 assists. With only four matches left on the schedule to run the regular season board, the Chargers have Exeter West Greenwich and North Smithfield next.
(↑ 4) Portsmouth (7 - 6) - Ok, perhaps rocketing the Patriots up four spots is aggressive…however consider that Portsmouth has won eight of their last ten matches. During this run, they’ve beaten Prout, Cranston East, East Greenwich, and South Kingstown. Leading the way has been Morgan Casey who’s been one of the top middles in the state since returning to the lineup. Caitlin Mediate continues to impress at the setter position and the rest of the Portsmouth crew is rounding into form. Are they the 5th ranked team in the state? Maybe…but you can’t argue that considering they lost four straight to start the season, no other team beside Prout has turned it around as much. La Salle and NK next on the docket is not an easy road, but if you were going to make some real noise…upsetting one, or both, would be the route.
East Providence (11 - 2) - The Townies lost to Chariho in five sets a week ago. Since then, they’ve beaten Barrington, Rogers, and St. Raphael’s in pretty convincing fashion. They also must have seen what Chariho did to Cumberland and thought, woah, we can’t wait to see Cumberland again. That won’t happen until the playoffs, probably in the semi-finals, however if your EP you have to like how this is all shaping up. You had Chariho on the ropes, and another crack at them in the finals would be perfect. If you see Cumberland in the semis, you like your chances as you lost in the regular season in four, but it was a four that could have gone your way just as easily…and its good bet that match will be at your home barn, provided you don’t get upset until playoffs. Johnston, Mt. Hope, and Lincoln stand in your way with two weeks to go in the regular season.
Coventry (7 - 5) - The Oakers sit atop D-1 / B with a 7 - 5 record but having had a rough go of it of late. Coventry has dropped five out of their last seven matches with losses to East Greenwich, North Kingstown, La Salle, Prout, and South Kingstown. All of these teams, with the exception of the unpredictable Prout squad, are teams that plan to make runs deep into the playoffs and could be potential opponents when the matches matter most. Coventry will need to find their footing soon as the playoffs are around the corner. Look for juniors Liv Rollinson and Abby Spadoni to play key roles in the final two weeks as the Oakers see Mount Saint Charles and Cranston East next.
East Greenwich (7 - 6) - Since the Avengers five set thrilling win over Coventry in week three, East Greenwich has played .500 ball. With a huge win over South Kingstown, followed by close calls over West Warwick and Cranston East, the Avengers remain a dangerous opponent as the playoffs loom. They did have a tough go with North Kingstown, losing in three, however EG was also missing Ella Johnson in the match. If they enter the ring with their full companion of starters, Melis Kocak and company could cause a surprising upset…or two. Most interesting, before the chase for the cup, will be the match with Cumberland as current 8th and 9th teams in the state, though in different divisions, will square off.
(↓ 4) Cumberland (9 - 2) - Ok, perhaps dropping the Clippers four spots is a little drastic, however consider this… Sure, it’s a single loss, however it’s not the real first loss for Cumberland. They lost their first match of the season against North Kingstown. What is worth noting is that the match with Chariho was pretty darn important and was a circled calendar event for them. The Clippers had been excitedly waiting for week six to arrive to put Westerly (early in the season a top four team in D-2) and Chariho in the loss column and take sole position of the top spot in D-2. However, as the moment arrived, Westerly had fallen off the pace considerably, of which Cumberland got the sweep, and then going to Chariho led to a brutal result that was all Chargers. So, the Clippers are left to pick up the pieces and face an absurd week where they have four matches…Barrington, Rogers, North Smithfield, and then a non-league match with East Greenwich. Focus and execution will be key in week seven to be sure…followed by rest.
Classical (4 - 7) - The Purple have found themselves in a weird spot. If not for their five set thrilling win over Mount Saint Charles, they would certainly be below them on the board. However, both teams have sort of lost to the same teams and the Classical / MSC match-up still remains the factor between them, though the records are pretty different. The next two weeks will certainly tell the tale, but for now Classical still remains atop of MSC. Week six was a split affair for the Purple as they earned a strong win over West Warwick while dropping a match to Coventry that was well fought. With the Cranstons up next, look for the Purple to go on a run here just in time for playoffs.
Mount Saint Charles (6 - 6) - With back-to-back wins over Cranston West and West Warwick, the Mounties are looking to get going at just the right time. They have tough losses recently with defeats to the Kingstowns and La Salle, but those teams are sort of doing that to everyone in the league. Still, MSC is playing their best volleyball at the right time sitting tied for second in their division, D-1 / B with East Greenwich. The road is bumpy going forward, however, for week seven as they see Coventry, East Greenwich, and Portsmouth, which will be tough matches for them each night. Getting at least one out of three here is key. Certainly, two or more is preferable…especially for playoff seeding.
(New) Prout (5 - 9) - Ok, perhaps Prout, who just dropped a match to West Warwick, should not have jumped back on the board, but consider this… Prout is 5 - 3 in their last eight matches since starting 0 - 6 on the year. They have wins over East Greenwich, Coventry, and Cranston East during that time frame. Now, the good times may be over as their remaining schedule is brutal with South Kingstown, La Salle, North Kingstown, and Portsmouth, but certainly the run they’ve been on is noteworthy and Prout’s home gym is still a very tough place to get a “W”. Should Prout land one more upset, and even if they don’t, it’s been a big accomplishment turning the season around considering the start to the year and how easy it could have been to throw in the towel with a goose egg through the first three weeks.
(New) Middletown (7 - 3) - With six of their last eight in the win column, Middletown graces the board for the first time in the 2022 season. Currently, they sit fourth in the large conglomerate of teams in the D-2 world, and they have some solid wins to show for their efforts here. Barrington, Pilgrim, Rogers, and Johnston have all fallen to the Town in the Middle, while they also played Cumberland tough succumbing in the fifth set. Week seven will ultimately tell the story as they’ll see Mt. Hope, Westerly, and St. Rapheal’s…and Mt. Hope would love to dislodge them from the board to advance. Interestingly as well, Middletown sees Chariho on the final day of the regular season and then potentially see them again right away in the playoffs.
(New) Mt. Hope (9 - 4) - The Huskies also land on the board for the first time after winning five out of their last eight contests. Mt. Hope does have wins of Johnston, Rogers and Barrington; however, they’ve had some losses that aren’t great. Losing to St. Rapheal’s is the one that sticks out the most, as dropping events to Chariho, EP, and Cumberland are par for course this year in D-2 for most schools. None the less, the Huskies are making a bid in the D-2 world at the right time. They’re playing decent volleyball and causing headaches wherever they play. Middletown is in the sights next, followed by a non-league match with Bay View and then Lincoln to cap the seventh week.
(↓ 1) Central Falls (9 - 1) - So, Central Falls vanquishes another top contender to the crown in Bay View and they drop a spot? Yes, but it’s not any fault of their own. CF and Joanna Rodrigues are doing the job and getting vics over everyone they see…Tolman withstanding. It really does come down to quality of opponents…for this week anyway. With two weeks left, they have Narragansett, Tiverton, and Block Island left on the schedule. Narragansett should provide a decent puzzle and be solid preparation for the playoffs that will arrive shortly. It’s solid bet CF will be the top seed in D-3 proving all roads to the cup go through the Falls.
Receiving Votes — Scituate, Cranston East, Westerly, Providence Country Day, Tolman, Narragansett, Bay View
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