Week Two - Oh Boy, Here We Go Again…
9/15/24
Always keep learning. You hear that slogan in high school, in college, plenty of times in earlier schooling. Sometimes we consider it, often times, especially as you get older, the concept floats away from our consciousness. We get stuck in our ways because we’ve figured out what has worked for us, that the time for considering alternatives is over. We move on.
I know from my experience and what I’ve accomplished in my life, that many times I can get caught. I can become flippant about ideas that do not correspond with my own. Dismissive almost. That shouldn’t work, because I do it differently and thus there is no value for me to delve into it. My time is precious so I’m not going to spend it on things I’m positive are not the right venture.
In a way, that’s reasonable. Time is the true currency, and we have no concept of how much of it we have. What you spend your time on is you. Just like what decisions you make are you. However, when you strive to be the best possible version of you in an avenue of your choosing, it is crucial you continue to learn. And, if you get stuck in your own ways, you miss opportunities to challenge your mind, to engage in another adventure, and take the risk that your avenue may leave you stranded at a corner.
At Wheaton College the other day, we had the legendary Coach Kolek come to provide leadership training for the first four guys in the program. He dubbed them the Four Fathers of the Wheaton Men’s Volleyball and then began his teaching. I watched in the back, though included, as he worked and was fascinated. Many of the same concepts I utilize in my coaching were on the board and being discussed but put in an entirely different way. It was similar to seeing a puzzle that you had some parts too, then it’s flipped around, and you realize there is more pieces to complete it correctly.
Now, I wasn’t surprised. Coach Kolek is a legend in the game, has won over 1000 volleyball matches, in the GNAC Hall of Fame, etc. It did, however, bring me back to something I’ve talked about a lot, which is how complex each human is and how it’s amazing we agree on anything. Moreso, it’s a miracle that we acquiesce to each other to learn…but to that point, in a wonderful yet demanding world, of course it would be crucial to want to understand how each complex being navigates it. Through his experience and the different way he sees the world, he constructed a system for culture in volleyball (and actually in sports in general) that allow teams to maximize their performance on a consistent basis.
This is complexity mixed with wisdom that can only be acquired through a desire to learn. As the great John Wooden used to quip, it’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. Everyone has something to teach you so take advantage of that. That’s what I try to do each day and was reminded by Coach’s training that I could still be better at it.
Thus, no matter who your coach is, what your team’s situation is, who your teammates are…learn something from them each day, each situation, and apply them to your adventure.
Big Stat Games of the Week…
Samantha Thibeault - Pin - North Smithfield - 3 kills and 6 aces against Pilgrim
Paige Megley - Pin - Prout - 12 kills and an ace against Cranston East
Jett Cronin - Libero - Prout - 6 aces and 10 digs against Cranston East : 20 digs, 6 Aces at South Kingstown
Brooke Rutherford - Setter - Prout - 15 assists, 5 aces against Cranston East
Olivia Menagro - Setter - Cranston West - 16 assists, 7 kills, and 4 aces vs. Cumberland
Sarah Crowley - Attacker - Cranston West - 12 kills, 4 blocks vs. Cumberland
Leah Marshall - Pin - Mt. Hope - 7 kills, 12 digs, and 2 aces at Bay View
Sadie Larue - Middle - Burrillville - 10 kills, 5 aces vs. Rodgers : 15 kills, 7 digs, 4 aces vs. Lincoln
Sasha Lattenist - Pin - East Greenwich - 10 kills, 3 digs at Coventry
Addison Fain - Middle - East Greenwich - 9 kills, 4 aces, and a block at Coventry : 6 kills, 5 blocks at Cumberland
Abby Guerzon - Setter - East Greenwich - 21 assists, 5 aces, 6 kills at Coventry
Hannah Gaffney - Pin - East Greenwich - 9 kills, 3 aces, 16 digs at Coventry
Lyla Auth - Setter / Pin - Westerly - 14 kills, 14 digs, 10 assists against Norwich Free Academy
Ella Keegan - Pin - Westerly - 12 kills, 19 digs against Norwich Free Academy
Abbey Donato - Setter - Westerly - 16 assists, 8 digs against Norwich Free Academy
Maisy Naff - Pin - LaSalle Academy - 11 kills, 3 aces, 2 blocks and 11 digs vs. Chariho
Myriah White - Middle - LaSalle Academy - 6 kills, 4 blocks vs. Chariho
Madison Marella - Setter - LaSalle Academy - 19 assists, 5 digs, 2 aces vs. Chariho
Arielly DeAndrade - Pin - Central Falls - 9 kills against Tiverton
Chaelys Acevedo - Pin - Central Falls - 8 kills, 3 aces against Tiverton
Landa Weah - Setter - Hope - 7 assists, 6 aces, and 4 kills vs. Times2
Alexa Hernandez - Libero - 6 aces and 8 digs vs. Times2
Davina Kodua - Setter - Tolman - 19 assists, 10 aces, 5 kills, 3 digs vs. Johnston
Mary Adeniyi - Pin - Tolman - 6 kills, 7 aces, 5 digs vs. Johnston
Danna Garcia - Pin - Central - 15 kills, 5 aces vs. Woonsocket
Zahra Barbosa - Pin - Shea - 5 kills, 10 aces against Achievement First
Gianna Lunney - Setter - Mt. Hope - 18 assists, 10 digs, 5 kills, and 4 aces vs. Portsmouth
Leah Marshall - Pin - Mt. Hope - 10 kills, 10 digs, 5 aces vs. Portsmouth
Mia Hansen - Libero - Mt. Hope - 25 digs vs. Portsmouth
Sarah Wilcox - Pin - Mt. Hope - 20 digs vs. Portsmouth
Kiera Mullen - Setter / Pin - East Providence - 13 kills, 14 assists, 4 aces, 6 digs, and 4 blocks at Barrington
Eliza Vest - Pin - East Providence - 7 kills, 3 aces, and 9 digs at Barrington
Rachel Freshman - Pin - Barrington - 6 kills, 5 aces, and 5 digs vs. East Providence
Sophia Denham - Setter - Barrington - 20 assists, 9 kills, 9 digs, and 5 aces vs. East Providence
Hailey Labonte - Pin - Portsmouth - 18 kills, 7 aces, and 11 digs at Mt. Hope : 10 kills, 5 aces, 9 digs vs. South Kingstown
Caitlyn Mediate - Setter - Portsmouth - 21 assists, 8 aces, 3 kills, 15 digs at Mt. Hope : 10 assists, 5 kills, 6 aces, 9 digs vs. South Kingstown
Sophia Champagne - Setter - Portsmouth - 10 assists, 7 kills, 6 digs, 2 aces at Mt. Hope : 22 assists, 6 aces, 8 digs vs. South Kingstown
Ali Dumont - Pin - Lincoln - 11 kills at Burrillville
Kimberly Hickey - Libero - Lincoln - 27 digs at Burrillville
Breanne Bouthilette - Pin / DS - Lincoln - 28 digs at Burrillville
Ameena Sarr - Setter - Lincoln - 23 assists at Burrillville
Mackenzie Cleary - Middle - Burrillville - 14 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces vs. Lincoln
Hailey McPherson - Setter - Burrillville - 17 assists, 15 digs vs. Lincoln
India Vaughn-Halene - Pin - South Kingstown - 10 kills, 3 blocks, 9 digs, 3 aces vs. Prout
Mia Iemma - Libero - South Kingstown - 22 digs, 6 aces vs. Prout : 18 digs at Portsmouth
Luci Capizzo - Pin - South Kingstown - 13 kills vs. Prout
Alice McGuire - Pin - Prout - 9 kills, 4 digs, 3 blocks at South Kingstown
Deidra Delille - Setter - Davies - 20 assists, 3 aces against North Providence
Jude Landero - Libero - North Providence - 37 digs against Davies
Danae Bruckner - Middle - North Providence - 5 kills, 8 blocks against Davies
Tess LeFrenier - Pin - North Kingstown - 8 kills, 4 aces, 7 digs at LaSalle Academy
Syd Henson - Setter - North Kingstown - 22 assists, 7 digs, 2 aces at LaSalle Academy
Maisy Naff - Pin - LaSalle Academy - 8 kills, 9 digs vs. North Kingstown
Sofia D’Agostino - Libero - LaSalle Academy - 12 digs and an ace vs. North Kingstown
Lyla Auth - Setter / Pin - Westerly - 16 kills, 10 assists, 6 digs against Rodgers
Ella Reyes - Pin - Westerly - 10 aces, 4 kills against Rodgers
Grace Macleod - Pin - Chariho - 10 kills, 3 digs at Middletown
Alexis Korus - Pin - Chariho - 5 kills, 5 aces 7 digs at Middletown
Olivia Lowell - Setter - Chariho - 21 assists, 3 aces at Middletown
Masie Phillips - Pin - Mount Saint Charles - 12 kills, 7 aces 5 digs against Newman
Ava Jarrett - Setter - Mount Saint Charles - 21 assists, 4 kills, 2 digs against Newman
Rose Samano - Libero - Shea - 19 digs against Scituate
Gianna Piker - Pin - Middletown - 15 kills against Chariho
Olivia Kestler - Setter - Middletown - 23 assists against Chariho
Emma McCrann - Pin - Barrington - 13 kills, 10 digs vs. East Providence
Morgan Martin - Libero - Barrington - 11 digs, 6 aces vs. East Providence
Big Matches Coming up…
9/16 - Middletown at Cranston West - 6:30pm
9/16 - Central Falls hosting Shea - 6:30pm
9/16 - Tolman at Central - 6pm
9/17 - East Providence at East Greenwich - 6:30pm
9/17 - North Kingstown hosting Portsmouth - 6:30pm
9/17 - Barrington hosting Prout - 6:30pm
9/18 - St. Rays at Tiverton - 6:30pm
9/19 - Portsmouth hosting East Greenwich - 6:30pm
9/19 - Middletown at Lincoln - 6:15pm
9/20 - Mt. Hope hosting Barrington - 6pm
ResV Team of the Week…
Pin- Hailey Labonte - Sr. - Portsmouth (2) - Besides Tess LeFrenier, I can’t think of another pin that is having such a major impact at the beginning of the season. 18 kills, 7 aces, and 11 digs against a solid Mt. Hope side and then 10 kills, 5 aces, 9 digs against SK.
Pin- Leah Marshall - Jr. - Mt. Hope - Playing Portsmouth is no joke, so for Marshall to put up 10 kills, 10 digs, and 5 aces in the match, that almost falls her way, is just a great night and something for both Marshall at Mt. Hope to build on.
Middle- Mackenzie Cleary - Sr. - Burrillville - She is the gasoline that makes the Broncos go. Even in a defeat, the stat line for Mackenzie is pretty impressive…14 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces against Lincoln.
Middle- Danae Bruckner - So. - North Providence - As a former Middle, come nights, especially against teams that are really solid, you just read it better. Not sure why, but it just happens. Bruckner had that night against Davies. 8 blocks is something else, and you love to see a younger player explode through on a night.
Pin- India Vaughn-Halene - Sr. - South Kingstown - Did massive work for the Rebels in their victory over Prout. The stat line was gorgeous at 10 kills, 3 blocks, 9 digs, 3 aces. Once India gets more comfortable at the Pin, everyone will need to tread carefully against SK.
Setter- Syd Henson - Sr. - North Kingstown (2) - Update from last week…”Yeah, let’s move our three-time all-ResV Libero to setter…It’ll be fine.” 22 assists against the second ranked team in the state at the moment. Hey, this might work out!
Libero- Sofia D’Agostino - Jr. - LaSalle Academy - Arguably the top Libero in the state now. Nabbing 12 digs on a tough day against the defending champs who also have the top offense in the state tells the story here.
Utility- Kiera Mullen - Jr. - East Providence (2) - Speaking of Groundhog Day, Mullen lands on the Utility spot for the ResV team for the second week in a row. When you put up a stat line of 13 kills, 14 assists, 4 aces, 6 digs, and 4 blocks against 5th ranked team on the board…enough said.
ResV Top 15…
North Kingstown (4 - 0, Wins over South Kingstown and LaSalle Academy) - The dominant theory I had about the Skippers were that they would still be the top team in the state going into this season…just have too many quality volleyball players on that side to not think that…but I didn’t consider that moving Syd Henson to setter would be so effective from the get-go. Henson was arguably the top Libero in the state, in my humble opinion for the last two years (But Coach Reslow, two years ago she was Newcomer of the Year and not Defensive Player of the Year in ResV’s eyes? I’m old, my memory is a little hazy, and I’m adapting with the times! lol)…point of the story is NK just thumped a solid LaSalle squad with Henson only being setter for a week. Now, having Tess LeFrenier, Ava Sardelli, and Kayleigh Garrepy, certainly help the cause in this effort, but seeing Syd run an offense and help dismantle the second ranked team, at the time, at their barn? Well…it’s Groundhog Day, again, in RI girl’s high school volleyball with the Skippers in command.
+1 Portsmouth (5 - 0, Wins over Mt. Hope and South Kingstown) - One could easily fall into the trap of just writing about Caitlin Mediate and Hailey Labonte. Both are off to great starts in their senior seasons, and both are key cogs in the machine of the Patriots. I have to think this five win start rivals the season of a couple of years ago when they had the player of the year in their barn. Anyway, Mediate and Labonte are important, sure, but as any coach will tell you, it’s the other components that often decide the matches. For Portsmouth, Sophia Champagne is one of those players that has come into her own and playing good ball. There are others on the side, no doubt, that have lifted their level, and we’ll learn about them in due time, but this Patriot teams seems to already be firing on all cylinders.
+1 East Providence (5 - 0, Wins over Barrington and Chariho) - The Townies are a team that may have the juice to upend the apple cart come playoff time. Week two wins over Barrington (ResV #5) and Chariho (ResV #7), and a record that remains unblemished, well, that means the defending D2 champs are not messing around. Now, they’ve not seen the other top teams in the state yet…North Kingstown, Portsmouth, LaSalle. NK will be the first out of those in week four. Nonetheless, this EP side is a fun team to watch perform. Keira Mullen is filling up stat sheets and Eliza Vest is rounding into a problem for everyone on the pin. Trinity Johnson-Carter is a solid middle who is blocks well, while the rest of the side is chipping in wherever needed. It’s a good team and probably could have repeated as champs in D2…but this isn’t D2. There are monsters waiting in the shadows, and the biggest one is out at sea.
—2 LaSalle Academy (3 - 1, Win over Chariho, Loss against North Kingstown) - We’ve all been there. You’re playing pretty good ball. Yeah, there are errors that need to be cleaned up, but we’ll round that off as the season goes on. We’ll be ok when the seas get rough. Then, you run into a team that showcases all your flaws and weaknesses. The brick wall. Rams ran into it when they hosted North. It wasn’t pretty. It happens, and the key now is to learn from it and adjust. It’s also a reminder that this game, at it’s highest levels, is all about consistency and precision. Serving has to be precise. Attacking, has to be about good decisions and keeping the ball in the court. Decisions. There is no question the talent is there. Sofi D’Agostino is arguably the top Libero in the state. Maisy Naff is a solid pin. The roster is filled with players who can contribute. So, now, everyone knows what it’s going to take, and the trick becomes how do we train for the next time.
Barrington (2 - 1, Loss to East Providence in five sets) - It’s tough to critique a team that only has one match on the week, against a top tier opponent, and loses in a five-set thriller where they almost reverse swept the ResV #3 team who is also in D1. This Eagle team is built to win and they have all the components needed to make the serious run to title town. Emma McCrann can ball…full stop. Sophia Denham is multifaceted, running the offense in the back row and scoring points in the front. Claudia Leonard dropped 11 kills in the match giving the Barrington faithful a three-prong attack that is tough to stop. Morgan Martin is a surehanded Libero that also is a menace from the serving line. This Eagle side, if the stats on Prep are accurate, generated north of 20+ aces in the match! Woe to any D2 opponent as the championship road runs through Barrington without question.
+2 East Greenwich (3 - 1, Wins over Coventry and Cumberland) - Are the Avengers for real? Time will tell, but they’re off to a great start. Knocking off Coventry at the Oaker’s barn was a statement win and ensured a bounce in the rankings. The vic over Cumberland, didn’t generate the same buzz, but it’s still a solid add to the ledger. Things will get real when the Townies come to town in week three, but in the meantime, this roster seems to be getting better and better. Addison Fain is playing solid ball in the middle. Hannah Gaffney moved to the pin and gives scoring as well as good ball control. Amanda Duke and Abigail Guerzon share setting duties, sometimes depending on the day, while sophomore pin Grace Lottich is contributing as well. How this team performs against the top five in D1 will be interesting to see, but to this point, why not the Avengers?
+5 Chariho (2 - 3, Losses to LaSalle and East Providence, Win over Middletown) - Ok, you can argue that rocketing up the charts to the tune of plus five is a little much for a team that dropped two losses and only a single win. That is fair, however, the Middletown win was legit and though they dropped to East Providence, they did steal a set and had some solid play to build on. This from a team that is almost completely rebuilt from last year. Though it may seem excessive, they’ve played all ResV ranked teams and have hung in there for the most part. It’s also the beauty of the first four weeks. Lots of jumping around on the charts. After four, teams tend to settle in their spots, though you never know. Anyway, this Charger team is getting solid contributions from Erin O'Leary, Alexis Korus, and Grace Macleod (from the clan Macleod…there can be only one!) on the offensive side of the ball. Olivia Lowell and Abby Tiernan have the setting duties, while there are many defenders that keep the balloon from touching the ground. Another big week for them coming up as Coventry and LaSalle are on deck.
—2 Middletown (3 - 2, Win over West Warwick, Loss against Chariho) - The train keeps rolling, then all of sudden, the Islanders can’t find their footing against Chariho. Now, we’ve come to learn that beating Chariho can be no easy feat. Add that Middletown was, and continues to be, without Aidan Reilly due to injury and the picture becomes a little clearer. Regardless, this Middletown side would love to have that Chariho match back as it was in their own barn, and no one gets an easy win there. Week three brings a date with The CW at their nest followed by a visit to Lincoln. Lincoln is not a fun team to play, nor is Cranston West at their place. Gianna Piker and crew will certainly need to bring their hard hats for this week. Thus, I have a feeling we’ll learn more about the mental toughness of the Islanders as they play hurt, travel away from home ice, and play teams that love to feast on visitors.
—2 Mt. Hope (3 - 3, Wins over Bay View and Cranston West, Loss against Portsmouth) - If not for the early loss to Middletown, there is an absolute case that this Mt. Hope side should be a little higher on the ResV rankings. Yes, they lost to Portsmouth, but that’s a common factor for a lot of teams already. They do have wins over Bay View and The CW in week two which means, in my mind, they’re starting to put it all together. Gianna Lunney looks more comfortable in the setting role, and had a monster game against Portsmouth. Leah Marshall and Sarah Wilcox give the Huskies a potent duo on the pin, while Mia Hansen is a sure handed Lib that will keep them in rallies all day long. Hence, I’m excited for the Mt. Hope / Barrington showdown on the 20th. Huskies host that one and the Eagles better be wary because that would could easily get away from them.
+1 South Kingstown (1 - 4, Losses to North Kingstown and Portsmouth, win over Prout) - Yes, the Rebels are 1 - 4. Yes, they barely escaped Prout in a five-set thriller. Yes, many of their outings could be described as, well, challenging. With that all that being said, however, I still believe it’s in there for a good playoff run. First and foremost, SK is asking a top middle in the league to play pin. This is not always the easiest of transitions. It often leads to a lot of errors early on, which is just part of the process. There is no question in my mind that India Vaughn-Hallene is going to get there. It’s just going to be a process, similar to what Ephraim Abhulime had to go through for LaSalle last year. In the end, Big E was the difference in a championship run…it just takes some time. Meanwhile Mia Iemma is playing solid ball at the Libero spot, Alexandra Spinella is setting well, and there are contributions from two first years to boot. Having LaSalle next isn’t necessarily an indicator of improvement or steps backward…but Cranston West might be.
(New) Prout (4 - 1, Win over Cranston East and Fitch, Loss at South Kingstown) - Welcome to the board, Crusaders! After beating the Cranstons, handling Mt. Hope, and also getting a non-league decision, it’s no surprise that Prout jumps on the board. Certainly, the SK loss hurts, especially considering they were in range, missed a ton of serves, and eventually bowed out in five-sets. Still, it’s a great start to the season, but there are larger predators in the forest… Prout has one of the top Libero’s in the state in Jett Cronin. Paige Megley and Alice McGuire are providing plenty of the scoring while the tandem of Anna Jalbert and Brooke Rutherford are orchestrating the offense. There is a lot to like about this Crusader side, and what will be interesting will be how they handle the next couple of weeks…let’s just start with week three where they see Barrington and Coventry.
Coventry (0 - 3, Loss against East Greenwich in five sets) - Some teams have fallen from the board, and yet Coventry remains though not registering a win in two weeks. Sometimes Coach Reslow can be so cruel… Though in my defense, a lot of the decisions on the board come from the types of victories or losses and in this instance, I’m sticking with the Oakers for at least another week. Consider this, both East Greenwich and Portsmouth had to sort the Oakers out in five-sets. LaSalle was their first match of the season, so you can almost throw that one out. There is good volleyball on this Coventry team, and they’ve not seen enough matches yet to really validate them one way or the other. Also, when Elyssa Lacross is in the lineup, Coventry tends to take control of the net more often than not. The road ahead has Chariho and Prout and I wouldn’t be surprised which way any of those matches go.
+2 Westerly (2 - 2, Loss against Norwich Free, Win against Rodgers) - Bulldogs sit 2 - 2, with one win and one loss at the hands of non-league competition. In league, there is a loss to Chariho and a win against Rodgers. Not sure what that tells other then, well, they can play but may have trouble finishing matches… and even that may be just me running my typing. What is sort of neat is that their seasonal scores to date are like a palindrome…0 - 3, 3 - 1, 1 - 3, 3 - 0! I palindrome I… What I do know is that Lyla Auth, like Keira Mullen, just is a stat generator from top to bottom. She does everything but take tickets for this Westerly side. Ella Reyes and Abbey Donato had solid outings against Rodgers and many other players are doing their jobs to chip in and help the cause. Classical and Pilgrim are up next. The Purple are off to a slow start, meanwhile that Pilgrim team does have some bite to them. Bulldogs need to have a clean sweep week, in my opinion, or risk falling off the pace.
(New) North Smithfield (4 - 0, Wins against Pilgrim and Tolman) - Welcome to the board, Lady Northmen! Four up and four down for North Smithfield! Granted, some weren’t too hard a lift, while others…looking at that Lincoln match, were absolute wars of attrition. What I like best of NS is that they are a scrappy bunch. You know about Keira Mullen and Lyla Auth, but you may not know about Mackenzie Marcoux, who plays the same type of role that Mullen and Auth do. Marcoux does a little bit of everything for the Lady Northmen and often is filling up the stat sheet in a similar vein. Next big test for this North Smithfield side is really Cumberland at the end of the week. I predict they’ll get by EWG unscathed, but that Cumberland match could be a doozy…considering that North Smithfield basically knocked Cumberland off the board. They could do it again in real life in week three, too!
(New) Central Falls (4 - 0, Wins over Tiverton and Davies) - Welcome to the board, Warriors! Not since the days of Joana Rodrigues have the warriors been on the ResV board. Welcome back! This Central Falls team is built a little differently than the days of Rodrigues, however. Sophomore Arielly DeAndrade seems to be the big hammer on the left, while the rest of the crew are defensively minded. Rumor has it, that the Warriors are not actually fully healthy yet either, which means this 4 - 0 start could be just the beginning. Davies gave them a little pressure, but otherwise the first two weeks have been all Central Falls. Shea and Johnston are next on the schedule, and I’m intrigued by the Shea match. Historically, Shea can play, but we’re waiting to see what they can do as their first two weeks haven’t really sold me…and if Central Falls doesn’t let them, well, that’s another bona fides for the Falls.
Receiving Votes: Burrillville, Lincoln, Cranston West, Tolman, Shea, Classical, Narragansett, St. Rays, Scituate, Cumberland, Central
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) - Unequivocally the top arm in the state. Her performance against LaSalle with 8 kills, 4 aces, and 7 digs was just methodically brilliant leaving no answers for the Rams. As many coaches realize…the ball just sounds different when it comes off of LeFrenier’s hand.
ResV Honorable Baller of the Week…
Week One - Kealyn Pearson - Sr. - Pin - Exeter/West Greenwich
Week Two - Jude Landero - Jr. - Libero - North Providence - It was a defeat for the Cougars, but what a performance by Landero. To coin a phrase from the hockey world, Jude stood on her head and protected the floor toward a stunning 37 digs on the night against Davies.
Playoff Races Through Week Two…
D1-
North Kingstown - Knocking off LaSalle is such a fashion that the whole state goes…oh man!
Portsmouth - They have a killer combo, and they win matches through grit and grind. Could they upend the Skippers?
East Providence - Teams keep stepping to the plate and then set packing. Townies are for real and are super dangerous to the top.
LaSalle Academy - “Back to the drawing board” isn’t a line you want to hear, but it’s ok to do so. Still have plenty of talent, just right now you’re in the middle of the movie Major League and Bob Uecker is still bummed.
East Greenwich - Avengers, Avengers, Go, Fight, Win! That was the football cheer when I was there. They’re in the mix at the moment, but tougher teams are on the horizon.
D2-
Barrington - A five-set loss to the third ranked team in the state changes nothing for me. Eagles still the team to beat in D2.
Middletown - They hold the two seed for the moment. I wanted more from them in that Chariho match, but it could have been just a bad day. Plus, they’re not healthy, so we’ll leave it at that.
Mt. Hope - Taking down Bay View means their dangerous. Dropping to Portsmouth shows they’ve still a way to go…but knocking off The CW, well, that means they’re finding it before midseason.
North Smithfield - Surviving Lincoln helped the cause, and a win over Tolman never hurts.
Westerly - Early 2 - 2 record, but I just have a feeling that when push comes to shove, the Bulldogs will be there.
D3-
Central Falls - Sweeping Tiverton sent a message that the Warriors are back in town and ready to deal.
St. Rays - Quietly dispatching teams left and right. It’s still early, but the Saints have earned the spot…for now.
Tiverton - Signature wins over Tolman and Juanita Sanchez. Doesn’t feel like a team you want to see in the D3 playoffs.
Tolman - Different team from last year, but still very dangerous…and they’re playing a tougher schedule to prepare.
Scituate - Have done their job to this point. Waiting to see what happens when the big dogs of D3 confront them.
D4-
Shea - The four-set loss to Scituate does not dissuade. Shea is still the top threat in the league…however, this league has more challengers than last year’s in my opinion.
Hope - Most notable win is Providence Country Day, which means this Hope team is going to push everyone.
Toll Gate - Losses to Cranston East and St. Rays only showcase a beefier schedule. Titans are right in the hunt.
Central - They almost nipped Shea early on, but the win over Classical is the one that shook the D4 to the core.
Davies - Off to a great start and looking to make further noise in the division.
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week - We’ve seen a lot of set fives this week, so the coaching tip is making sure that you start your top attacker in position four at the start of set five. All to often we see coaches putting their top attacker in position 2 or 6 at the start. It’s a race to 15, and before they know it, they’re down six points before their attacker even gets a swing. The idea may be “she is also our top server and we need that” which is fair enough, especially if you don’t have many players that serve tough enough…however, if you can’t side out after she goes on her serving run of maybe two to three points… Or we have the “if we can just side out two points, then she’s in the front row and we can close…but what if you don’t side out and she’s left in the back row til it’s too late? Regardless, I’d still want my top attacker roaming the net for as long as possible in set five, as points are now at a premium, so start her in position four and get the most swings in clutch moments as possible.
ResV Player Tip of the Week - Anytime you’re in the practice gym it is essential that you take great care about how you serve. Serving is the one skill in the game that you have complete control over, so make sure anytime you serve the ball, you are serving how you would in a match. Pressure serving can be the difference between winning and losing on many levels. Have a routine that you follow, that isn’t too crazy, and be able to place the ball in positions 1 and 5 for deep, and 2 and 4 for shallow. Serving dead position 6 doesn’t help too much as players tend to pass that ball pretty well and thus the opponent’s offense efficiency goes sky high. The routine you choose to implement before serving will be the single most helpful thing that gets you through with a tough serve when the crowd is crazy, and the chips are pushed to the center of the table….and all of it has to be practiced till it’s almost second nature, so take great care of how you serve in practice.
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!