Week Two…By Dawn’s Early Light…
9/14/25
I’ve studied politics for years.
Got my degree in political science from Moravian College in 1999.
The fascination with how people live amongst each other combined with competing philosophies of the ways to navigate the life we are given have always drawn my interest…probably because I’ve often been worried about missing something.
With that said, this has been a dark week in that vein.
Leaving the political ideologies out of the conversation…
I think, and have written before, that every human being is unique and massively complex. If you combine genetics, and the complexity of how many variations DNA can combine and create, along with the millions upon millions of stimuli that all humans perceive through their environment (which alone can be completely unique as well as millions of variations) which are deciphered by the brain slightly altering it each time…it is truly a miracle that we agree on anything at any specific time.
From this notion, I fell in love with sports and made sports my career in part because sports can be one of the few things in this world that many can agree on. We may not share our views on anything else, but we can play on the same team (volleyball, basketball, football, baseball - these were the sports I was a team member of through school), compete, and appreciate the hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and friendship all of have us have given toward the team’s success. It did take me a while to figure out the sacrifice and unselfishness part of the equation…but I got there eventually.
Further, to me, the ability to share ideas in our society is crucial to the success of governance and civility of our shared interactions. Because we are so individually complex, and the likelihood of agreement on ideas (any ideas) is, as mentioned, miraculous…and quite rare…it is vital that all ideas are safely heard. Why? Because 95% of them will be bad ideas that do not work for the majority of us…but the 5% will be good ones…we’ll know they’re good ones because the majority of us will go, yep, I like that one. We govern ourselves through those good ideas. We enjoy ourselves through those good ones. We develop and exceed through those good ones.
No one in this world, in my opinion, should be banned from sharing their ideas, let alone eradicated from the mortal coil for them. Naturally, it’s wrong, illegal, etc., but also if the populace can’t hear all the ideas, how can the people know if an idea was good or bad? Moreso, no one person, nor small group, should be able to decide what is good or bad precisely because it’s impossible to compare to that many people…each human is too complex and there are millions of humans. Finally, good, or bad, ideas must be challenged…all ideas must be challenged, but no one should lose there minds over them, nor their life. As long as you got to make your point, you’ve done your job. The rest is up to how many think the idea has worth. If not many do, it’s probably a not a great idea. There are very few great ideas.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that the laws and rules we live by in the country, especially the old ones, are ideas that have stood the test of time. This means they’ve been challenged over and over again and have stood their ground as ideas that people are accepting of through generations. That is worth noting. Just because an idea is new, doesn’t mean it’s better, nor does a classically bad idea magically become good just because a few new people think it is.
Nonetheless, this week was shocking, horrific, and sad…I’m hoping next week is a lot better.
Those are my thoughts…
Big Matches Coming Up…
9/16/25 - Tuesday - Portsmouth hosts North Kingstown - 6pm
East Providence hosts East Greenwich - 6:30pm
Mt. Hope hosts West Warwick - 6pm
Lincoln hosts Cumberland - 6:15pm
Scituate hosts Ponaganset - 6:15pm
9/17/25 - Wednesday - Ponaganset hosts Scituate - 6:30pm
9/19/25 - Friday - Barrington hosts Mt. Hope - 6:30pm
ResV Top 15…
North Kingstown (3 - 0) - The kings of the North…Queens, actually, Took down La Salle in four at the Forge… Kayleigh Garrepy put up north of 20 kills, and Isla Arnold looked the part at the O2. Maggie Scott won the middle battle for the Skippers and Tayla Schneider ran the offense to almost perfection. If this is what the rebuild year for the Skippers looks like…well, everyone is in a world of trouble facing down the defending champs. Portsmouth will take their shot next.
(+1) La Salle Academy (3 - 1) - Certainly, disappointing for the Rams as they went to the Forge and dropped in four. Their set win in the third looked more the part, but set four…the wheels just came off. It happens…especially when you’re dealing with the defending champs in their own barn. What La Salle can take away from it is that they can hang, but just need to defend a couple of things better. Rams had real trouble with the 32 ball from the middle. Really had no answer for that. Sofia D’Agostino cemented her top Libero status in this one and Erin Tierney held her own in the middle. Less errors from the pins is probably the next area to work on for the still very talented Rams.
(+1) Barrington (3 - 0) - The Eagles orchestrated an “Upset of the Year” candidate match in turning EP away at the Townie’s home. Woah… That was unexpected. For the past three years, this Eagle side has been designed through serving power. The theory being, if we can serve tough enough, the rest of the play will fall in place as we’ll be dealing with teams out of system and get very few undiggable attacks. This strategy has served them well, no pun intended, and if you have any issues with passing…you’ll be in trouble with the Eagles. Emma McCrann and Claudia Leonard had big games offensively, while the Eagles tuned up the Townies with 20 aces on the night. This year is looking, for the first time in a long while (maybe ever?) that D2 from top to bottom is stronger then D1 and the Eagles are one of the leading proofs to this hypothesis.
(—2) East Providence (4 - 1) - All the firepower in the world becomes useless if you cannot pass. When I teach my system of volleyball, the number one thing we need to do well as a team is Kill Generation. Second is Passing / Ball Control. It is a symbiotic relationship that everyone in volleyball understands. Pass well, you’re in system, kill the ball a lot. Pass poorly, hardly in system, errors accumulate quickly and the opposition will have you on your heels the entire match. Wake-up calls are rarely this loud, but this may be the thing the Townies truly need in the long run. If the goal is state championship for this group, having a bad loss to a D2 side in your home barn should push everyone to working on the singular thing that can stop your desired result…passing. If EP can improve just 30% in the passing game, they’ll be in the finals.
Mt. Hope (5 - 0) - Speaking of D2 teams beating D1 teams, my second exhibit is the Huskies. Prout, Portsmouth, and Cranston West have all fallen to Mt. Hope. The Portsmouth match was interesting as I think the Patriots are the strongest of the victims. Moreso, the Huskies went to Portsmouth for that match and came out on top in the haunted gym after a five-set thriller. Sarah Wilcox and Gianna Lunney are off to great starts to their senior seasons…Wilcox is a top Lib, while Lunney is the key cog in the 6/2, while also running middle. Similarly to Barrington, their strategy is serve as tough as possible and put the opponent in a bad way. It’s worked well thus far, but the key match up with Barrington is this week…who does it better match is always a fun time.
+4 Westerly (3 - 0) - In the beginning of the season, there are always some radical jumps and drops that occur. It’s usually by week four that things even out a bit and we get a more logical top 15 based on performance. Still, sometimes, a huge win and bad loss can toss a team. All that said, this Westerly side gets a favorable bump really due to some fluctuation from teams all over the board. Westerly, hasn’t been tested yet, and a win over Rogers doesn’t really give much more info, however, with one of the top players in the state on your side, Lyla Auth, and new help in Svea Crawford, there is plenty of excitement for this crew. Westerly is often a slow grind with the schedule…but for now they get the benefit of the doubt.
+5 Cumberland (4 - 2) - I have vivid memories of being watched by a babysitter at five or six. The sitter was a women in her forties, and she loved to watch the soaps. She was a big fan of “The Young and the Restless.” I’m not going to pretend I know much about the show, but I do remember one episode where one character punched another character, an act of passion of course, and my babysitter remarked, “It’s really the young and the dangerous.” That describes many teams this year, including Cumberland. The Clippers got a big one when they dismantled East Greenwich this past week. They’ve also taken down the CW and have taken a set off of Barrington. The Clip Joint is for real and though there will be ups and downs for this club…I wouldn’t want to see them in a win or go home match.
+3 Lincoln (4 - 0) - Lincoln’s big win to date was against Bay View. Everything else has been business as usual, with perhaps a couple of uncharacteristic sets drops thrown in there. There has been some floated information that the Lions have had some injuries and certainly there have been some new lineups tested out as well. Nonetheless, Lincoln is undefeated to date. Now, they get truly tested this week as they see Cumberland on Tuesday. Kimi Hickey continues to be the lockdown defender of which the whole system is based around. To state the obvious…finding the floor against Lincoln is the challenge.
(—2) East Greenwich (2 -2) - The Cumberland match hurts like the Barrington match hurts for East Providence. D2 school comes to your barn and lets you have it…it’s a tough feel. I watched some of the match and the real issue, just like EP again, was the serve receive prowess. Cumberland was able to dominate from the service line. When a pass was given, the Avengers were fine and could score…it was just few and far between that a pass was given. EG does have pieces to the puzzle, but like many teams in the league, have to sure up their passing to survive. They’ll get their next chances against EP and Portsmouth this upcoming week and passing well must be the focus.
—1 South Kingstown (2 - 3) - The Rebels were teetering and needed to have a big week. So, perhaps the —1 isn’t exactly warranted as they put two wins together, both is five-set fashions. Again, sometimes the board falls a little unfairly due to other results. Regardless, SK needed to put something together and they did. Getting both Prout and Portsmouth is solid work, but now they see La Salle, which will test them. Shannon Mcgarty had a solid night against Portsmouth. The sophomore pin took a lot of good swings of the footage I got to see of that match. The Rebels will need her to have another big night when the Rams come to town.
—5 Coventry (1 - 2) - When we last saw the Oakers, they were in a five-set battle with East Greenwich. Unfortunately, they came out on the short end of the stick. Now, does that mean they earned a five spot drop? Probably not. I don’t need to go into it again the fluctuation of the board early on in the season. I will say that with Coventry’s current record, it’s hard to figure out what this team is. Granted, that’s a problem most young teams have…consistency. With loses to East Greenwich and La Salle, and a gritty win over Portsmouth…where does this team lie? La Salle is top three…EG and Portsmouth are similar and more in the upper middle of the league. Coventry will have to do what must young teams do…really focus on the serve and pass, aim to play as consistent as possible with limiting errors being the main focus, and staying positive through the growing pains.
—4 Portsmouth (1 - 3) - The biggest news for Portsmouth was the five-set loss at South Kingstown. This was bummer. Portsmouth needs to have those games with teams that are middle of the pack…especially SK who was clawing to stay on the board. So, as the saying goes, they’re gonna want this one back. I will say that when you have a new crew, that new crew needs to learn how to finish matches. This is not an easy thing, especially when you have some players who played on the previous teams and could rely on the old regime players to make it happen when it mattered. It’s now their turn and it does take some figuring out. Winning on the road, especially for Portsmouth, is another challenge as well. So, as with all the younger clubs in the league this year, the Patriots will be figuring it out on the fly.
Ponaganset (2 - 0) - Did not play…so nothing to say… Hey, that rhymes! Look at me go…
+1 West Warwick (4 - 0) - The Wizards have seen four teams and have left with four wins. This is a story that I like, mainly because as I told the coach of West Warwick…The league is better when West Warwick and South Kingstown are in the playoff hunt. Why do I believe this? Truthfully, it’s because I remember when I moved to RI and the biggest foes in sports during that time, minus the usual suspects of Hendricken, North Kingstown, and East Providence, was West Warwick and South Kingstown. So, forever in my head, those two teams need to be threats and when they’re not…something is wrong. Now, this Wizard team has been running business as usual to this point. This upcoming week they see Mt. Hope and then they’ll really know where they stand.
(New) Tiverton (5 - 0) - The combination of strong serving and decent ball control is potent in the world of D3. The Tigers have both from what I could see. I got a chance to watch some of their match against Central Falls and the serving from Libero Olivia Rodrigues was very challenging to deal with. I also liked the play of junior middle Adysson Amaral who was able to score almost at will while putting up a decent block throughout the match. From the volleyball I’ve watched to date from this division, it feels safe to say that Tiverton and Ponaganset could be on a collision course to RIC…however there is still plenty of volleyball to play and plenty of surprises to be seen. With five up and five down, Tiverton is on the start required for a successful marathon.
Receiving Votes…Johnston, Scituate, Toll Gate, Cranston West, Classical, Bay View
ResV Player of the Week…
Week One - Kiera Mullen - Sr. - East Providence
Week Two - Kayleigh Garrepy - Jr. - North Kingstown - Garrepy cemented herself as the top pin in the state with the 22 kills performance against La Salle. She was the focal point of the Skipper attack and played a major role in the passing assignments as well. You also have to know where she is on the net as she blocks quite well.
ResV Honorable Baller of the Week…
Week One - Tayla Schneider - Jr. - North Kingstown
Week Two - Lyla Parmentier - Jr. - Cumberland - Paremntier is running the offense for the Clippers and doing an excellent job to date. This week she had 27 assists against EG and 30 assists against the CW. Each week she has improved and has this young Cumberland side scoring points consistently.
Playoff Races Through Week Two…
D1-
North Kingstown – Put La Salle in their place…solid week for the defending champs.
LaSalle Academy – NK setback hurt, but at least they know what they need to work on.
East Providence – Getting stunned by Barrington was crazy. Passing must improve to make the run.
East Greenwich – Getting stunned by Cumberland was eye opening. Passing must improve to make the run.
South Kingstown – Huge effort this week to stay on the board and stay a factor in the playoff race.
D2-
Barrington – Taking out EP with 20 aces is a statement game to be sure.
Mt. Hope – Solid week means Mt. Hope is hungry to see how good Barrington really is.
Westerly – Not really tested yet, but the signs are there that this club is going to make a go of it.
Cumberland – Downing the Avengers give young Clippers confidence going into the tough D2 conference.
Lincoln – Absolutely a threat to the playoff apple cart. They defend well and that can be enough sometimes.
D3-
Ponaganset – Had the week off.
Tiverton – Haven’t lost yet and it’s thrust them to the second position in the league.
Scituate – Probably the true #2, but we’ll find out soon where everyone stands when they play Ponaganset.
Johnston – Hiding in the woods and getting ready to pounce.
Juanita Sanchez – They beat Central Falls and that has been the signature win thus far…they’ll need more.
D4-
Toll Gate – It’s early, but thus far it feels like it’s the Titan’s league to lose.
Central – Yeah, they have a loss to Classical, but I still think they’re the second best in the league.
Hope – Undefeated, but also haven’t truly be tested yet.
Blackstone Valley – Working things out, but can’t just only beat Davies.
Woonsocket – Have two wins, but their upcoming match with Central will spell out where they’re really at.
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week:
Coaches, on serve receive, do not have any player in a full squat, or to a knee, to avoid being in the way of the serve. This makes zero sense to me and it’s been a pet peeve of mine for a long time now. When I’m coaching, and I see that, generally it’s a middle or an opp, I know I’m going to win the match. Why? Well, if a middle or opp is taking a knee or in a full squat, I’m going to serve them. Not at them per se, though that can be fine, but around them. It takes time to get up from a knee or squat and so if you’re going to put a player that is now an immobile object, I’m going to use said immobile object to my advantage. Moreso, once I serve near them and people are trying to get them out of the way, they will also not be an option in the attack. Yeah, you could set them, but it’ll take so much effort and time for them to rise from their starting point plus in the chaos they can’t run any real route…well, my blockers now know where the ball is going to be set…we’ll get the block set, have the ground defense set, etc. We’re going to get the dig, if there isn’t an error, and then run offense down your throat.
ResV Player Tip of the Week:
Passing seems to be at a premium this season…or the serving has just gone to another level… Regardless, we all could use some passing tips so I’ll quickly explain how I teach it. I’m a big believer in steps. Why? Steps allow you to focus back and get mini wins when things are going wrong. My steps for passing are: wide base, hands one knees to start…hands go wide on server movement…prehop on server contact. Look to absorb any top spin and at a minimum put ball to center of the court. Look to take float serves early with hands. These steps along with strategy give the passer a plan…there should also be a team serve receive strategy in place as well…but the steps matter especially when things are going way wrong. Passers getting blown away or picked on, need the steps to boost some confidence. When nothing is going right, a coach can point to the steps and the player can focus on those steps…for at least those can be accomplished no matter the scenario…and those small mini wins can lead to a good pass which can lead to a better mental feel which can give us a chance at passing well again.
NOTE- Thank you to everyone sending me information! This year it’s harder then ever to find stats from matches and obtain relative information. I may not respond to your email, but I am grateful for the data.
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!
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