Week Five - Rising from the Ashes each Morning…
May 4th, 2026
I don’t have much for everyone today. Even my pontifications have their limits…
I guess the best thing I can talk about is resilience and rising from the ashes.
My job, at the college level, is tied with managing and handling defeat, rejection, difficult circumstances, and frustration with grace, understanding, and resilience.
For my players, I have to be both the guy who tells them no, as well as the guy that provides hope for the future. For recruiting, I have to smile and take every rejection with thanks and an olive branch in case they change their minds in the future. In match play, losing will occur and then I have to be the scientist who does the autopsy on why this happened to figure out the lessons to learn all while developing a strategy to allow the team, and players, to improve.
Through it all, I have to be the beacon of hope…and most times I’m pretty good with it.
This past weekend I was not.
One too many rejections. One too many things went wrong. One too many situations fell through the cracks. One too many people let me down.
So, what did I do?
Well, I got through the day, pretending to be fine when I wasn’t. Watched a movie with my son and then went to bed.
The going to bed part is the big thing here, because like Annie sung, “The Sun will Come out Tomorrow…”
When I woke today, I felt better. I dove back into my work. I wasn’t attached to the mistakes, miscues, and bad developments that happened yesterday. That was yesterday. Today is today. Today is new. Today I can do anything.
I rose from the ashes from my failures and emotions…and today I’m having a solid day and a lot of it is going right.
So, my friends, know that every day is a new day. The cliches are right…sleep on it and the new day will bring new opportunities.
It’ll be better tomorrow.
Keep the faith.
Big Stat Games of the Week…
Aggerson Vetiaque - Cranston East - Pin - 23 kills, 11 digs 7 aces against North Kingstown : 23 kills against Cranston West
Robbie Daniels - Cranston East - Setter - 51 assists, 4 blocks, 5 digs against North Kingstown
Jordan Frisone - Cranston East - Pin / Middle - 19 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks against North Kingstown : 18 kills against Cranston West
Sean Cantino - South Kingstown - Pin - 10 kills, 2 aces, 11 digs at Central Falls
Chase Wolstencroft - South Kingstown - Setter - 26 assists, 5 kills, 4 aces, 4 digs at Central Falls
Sean Peters - North Kingstown - Middle - 25 kills, 8 blocks, 3 digs against Cranston East : 12 kills, 5 blocks, against Bishop Hendricken
Jayden Yang - North Kingstown - Setter - 53 assists, 6 digs, 2 aces, 2 kills against Cranston East : 32 assists, 10 digs, 3 aces, against Bishop Hendricken
Owen Schneider - North Kingstown - Pin - 15 kills, 3 blocks, 16 digs against Cranston East : 12 kills, 2 aces, 12 digs against Bishop Hendricken
Mark Sardelli - North Kingstown - Pin - 10 kills, 6 blocks, 3 assists against Cranston East
Donny Park - Barrington - Pin - 17 kills, 3 blocks, 3 digs vs. North Smithfield : 20 kills, 2 aces, 5 digs against Coventry
Cal Oberacker - Barrington - Pin - 14 kills, 5 aces, 12 digs against Coventry
Jasper Case - Barrington - Setter - 33 assists, 10 digs vs. North Smithfield : 46 assists, 4 digs against Coventry
Caleb Locke - Chariho - Middle - 4 kills, 4 blocks, 4 aces, 4 digs against Bishop Hendricken
Andrew Ramos - Bishop Hendricken - Pin - 19 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks, 11 digs vs. Chariho : 24 kills against Classical : 18 kills, 4 aces, 3 blocks, 11 digs against North Kingstown
Ryan Yin - Bishop Hendricken - Setter - 39 assists vs. Chariho : 42 assists against Classical : 35 assists, 8 digs, 5 digs against North Kingstown
Zack Roebuck - Bishop Hendricken - Middle - 10 kills, 4 blocks against Classical : 15 kills, 5 blocks against North Kingstown
Flavio Tavares - La Salle Academy - Pin - 13 kills, 10 digs vs. Cranston West : 19 kills, 3 blocks, 12 digs against Chariho
Cooper Amaral Morris - La Salle Academy - Setter - 34 assists, 2 aces, 2 kills vs. Cranston West : 41 assists, 5 digs, 2 aces against Chariho
Jayden Simao - La Salle Academy - Libero - 29 digs against Chariho
Dominic Correa - Cranston West - Pin - 13 kills, 5 digs against La Salle Academy
Alex Robinson - East Providence - Setter - 26 assists vs. East Greenwich
Ean Williamson - East Providence - Libero - 20 digs vs. East Greenwich
Ethan Pereira - East Providence - Pin - 12 kills vs. East Greenwich
Henry Kenyon - Westerly - Middle - 15 kills, 6 blocks, 2 aces against Pawtucket
Grady Auth - Westerly - Setter - 21 assists, 5 kills, 2 blocks, 4 aces, 4 digs against Pawtucket
Milo Sy - East Greenwich - Pin - 14 kills, 7 digs at East Providence
Rainen Paquet - East Greenwich - Setter - 30 assists, 6 digs, 2 kills, 2 aces at East Providence
Cam Gates - East Greenwich - Pin - 10 kills, 9 digs, 5 aces at Coventry
Caden Hicks - North Providence - Pin - 12 kills, 3 blocks vs. Davies
Timileyin Durojaye - North Providence - Middle - 9 kills, 3 blocks vs. Davies
Eli Lopez - Cranston West - Pin - 21 kills, 14 digs against West Warwick
Ziyue Wang - Cranston West - Pin - 14 kills, 11 digs against West Warwick
Ashton Mak - Cranston West - Setter - 41 assists, 10 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks against West Warwick : 17 kills, 17 assists, 7 digs against Cranston East
Henry DeLa Zerda - Cranston West - Libero - 28 digs against Cranston East
Derik Payette - Exeter/West Greenwich - Pin - 14 kills, 2 aces, 8 digs against Mt. Hope
Will Edwards - Exeter/West Greenwich - Setter - 47 assists, 14 digs against Mt. Hope
Casey Kretchmen - Exeter/West Greenwich - Pin - 15 kills, 22 digs against Mt. Hope
Zoltan Libertini - Exeter/West Greenwich - Middle - 13 kills, 12 digs against Mt. Hope
Jack Casey - Portsmouth - Middle - 10 kills, 4 blocks, 3 digs against Central Falls
Reid McCann - Chariho - Pin - 11 kills, 9 digs against La Salle Academy
Pablo Valdez - Central - Pin - 9 kills, 11 digs, 5 assists, 2 blocks against Pawtucket
Daniel Colon - Central - Setter - 22 assists, 2 kills against Pawtucket
Jovanny Lopez - Central Falls - Setter - 15 assists, 6 aces against Portsmouth
ResV Team of the Week…
Week Four!
Pin- Aggerson Vetiaque - Cranston East - Jr.
Pin - Andrew Ramos - Bishop Hendricken - Sr.
Middle - Zack Roebuck - Bishop Hendricken - Jr.
Middle - Jordan Frisone - Cranston East - Jr.
Pin - Casey Kretchmen - Exeter/West Greenwich - So.
Setter - Jayden Yang - North Kingstown - Sr.
Libero - Ean Williamson - East Providence - Sr.
Utility - Ashton Mak - Cranston West - Sr.
ResV Top 15…
La Salle Academy (9 - 1) - Need to drop one on RI soil to lose the top ranking…No one has done that yet…but they do have a murderous row of opponents from here till May 18th… East Greenwich, Bishop Hendricken, East Providence, Barrington, East Greenwich… Should the Rams stay untouched in RI till May 18th, well, it’ll be for certain that all title aspirations go through the mountain top and the Rams.
Bishop Hendricken (9 - 1) - Only one blemish…Cranston West…however, they’ve righted the ship since then and now have strung together three in a row. The premier match up with La Salle is this week and some think the Hawks may be the only team that stands in La Salle’s way… They have to get by the resurging Coventry Oakers first.
+1 East Providence (8 - 3) - Have the head to head on EG to date…then got stunned by Classical on the road. To be fair, the Purple’s home barn isn’t a fun place to play. Still, the Townies had a chance to put some room behind them and could not do so. The hope is the will not regret that loss. This week, EP has North Smithfield and Chariho…both should be manageable and keep them at arms length from EG and the Purple, of whom both have some tough matches in week five.
—1 East Greenwich (8 - 3) - Slightly similar to East Providence, the Avengers will probably want that loss to the Townies back. Any opportunity to put a potential playoff opponent on the wrong side of a head to head…you want to capitalize there. Still, the mid-state Knights recovered and were able to deal Coventry a loss and not lose total momentum. Now, the hard work starts. Matches La Salle and Classical are next. Have to think EG needs a split here to maintain their top five status.
+1 Classical (6 - 3) - The Purple are either the strangest team or the most resilient team. Of course, it’s ok to be both. My point is, every time I see them play and document a loss, I think, “Well, that’s it. I have to drop Classical down a bit on the board…” Then, they go beat a top five team and it’s back to, “You don’t know anything about anything, Coach Reslow!” We’ll go with resilient. Anyway, the won over EP was huge and kept them in the loop. Week six has the matchups with Cranston East, Chariho, and East Greenwich. That’s a hard week…they’re going to need all the resilience they can muster.
Barrington (7 - 4) - The Eagles feel a little hit or miss. It is more hit than miss though, as one can clearly ascertain from their record. Certainly getting upset in five by Coventry feels like a potential red flag…though we’ve said for a while now that Coventry is not an easy out. Regardless, I still believe that when rolling on all cylinders, the Hawks are tough to deal with. Moreso, they have a decent core and two pins who can do work. This will be huge in the playoffs as left sides tend to bring you to the promise land in this state. Barrington has Cranston East and North Kingstown this week and the hope will be for these Eagles to take both if you’re a fan.
+4 Cranston East (6 - 5) - The Bolts are back, Baby! Cranston East sits in the lucky seven position on the board. Now, they do have five defeats already…only Cranston West and North Kingstown have more setbacks in the top ten. Still, those five losses were, more or less, in the beginning of the season. Since April 22nd, they’ve strung three wins together…knocking off North Kingstown and cross town rival Cranston West in the process. Quite frankly, since the Rhody Invitational, they’ve been playing pretty good ball…but can they sustain it? Well, we’ll find out soon enough. They see Classical and Barrington next. It’s a week that will prove if the Bolts are truly back in the mix…
—1 Cranston West (7 - 7) - Man, the CW was on a roll just a week, or so, ago… The Falcons had won three in a row over East Providence, Bishop Hendricken, and West Warwick…that’s the #3, #2, and #10 teams in the state, respectively. West Warwick was especially delicious as it was the Wizards last year thumping of the CW that sent the Falcons spiraling.. Since the West Warwick win, though, things haven’t really gone to plan. They couldn’t muster a set against La Salle and then Cranston East stunted them in four. Things can change on a dime this year, to be sure. The CW has North Kingstown and Coventry next, and both are dangerous.
—1 North Kingstown (4 - 6) - The Skippers have that feel of a guy who is pushing his car up the hill and just when he gets it to the top, he takes a second to wipe his brow from the sweat, and at that moment his car rolls back down to the bottom of the hill. I do like the strategy and personnel changes the Skippers have made. They are more consistent and have led to better volleyball. Still, there seems to be just a small component missing. I figured the win over Classical, and Cranston East, would be the springboard wins needed to go on a run, and it just hasn’t materialized. Since then, the Bolts got their revenge, East Providence got them in four, and Hendricken staved off their gallivant attempt. Cranston West and Barrington are in the way this week and I almost feel like NK needs to have them both.
West Warwick (10 - 1) - Wizards have staked claim to the D2 pole position and rightfully so. They only have one setback, and that was to Cranston West. Every other D2 team they’ve seen…it’s be curtains for them. They’ve run the table of playoff teams in the league and most of it hasn’t been close. No longer a surprise, this Wizards side feels pretty stout. They’ve only lost four sets all year. They block well, have many guys that can score, and they serve tough. The road to the D2 crown goes through West Warwick and I’m unsure if there is a team out there that can take more then two sets from them. They see Central and Central Falls this week…not an easy walk through the garden…but I suspect it’ll take big night from either to make a dent in this Wizards train.
+2 Lincoln (6 - 5) - The Lions have risen from the ashes, just like Cranston East. It was a bit of a tough go of it for Lincoln in the early stages of the season. Since losing to Central on April 13th, though, Lincoln has strung together five wins in a row…including vics over Pawtucket and Central Falls. It did get a little hairy with Juanita Sanchez…but you take any win you can get in the race to put up a solid resume for the playoffs. They have a relatively pedestrian schedule this week as they see Pilgrim and South Kingstown. Pitfalls are everywhere, so the Lions do want to mind their business and not look to far ahead to the West Warwick match on May 18th. I guess the other main point is…I think this Lion team is a playoff team and a playoff team that no one wants to see.
—3 Westerly (8 - 3) - No way you slice it, injuries can derail your season. I saw it this year at Wheaton. One injury can lead to another which leads to an entire shake up which can lead to even more problems. We were able to clamp it down at Wheaton, but there still was an effect to deal with. Injuries are also a natural part of any season, so you try to build a roster to battle that likely possibility. From what I’ve been told, Westerly is in that injury world at the moment.
+1 Central Falls (8 - 5) - This Central Falls team may initially appear as if they have, perhaps, too many losses to be on the board…but I assure you, they can play. Most of their losses are to D1 teams…East Providence, North Smithfield, and Barrington, to be precise. The two losses in conference are Lincoln…no joke there, and South Kingstown. The SK one hurts a little bit, but in comparison to the other schools CF is competing with for the board…Pawtucket, Central, Juanita Sanchez…CF has wins over all of them. So, the Warriors are in decent shape and playing pretty solid ball. They see Pawtucket tonight though, and that could be a real test…and then certainly West Warwick on Wednesday will tell them a lot about where they actually are.
(New) Mt. Hope (9 - 2) - Welcome to the board, Mt. Hope! The Huskies have been in control of D3 from the get go. Their only competition to date is Exeter/West Greenwich, of whom they escaped in five sets just the other day. I watched some of that match and I was delighted to see the level of play. I can absolutely envision a Mt. Hope vs. Exeter/West Greenwich final…but there is still plenty of road left in the regular season. So, cool those ideas, Coach Reslow. Fair enough. Mt. Hope plays power volleyball. They’re not attacking you with speed. It’s just “We’re bigger then you and you can’t stop us…” style of play. It’s worked to perfection thus far in D3 land…though Mt. Pleasant did get them. Fluke? Perhaps… The premier matchup with Toll Gate is tonight followed by Hope on Tuesday and then the rematch with Toll Gate on Friday. Boy, can a lot change in the a week…
(New) Coventry (2 - 7) - Come on, Reslow! Coventry has seven losses! How can they be on the board? Well, let’s take a look at it… First, their two wins are over Classical and Barrington…the #5 and #6 teams on the ResV board. Secondly, they’ve also had some injuries and missing pieces at the beginning of the season. That issue appears to be resolved. Also, in their past five matches, they are 2 - 3, but went five in a loss to NK and took a set from EP as well. So, for the moment, I think they’ve earned the 15th spot on the list, especially with some tough losses for Pawtucket and Portsmouth of late. Can they hold it? Well, we’ll see. They probably will need another win…and the week they have lined up could knock them out. Oakers see Hendricken, Cranston West, and Cranston East.
Receiving Votes: Pawtucket, Portsmouth, Central, Exeter/West Greenwich, Davies
ResV Player of the Week…
Week One - Aggerson Vetiaque - Cranston East - Jr. - Pin
Week Two - Cam Gates - East Greenwich - Jr. - Pin
Week Three - Sean Peters - North Kingstown - Sr. - Middle
Week Four - Eli Lopez - Cranston West - Sr. - Pin
Week Five - Ryan Yin - Bishop Hendricken - Sr. - Setter - Through my time seeing Yin play, he’s always been a pin…and a pretty solid one at that. This year, he’s running the offense at the setter position and doing a heck of job. In a three win week, Yin was exceptional getting 39, 42, and 35 assists in those matchups.
ResV Honorable Baller of the Week…
Week One - Ziyue Wang - Cranston West - Sr. - Pin
Week Two - Luke Brock - South Kingstown - Sr. - Pin
Week Three - Zackary Rzemien - Coventry - Sr. - Setter
Week Four - Caleb Locke - Chariho - Jr. - Middle
Week Five - Henry DeLa Zerda - Cranston West - Sr. - Libero - Henry amassed 28 digs in the defeat to Cranston East this week. The match between West and East is always a barn burner and it was great to see DeLa Zerda have such an awesome match in such a big spot.
Playoff Races Through Week Four…
D1:
La Salle Academy - Tough stretch ahead…
Bishop Hendricken - Have only the Rams on the mind…
East Providence - Manageable week…
East Greenwich - Have a shot at the top dog…
Classical - Can really make some seasons break if they dominate the week…
D2:
West Warwick - Wizards are alone at the top of D2. They are the most complete side.
Lincoln - Lions have battled back into the conversation. They will not be an easy out from here on.
Westerly - Injuries have taken a toll. Need to get healthy quickly…or at least in time for the playoffs.
Central Falls - Have come alive since the midway point.
Pawtucket - Starting to show the strain.
D3:
Mt. Hope - Still the class of the league…the EWG match felt like a final preview.
Exeter/West Greenwich - They can ball and almost stunned Mt. Hope at home. May have all the pieces to do the job.
Toll Gate - In reality, they only have two losses…the other three are to D2 teams. Take them for granted at your own peril.
North Providence - Have turned on the gas since the midway point. Davies win was huge!
Mt. Pleasant - Probably want that Hope loss back. Otherwise, right there for the playoffs.
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week:
One of my mentors likes to remind me often…as the coach, it’s your job to decide who the starters are because who else will do it? The starters are the guys who you think give the team the best chance to win. That is earned through every single practice and training you have. Meanwhile, your reserves are the guys you see potential in. You want to cultivate that potential and get the reserves as much opportunity as possible throughout the year without sacrificing the result. Sure, you can keep your starters in all the time, but that just means when you do need to go to the reserves…they won’t be ready. All players need a taste of the big lights to thrive. Rarely, does someone get thrown into the deep and swim perfectly.
With all that being said, the starters are the starters for a reason. If one, or more, of those guys go down…your expectations as a coach have to change. This is hard. An even better way to describe it is from another coach here at Wheaton. She said the team is like an orchestra that plays brilliant music. Should musicians be removed, especially the top ones, the music will still play and the song will still be recognizable, but it won’t be the gorgeous melody and harmony expected should the ensemble be complete.
This idea is for both losing players to injury, selfishness, the unforeseen, or the frustrated. Every person in the program is massively important and your role is necessary for the music to sound brilliant. Inversely, the conductor cannot expect the same sound when people are missing due to injury and fatigue. Thus the goal, is to find those moments where the reserves can be put in and have success. Find the moments, where the reserves can be challenged and make something happen for the betterment of the team. Meanwhile, keep your starters engaged, healthy, and supportive of the reserves.
All those things together mean the music will be fantastic…and you want that when the playoffs come around.
ResV Player Tip of the Week:
There is a rule in our sport that only the floor captain can talk to the top official. It’s a weird rule. I don’t necessarily like it, as a coach, because I don’t understand why I have to play a game of telephone involving one of my players to communicate with the top official. At the same time, I’m not sure how else you would do it. Ideally, the head coach is to talk with the down official with any issues and then it’s relayed through the ear piece to the top official…but I’m getting sidetracked. So, yes, the floor captain is the only player to talk with the up official.
This rule probably applies to the down official as well, but there is way more leeway. Also, being around officials a lot these past five years, I’ve learned that they love to explain the rules. Love it. So, what I’m getting at this week is if you, as a player, are confused about anything…you can approach the down official, preferably between sets, and ask. Just a simple, “Sir, I had a questions of that play that happened middle of set whenever.” The down official will most likely jump at the chance to explain how it went down and why.
Now, you can’t be a jerk about it. I think that should go without saying, but still have to write it down… However, if you have a general question about something…I recommend not sitting on it. Ask in a professional way to the down official at the proper time. You’ll get your answer and create a good vibe. Officials long to help…actually most of the volleyball community longs to help…so feel free to ask.
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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