Week Four…The Eagles Wild Weeks…
9/28/25
My weekly monologue can be found under the North Kingstown write up…
See you in October!
Some Stats I Found that were Solid!
Emma McCrann - Barrington - 12 kills, 10 aces, 10 digs at Cumberland
Amaya Womack - Classical - 18 kills, 3 aces, 10 digs vs. Coventry
Lyla Auth - Westerly - 23 assists, 9 kills, 8 digs vs. Barrington
Darryl Ashilaka - Cumberland - 22 kills, 14 digs at Mt. Hope
Julea Giguere - Barrington - 7 kills, 7 blocks at Cumberland
Big Matches Coming Up…
Monday - 9/29/25 - Coventry hosts Portsmouth - 6:30pm
Cumberland hosts Lincoln - 6:30pm
Tuesday - 9/30/25 - Woonsocket hosts Hope - 6:30pm
East Providence hosting La Salle - 6:30pm
Barrington hosts Classical - 6:30pm
Tiverton hosting Ponaganset - 6:30pm
Wednesday - 10/1/25 - Ponaganset hosts Johnson - 6:30pm
Thursday - 10/2/25 - East Providence hosts Coventry - 6:30pm
Johnson hosts Ponaganset - 6:30pm
Friday - 10/3/ 25 - Barrington hosting Lincoln - 6:30pm
ResV Top 15…
North Kingstown (7 - 0) - The Skippers remain flawless, dispatching Classical, Cranston East, and East Greenwich. I could tell you about their players, the matches they’ve won, and how they did it…but I’m not going to today. Instead, I’m going to give you a quick look into something else. I checked out the NK / EG match of the NFHS network. However, by the time I was looking in, the match was over. It was long over actually. Interestingly enough, the camera for NFHS keeps rolling even when the match is completed and I was catching the tape half an hour, and more, later. Here is what I saw. Coach Garrepy and Coach Maack, meeting, patiently, with two different players. Then a firm hand shake to each other as Coach Maack exits. Coach Garrepy is there with his family, they waited patiently for his meetings to be done, and as they all left, Coach Garrepy stopped and stood in the now empty gym and looked around. As I watched from the camera, I initially felt a little wrong. This was a quiet moment for Coach, and it wasn’t for me…I did know the feeling though. Coaching sports is hard…real hard. So hard, that some become jaded and horrible trying to deal with the weight of it. Some are just too ignorant to get it or too selfish. Those, I believe like Garrepy, Maack, and others in the region / country…understand the significance of the job. The players you coach are someone else's pride and joy…someone else’s sons and daughters. You can never do the job right enough to make everyone happy…but in the pursuit of playing the best ball you can (and perhaps winning some games…or a lot of games if you’re North Kingstown), you are teaching life lessons that hopefully all the players will take with them as they tackle the tough, complex, and beautiful world ahead of them. Great coaches understand all of it and will take the time, even 45 minutes after a match, with their own parents sitting patiently in the stands, their wife or husband wondering why their not home on time, and with tons of work due for tomorrow still to be done, to answer the questions from a kid on the roster, perhaps pretty far down on the roster at the moment, to help…to let them get it out and then provide some guidance for the future. They’ll stay till everyone gets what they need from them…then it ends with you standing in an empty gym looking at all the ghosts of the past and the memories. Sure it helps that the talent level is high for NK, but the secret sauce is Coach Garrepy, Coach Maack, and for 80% of it, Coach Harrington. For years now, they’ve balanced each other well, have all the knowledge necessary, and they’ve cared about the players. So, as a fellow coach who has stood in the center of an empty gym after staying an hour plus after the end of a match to look around and see the ghosts…and sigh with relief, exhaustion, and some satisfaction…First beer is on me…
La Salle Academy (6 - 1) - The Rams maintain the pace with wins over Portsmouth and Chariho. There was a little hiccup against Portsmouth, but the result still was what was desired. The hiccups are something I always find interesting. The gut reaction of a set lost unexpectedly is always that of panic. They lost a set to an opponent they should not have…clearly the team is in disarray. Clearly. lol. There are many reasons to drop a set to a team the outside world thinks you shouldn’t have. 1. New lineups were tried. 2. Younger players got run. 3. The opposition had a great night and put it all together. 4. The officiating was, ummm, unique… Or, the team was in disarray. All of these scenarios could be true and it still doesn’t matter. Like one of my coaching mentor’s said, all you have to do is win three sets…the scores and the amount of sets one by the opponent do not matter…just have to win three sets each evening.
Mt. Hope (9 - 0) - Mt. Hope…more like the place where you get your hopes dashed! Two five-set thriller wins in two weeks with the cream of the crop from D2. Not just a home thing either. That Barrington match was at the nest and the Huskies stole the eggs. With Barrington and Cumberland now dismissed, there is only Westerly to look at…for the time being anyway. There could be more battles with the Eagles and Clippers come playoff time, but for now, the Bulldogs await. Lincoln will be met first and it’ll be interesting to see if Lincoln has the juice to had the Huskies a loss. However, in my head, Westerly and Mt. Hope meet undefeated on 10/17…which looks, quite frankly, easier for Mt. Hope then it does for Westerly. Here’s hoping for that matchup!
East Providence (8 - 1) - This feels like the calm before the next storm for the Townies. Week four was a solid, normal week as they took care of Cranston West. I’ve seen that some teams have scheduled this way, with frantic weeks and then just a single match. It’s an interesting way to do it. I kind of prefer scheduling matches in a steady rhythm or hum. Tuesday / Friday for eight weeks feels right… However, the frenzy / relax / frenzy week model could work as well, I suppose…especially if you’ve got a good sense that those frenzy weeks will be you coming out on top more then not. Also, come playoff time, it is, indeed, a frenzy week…so getting used to that feel makes a lot of sense. Well, the storm returns in week five with duels with La Salle and Coventry.
+1 Westerly (7 - 0) - When the Bulldogs win, the world hears about it. Something about the teams from Westerly…they travel well and they support each other to great lengths. To date, this has been one of the best starts to Westerly’s girls volleyball team in a while. All the pieces have come together and they are not a fun team to do battle with. There is talent and resilience there…they are getting battle tested throughout this run as well. The win against Barrington was huge! Week five should be a pretty manageable week, which in turn should give confidence going into the following week where things turn pretty tough. All in all, if they can come out unscathed from D1 teams, plus Norwich and Cumberland, to see Mt. Hope undefeated…well, I should like that very much.
—1 Barrington (5 - 3) - What a couple of weeks for the Eagles! It started with their first loss of the season to Bishop Feehan followed by Mt. Hope taking the eggs from the nest in week three. Can’t get enough of that imagery! Barrington then found themselves in a war at Westerly that also ended poorly for the Birds. Following that, they desperately needed a good week…week four would deliver. After a convincing win against West Warwick, Barrington found themselves in a de-ja vu situation to their Westerly experience just the week before. Cumberland had the Eagles on the ropes…but left the door open for Barrington to take the cake…which, for their sake, they did. Certainly, it’s been a wild couple of week for Barrington, with mixed results…when did everyone in the league gets so good? Still, Barrington is as talented as anyone else in the campaign…it’s just now it’s going to take crazy matches to get plusses on the record.
Cumberland (7 - 4) - Oh Cumberland…so close, yet so far… On the brink, but turned away… Seeing the island, but the waves denying the course… Ok, that’s enough. Everyone gets the idea. Tough week for the Clip joint as they have two shots to make noise and get denied both times in cinco sets. Still, they got one win against Pilgrim and again scared the stuffing out of Mt. Hope and Barrington. So, where do they go from here? Clearly they aren’t far off, but they need to beat someone from the top to get this playoff train excitement going. Westerly is coming up, which would be the statement game needed. They could also send Classical packing, which would be great for confidence. Finally, Lincoln is up next immediately, which feels like a dangerous, trap, game to be sure. Clips are right there, but you have to put the top teams away…
Lincoln (7 - 1) - The Lions feel mildly disrespected. They’ve done the job to date, with only one minor setback…a loss to Cumberland. They play Cumberland again to start the next week, so some vengeance is possible. Lincoln plays tough defense and is finding ways to generate points from the service line now, which is huge for them. They dismantled Bay View last week with this strategy. Now, they do need a notable win. Cumberland would do nicely, and the Clips could be worn down from back to back five-set defeats. It doesn’t get much more teed up for you then this, I think. Should they get by Cumberland, Barrington is waiting… A two win week would elevate them to champion contender. A two loss week would give them the description of a fun team to play, but not a serious threat to the crown. Split keeps them as is.
(New) Classical (6 - 3) - The Purple are on the board and start at 9. Classical has three losses, North Kingstown, La Salle, and Westerly…which are all teams in the top five of the state. The biggest problem for Classical is that some of the wins they do have are not resume building wins. Maybe I’m being too critical of Classical, but wins over Cranston East, Central, Johnston, and Juanita Sanchez, are not teams that have the strongest of body of work to date (though Johnston is threatening in their league and has a fine record). Wins over Coventry and Prout are good stuff though for their division, and should Classical put together more solid level play in the league, who knows where they could go. Barrington is next on the agenda, and that win would make some noise to be sure.
—1 Coventry (3 - 4) - Some teams have played ten matches already…most are in that eight range. The Oakers to date only have seven. They still have gym and bus woes they’re dealing with. They play all of their home matches at West Warwick high school and I’ve not heard if that will change. Thus, nothing is ideal right now for Coventry, yet, they soldier on. The team is young and hungry and can put a scare into most teams in the state at a minimum. This past week they played one match, a loss to Classical in five. The week prior, they beat Prout in five. They have a couple of four set matches and a loss to EG in five that haunts them. The team has played a lot of sets and can battle. Portsmouth and East Providence are next…and if they can get a split, I think that’s a week they can build on.
—1 Portsmouth (3- 5) - The Patriots had a good showing this week. It was a split week, with wins over Middletown and a loss to La Salle…but they stole a set from La Salle and the mountain top and that’s a morale victory. Sure the loss to La Salle slips them down a notch, but they’re hanging on. I think their resume does need a bolster soon. When two of your three wins are against East Greenwich, some wins need to be put on the board soon. I think it’s in there for Portsmouth. Their strength of schedule has been solid to this point, so where they go from here will decide their fate. They have Coventry, Prout, and Chariho next…and they kind of need all of them. This is the second go around against the Oakers and both games are on the road this week. So, a make or break week for the Patriots…
Ponaganset (8 - 0) - This is the week for Ponaganset. If they come through this stretch unscathed…well, I think then they’re going to take it to the house. They have Tiverton first, then duel twice with Johnston in the now infamous D3 home and home scheduling. Similarly to their double Scituate week, the Chieftains get to take on their top competitors in a single week of play. My mind screams that this would not be an ideal situation for a team, however, the mental damage you could do to your potential playoff opponents could be devastating if you swept them all away. So, I’ll be watching Ponaganset with keen interest as they take on this second gambit as this feels like the pivotal moment for all of Division 3.
—2 South Kingstown (3 - 5) - The Rebels are sort of in the same situation of Portsmouth. The resume needs some help and it needs to start now…however, I’m not sure I’d be saying this if not the loss to Prout. SK’s strength of schedule has been very solid…though that EG loss now weighs them down more. In their last five matches, they’ve won three and lost two…but again, that Prout match hurt. Chariho is first on the docket this week and they need to take care of business there. Having a solid showing with North Kingstown afterwards will help the cause, but I don’t think they absolutely need a win. The Rebels just need to make sure they don’t get upset the rest of the way while also putting themselves in a position to upset one of the top four if the opportunity presents itself.
Tiverton (10 -0) - They say you never penalize a team for the schedule they play. The schedule is the schedule and you do your best to beat the teams the contracts are signed for. Tiverton is 10 up and 10 down. Since their five setter with Tolman at the beginning of the season, the Tigers have had a couple of four-set matches, but mostly sweeps in their favor. Now, the rubber hits the road for this crew. They have Ponaganset in their barn and they can wrestle the pole position from the Chieftains in one swoop. Block Island is after that and that can be a tricky one with the boat ride, but I suspect they’ll hold it down there. The following week will have challenges as well, but for now, Tiverton has the shot to take with almost everything in their favor.
(New) Johnston (7 - 1) - The Panthers are new on the board as they’ve been racking up wins of late. They have a loss to Classical and also a hairy outing against Central Falls, but for the most part it’s been a solid go of things. Since this is the pivotal week for Division 3, Johnston will receive two cracks at dusting off the top of the line in Ponaganset. They’ll have a good shot too, as Ponaganset will see Tiverton first and perhaps be a little winded from that encounter. Perhaps even a loss from that encounter. Who knows? So, the Panthers are on the board and have a shot right away to cause some mayhem.
Receiving Votes…Toll Gate, Scituate, Bay View, East Greenwich, West Warwick, Juanita Sanchez, Woonsocket, Hope
ResV Player of the Week…
Week One - Kiera Mullen - Sr. - East Providence
Week Two - Kayleigh Garrepy - Jr. - North Kingstown
Week Three - Emma McCrann - Sr. - Barrington
Week Four - Darryl Ashilaka - So. - Cumberland - In 13 sets of work, all the Clippers have put up big numbers, but no one has been more crucial then Ashilaka. When you have a 22 kill, 14 dig night, and then have to do it all over again for another five-set night…all the while putting up big numbers, well, you can win the player of the week award.
ResV Honorable Baller of the Week…
Week One - Tayla Schneider - Jr. - North Kingstown
Week Two - Lyla Parmentier - Jr. - Cumberland
Week Three - Lila Moffit - So. - South Kingstown
Week Four - Amaya Womack - Jr. - Classical - As the Purple join the top 15 on the ResV board, Womack has played a huge role in their 6 - 3 record. She’s put up north of 10 kills multiple times this season with her 18 kills against Coventry being a premier reason the Oakers couldn’t advance in the standings.
Playoff Races Through Week Four…
D1-
North Kingstown – The train keeps running…
LaSalle Academy – Taking care of business and waiting for their next chance at the Skips…
East Providence – No ill after effects from the Barrington debacle…
Classical – Playing solid ball and not a fun game for anyone top to bottom.
Coventry – Battling for a top four playoff spot..
D2-
Mt. Hope – Dominant dog till otherwise noted…
Westerly – Still untouched, but there is still a tough schedule ahead…
Barrington – Fell to Mt. Hope and Westerly…survived Cumberland…when did this league get so tough?
Cumberland – Ummm…always the bridesmaid, never the bride? Apologies, that seems too much. Better idea…right there, just need something to bring it all together…
Lincoln – Chugging along and happy to be the team no one wants to play.
D3-
Ponaganset – Holding off Tiverton, but that may end in week five…
Tiverton – Hungry to dislodge Ponaganset from the top spot…
Johnston – Out in the open now and ready to take on all opposition…
Scituate – Have lost to Ponaganset twice, but nobody else…
Juanita Sanchez – Hanging around and ready to cause mayhem to anyone unsuspecting…
D4-
Toll Gate – Replay of what’s happening in D3…TG has the top spot but sees Hope in week 5…
Hope – Eager to remove Toll Gate from the building…
Woonsocket – Does not have wins against the top two, but everything else has fallen right…
North Providence – The Central Falls loss hurts a little (though CF is a D3 team), but otherwise hanging in there…
Davies – Has the win over Central, but tough stretch coming up…
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week:
Five-set thrillers are tough to coach, there is no question about it. Naturally, as the match is unfolding, as a coach you are gathering information and trying to find patterns your can exploit or gain an edge with. Some simple things, however, you can do include…making sure your top offensive player starts the fifth set in position four to get the most amount of swings, serve to make the opposition uncomfortable based on the date you’re gathered, and chop the set up into 8, 12, and 15. I like to talk to my teams about how we’re trying to win the race to 8, 12, and 15…and any time we do not win that race, I generally call a time out. I also make sure we train that way in the practice gym for set fives. First to 8, team that doesn’t has some pushups and then the race to 12, same deal. At 15 points, it’s over…pushups for the losing team. I love pushups for negative and positive reinforcement. There are few better exercises and strong arms are good for everyone. As with everything, the more you train a scenario, the better you’ll be at it, so remember to train five-set thrillers!
ResV Player Tip of the Week:
As we come close to the halfway part of the season, remember to keep focus on the reps you take. Every team, at every level, need loads of repetitions to train the body to make the plays that need to be made. Muscle memory is the phrase… It’s very easy as you hit the midway point and certainly in the final weeks to not take the drills and reps seriously. This is a mistake as the more you train the better your body remembers the movements needed. Moreso, each rep you can figure it out more, or it could be the rep that allows you to figure it out. Repetitions often are boring, so you have to bring whatever excitement you can to them. Challenge yourself, or a teammate, on how the drills are done…bring some sort of competitiveness to what you are doing…and keep growing your game and honing your muscle memory all season.
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!
Also, if you like the content, please consider donating to ResV Systems…Venmo is @ResVsystems or visit the store by clicking the picture below and getting some ResV merch…or consider being a sponsor for the ResV All-Star Matches…All funds go toward running the ResV All-Star Match.