Week Four - Doing the Worm Comes with Consequences…
April 28th, 2026
Note: Squarespace, the platform this website is on, was shutdown for the morning of Monday the 27th. I had zero access to my site and could not write. So, we’re late this week, due to that and how busy I am with the end of season stuff with Wheaton, but there was nothing else to be done…
There was an upset this past week…actually, a lot of upsets, but let’s focus on this one to start. East Providence fell to Cranston West at the CW Falcon nest. It started with Cranston West winning the first two sets. Once the second set was in the bag, I was alerted…”Rez, kids are doing the worm down there!”
I didn’t know what to think at first. To me, the worm, is that breakdancing move from the 80’s. Growing up in that time-frame, I was fully aware of breakdancing and the movie “Breakin” which helped launch it into an almost global phenomenon. I could do some stuff… No longer though…too big.
Anyway, some players for the CW were absolutely doing “the Worm” after set two! Now, to be fair, it was on their side of the court and away from their opposition entirely. So, I did not feel like this was something disrespectful or anything like that.
Still, you’re doing the worm…pretty well mind you…and the opposition can see what is taking place…
My friend remarked, “I don’t know about that…”
I replied, “They’re playing with joy and perhaps that might be the lesson…but let’s see how EP responds. Doing “the Worm” does have consequences…”
EP would respond and win the next two sets…setting up a possible reverse sweep. To their credit, the CW crew held on and shut that door…getting the hard earned five set victory. Doing “the Worm” did have some consequences, though…
Now, truthfully, I think this is just fun between two hard nosed, gritty, teams. There is something to be said about playing with joy and positivity. This game is often all about having good vibes while executing the game plan. Sure, you don’t want to show up an opponent mid match…which goes under the age old advice about not giving your opposition bulletin board material, extra motivation, Michael Jordan saying he’s taking what you said personally, etc, but I think most coaches and players understand that.
Playing with joy can lead to great things, especially if its coming from the entire roster. There is a job to do and focus is required, but if you can have a blast doing so…lots of good things are going to happen. The CW is proof positive of that. They took down EP and then went on to give the business to Hendricken as well!
Joy leads to good things! Keep it in mind in your next round of matches…and it sure beats negative vibes…regardless of the outcome.
Also… The Rhody Invitational went down this past Saturday. I was there in the morning to see as many teams and players as I could…representing Wheaton College. It’s a solid event and it’s been a very strong tournament for years.
Big Stat Games of the Week…
Jordan Teaway - Central - Pin - 15 kills, 3 aces, 2 blocks against South Kingstown
Daniel Colon - Central - Setter - 36 assists, 3 aces against South Kingstown
Pablo Valdez - Central - Pin - 10 kills, 11 digs, 2 blocks against South Kingstown
Ashton Mak - Cranston West - Setter - 49 assists, 19 digs, 5 kills, 4 aces vs. East Providence : 46 assists, 8 kills, 10 digs, 3 blocks against Bishop Hendricken
Eli Lopez - Cranston West - Pin - 23 kills, 17 digs vs. East Providence : 21 kills, 7 digs against Bishop Hendricken
Dom Correia - Cranston West - Pin - 11 kills, 25 digs vs. East Providence : 14 kills, 16 digs against Bishop Hendricken
Connor Berndt - East Providence - Pin - 12 kills, 12 digs at Cranston West
Henry Kenyon - Westerly - Middle - 14 kills, 5 blocks, 2 aces at South Kingstown
Grady Auth - Westerly - Setter - 21 assists, 6 kills, 8 digs at South Kingstown
Nate Paciga - Westerly - Middle - 9 kills, 10 digs, 5 blocks at South Kingstown
Mike Gallo - West Warwick - Pin - 14 kills at Portsmouth
Alex Osmena - West Warwick - Pin - 6 kills, 5 aces at Portsmouth
Nico Colantuono - Portsmouth - Pin - 10 kills, 4 blocks, 3 digs vs. West Warwick
Andrew Ramos - Bishop Hendricken - Pin - 20 kills, 4 blocks, 13 digs at Chariho
Ryan Yin - Bishop Hendricken - Setter - 35 assists, 7 digs, 3 blocks at Chariho
Zach Roebuck - Bishop Hendricken - Middle - 7 kills, 6 blocks, 3 digs at Chariho
Sean Peters - North Kingstown - Middle - 15 kills, 2 aces at Coventry : 17 kills, 7 blocks, against East Providence
Owen Schneider - North Kingstown - Pin - 16 kills, 17 digs at Coventry
Myles Carter - Pawtucket - Setter - 36 assists, 4 digs at West Warwick
Landon Marland - Chariho - Pin - 16 kills, 2 aces, 14 digs against Cranston East
Caleb Locke - Chariho - Middle - 13 kills, 6 blocks against Cranston East
Jaxson Vachon - Chariho - Libero - 20 digs, 4 assists against Cranston East
Donny Park - Barrington - Pin - 20 kills, 5 aces, 2 blocks 8 digs against East Greenwich
Logan Lane - Barrington - Setter - 36 assists, 8 digs, 2 ace and 6 kills against East Greenwich
ResV Team of the Week…
Week Four!
Pin- Donny Park - Sr. - Barrington
Pin - Landon Marland - Sr. - Chariho
Middle - Sean Peters - Sr. - North Kingstown
Middle - Nate Paciga - Sr. - Westerly
Pin - Aggerson Vetaque - Jr. - Cranston East
Setter - Ashton Mak - Sr. - Cranston West
Libero - Jaxson Vachon - Sr. - Chariho
Utility - Eli Lopez - Sr. - Cranston West
ResV Top 15…
Note: As I finish this story up, East Greenwich is at East Providence, Classical is at Bishop Hendricken, Coventry is at Barrington, Cranston West is at La Salle, and Woonsocket is at West Warwick…won’t have the scores in time, but we’ll know more soon for week five…
La Salle Academy (7 - 1) - Rams stay atop the board with a win over Cranston East and a loss at Needham. As mentioned in the previous article, La Salle is really the only team in the state that goes out of their way to play a match with a team completely out of region. Sure, other teams, like Hendricken, will go to a tournament out of state…however, the Rams will play teams from Massachusetts, and presumably Connecticut, to improve their RPI ranking and get a different experience for their players. I like it. I think it’s a way to prep for your conference competition while also giving your athletes a different look and feel. La Salle has yet to taste a loss on RI soil, though they do see the rejuvenated CW next…
Bishop Hendricken 6 - 1) - It was an upset week for a lot of programs this fourth pattern of the season. It was also April vacation along with the Rhody tournament. Excuses or just factors that lead to uncouth play? As with beauty, it’s in the eye of the beholder. The Hawks felt the sting, though. Taking the CW for granted these days is a good way to find yourself with a loss. I’m not saying the Hawks took the Falcons for an easy win…but I am saying that they weren’t stunned in the match. Still, it’s the first loss of the campaign and it’ll be interesting to see if there is a lingering effect that follows it…
Update - Hendy swats Chargers in three…Classical next.East Greenwich (7 - 2) - Avengers also tasted some defeat this past week. Kind of an upset, but not really, as they fell to Barrington on the road. Both teams are better then you think, and certainly with the Eagle’s pins, one has to be cautious. EG took the loss in four, but I would suspect an eager re-match may be in the wings. I did get to see EG perform at the Rhody and I like what they do. They serve tough, play smart ball, and score at a higher clip then expected. Nothing has happened yet to make me think they’re not a final four team…but there are definitely challenges on the horizon…like tonight’s match at East Providence!
Update - EG stunned at the Townie lair in three.
East Providence (7 - 2) - The Townies got bit by Cranston West this past week, just like Hendricken. It was a five set thriller and there was some solid volleyball in the match. Afterwards, EP then took down North Kingstown in four. Is that a sign of trouble or just running into the CW on their warpath and losing focus against NK? I will say, that NK is showing some signs of the finals pedigree that have had for years and a win is a win. No shame there. I do like this Townie side. They have the standard tenacity and they can score in bunches. They host EG tonight and boy can they mess up the rankings with a win.
Update - EP slaps EG at home in a three-set vic.
Barrington (6 - 3) - Hey ResV, how come you don’t have Barrington and East Greenwich flipped. The Eagles beat the Avengers… Yes, voice in my head, I hear you. Well, let me tell you. I do think that upsets happen more in the April vacation week…and they did lose to Classical this week…by the by. It’s the change of routine, some people actually go on vacation, things get weird. So, even though Barrington got the Avengers…I want to see more…out of both teams before I adjust the board. That’s just me…and whether you like it or not, other scarier voice in my head…I run ResV. That’s an old Dave Attell joke, by the way. No matter how you swing it, the Eagles are in the mix and a pain for any top team. I’m here for it, but I need another big win before I’m ready to jump in with all six feet.
Update - Barrington upends North Smithfield, again, in three.
+6 Cranston West (6 - 5) - The Falcons feel, all of sudden, like the most feared club in the league! I’m not ready to put them into the top four yet, but boy have they turned things around. With wins over Hendricken and East Providence…I mean they have to be for real for that alone. What makes them so interesting is how flexible they are. They are able to show different looks with Ashton Mak running the table or attacking. Eli Lopez is playing lights out ball and you always have to know where big Z is. So, yeah, fear the CW. They are knocking off top teams like the God Butcher from that pretty bad Thor flick. Prepare, all, because you could easily be next.
Update - Falcons hold West Warwick at bay in four to get to seven wins.
—1 North Kingstown (4 - 4) - The Skippers stay in the top ten, but it’s getting a little hairy. Beating Coventry in five and losing to East Providence in four will give you this feel. Indeed, it’s my small occupation to be arm chair quarterbacking here, but I can’t decide what I would do differently with this NK side. I guess my first move would be to simplify first. Currently, NK runs a 6/2 with Yang and Sardelli setting out of the back row and hitting in the front row. Setting is hard enough without having to pass and attack as well. Set Yang as hands and call it a day and try to get Sardelli comfortable just hitting the ball hard. I think this will just snap everything into an easier mold. From there, just get everyone gritty. Score in the most annoying ways possible and don’t let anything hit the floor without two Skippers diving for it. Get tougher with the serve and from there you go. As always, it’s real easy for me to throw out ideas, but the Skippers need to start making some waves so perhaps different ideas are welcomed.
Update - NK lost to CE in five…it appears to be the most grueling five-setter of the year to date.
+2 Classical (3 - 3) - Come on Purple. You can’t go beat Barrington in three and then drop a four-setter to Coventry. What am I supposed to do with that…in terms of moving teams up and down the board? Now, granted, Coventry is no easy out. Cam Marcotte is over there and he’s a baller. Still, dispatching the team with arguably the top two OH tandem and then falling to the Oakers feels odd. Whatever, I’ll give you two spots, but for Pete’s sake, tighten it up. Of course, I’m just writing for a little comedic effect here. I am serious, though, that beating Barrington is a good win and Coventry is a quality opponent. As with all teams, the consistency of play is the major concern and the Purple are in that world. They have to find a way to keep the ball in court when it matters…daunting task for most teams in the state. Still, I think Classical is dangerous and all should be wary.
—1 Westerly (7 - 1) - Bulldogs lose a spot, but mainly had nothing to do with their play. Once Cranston West shot up, everyone had to move slightly. So, here Westerly is. Truthfully, it is very rare to win two matches in the week, defeat a top fifteen ResV opponent, and then lose a spot on the board… Blame the Falcons. Westerly is growing. They have two of the top players in the state on their side in Kenyon and Auth, which certainly helps the cause. It’s not just that, though, the other players are growing and gaining confidence. They are not the same team who lost to Lincoln, for example. So, I’m eager to see what this Bulldog side does, especially as they begin preparations for the playoffs.
Update - Westerly handles Pawtucket in three to send a message.
—1 West Warwick (8 - 0) - Wizards are a tough out and I think everyone knows it by now. By the way, the same thing I wrote for Westerly applies here about dropping a spot for no reason. I like this West Warwick side. They play with unending hustle and they surprise you with all sorts of volleyball play. They are a pretty stout blocking team and they can score from all over the net. They did knock out Portsmouth and Pawtucket this week so truly tough to have them lose a spot, but yeah, I wouldn’t want to play this Wizard side…especially in a win or go home situation.
—4 Cranston East (4 - 5) - Defending champs need a good week and soon. There are a lot of good players on this team, so it’s surprising to see their record to date. They did take a set from La Salle while also beating Chariho and Juniata Sanchez…but the Bolts need a signature win and it hasn’t happened yet. Now, there was plenty of talent on the side last year and they caught fire at the right time and rode it all the way to an upset of the clear favorite North Kingstown. Perhaps this year can be a similar vein. Tougher seas to be sure, but why couldn’t this team put it all together and make a run?
Update - CE outlasts NK in a duel of last year’s finalists.
—1 Pawtucket (9 - 4) - Pawtucket is a weird case this year. At the halfway point, they have plenty of wood stacked. However, they do have losses against Lincoln and West Warwick (and some D1 teams). This brings up your standard, “Can they beat the top teams in their league” thought. Lincoln was a team on the girls side this year that was in the same bind. They had plenty of wins, but when they needed to get a top four team in the conference, they just couldn’t figure it out. I’m not saying we are there yet, but it is a thought. Consistency of play comes to mind here as well as having all your pieces at the right time. Could they be battling injuries? It’s certainly a possibility with any team in the state, so perhaps it applies here. Regardless, there is plenty of good play still here on this Pawtucket side and the pedigree is what will be leaned on when the playoffs arrive.
Update - Pawtucket falls to Westerly in three…not what the doctor ordered.
+2 Lincoln (4 - 5) - Could the defending D2 champs have found their footing? It certainly appears that way. It was a rocky start to say the least…but it did have some peculiar moments. For example, Lincoln, for a hot second, had wins over Westerly and Pawtucket and no one else. That was odd. Currently, they’re on a three match streak and are playing solid ball. Not a good sign for the rest of the conference. From the match I saw, which was the Westerly win ages ago, Lincoln really wasn’t far away from being where they needed to be. Just had to iron out a couple of consistency things and a playoff run would all but be assured…at that, again, was a while ago. They already have signature wins, just need to clean up and not let teams below the line make way.
Update - Lincoln survives five-set war with Juanita Sanchez.
(New) Central Falls (6 - 4) - The CF crowd enter the board at 14. They’ve beaten plenty of teams and only have a loss to Lincoln thus far in conference. The other set-back are all D1 outings. The real trick is can this team compete with the big boys of the D2 world. Why on earth not? In our final match of the season, some of this crew approached me and asked if they could get some ResV love. First, I’m stoked they read this thing I write…I often wonder if anyone reads the ramblings of a has-been baller / coach… Second, I told them I need people to send me stats. I follow the games as best I can…I use maxpreps and glimpse the projo when it’s a free use (which isn’t often). I can’t write about what I don’t know…so send me info and I will most likely use it (I do try to check and make the sure the data is accurate…there has only been one case of someone sending me false info…they were ejected). Back to the point at hand…I like this CF side. Send me some stats on the regular so I can do what I do.
—1 Portsmouth (5 - 3) - The Patriots have come down to earth a little as the D2 competition begins to take it’s toll. Portsmouth did rocket out to strong start, however, they’ve dropped their last two matches and went five with both Pilgrim and North Providence. Their three losses were against Westerly, West Warwick, and Pawtucket…which are the top three teams in their league and the teams you’ll have to go through if you want to dance at Rhode Island College. Still, not a bad entrance to the league, moving up from D3, and I think there are adjustments that can still be made for a playoff stroll.
Receiving Votes: Mt. Hope, Exeter/West Greenwich, Central Falls, Coventry, Central, Burrillville
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 - Lopez has been absolutely a problem this past week. Getting north of 20 kills on Hendricken and East Providence! It does not get much better then that!
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 - Locke played well against Cranston East, getting 13 kills and 6 blocks in the contest. That’s solid work against a very active net team in the Bolts.
Playoff Races Through Week Four…
D1:
La Salle Academy - Took their first “L” but it wasn’t against anyone who lives in the state…so no harm done.
Bishop Hendricken - CW loss hurt, but no enough to pull them…
East Greenwich - Barrington loss hurt, but I’m not ready…I’m just not ready…
Barrington - Eagles have been playing good ball, and the EG win helps the cause a lot.
East Providence - Have a tough job trying to hold of the CW and make a bad day happen for EG.
D2:
Westerly - Bulldogs are only getting better…and I wonder if there is a team to stop them when it matters.
West Warwick - They have the pieces to cause anyone in D2 headaches.
Pawtucket - More hit then miss, but the misses are more then expected.
Lincoln - May have found their footing…which spells trouble for the league.
Central Falls - Winning the ones they’re supposed too, but need a bigger win to make noise.
D3:
Mt. Hope - Still the class of the division with only one real hiccup to their run.
Exeter/West Greenwich - Undefeated to date and eyeing a date with Mt. Hope.
Toll Gate - Have emerged of late, winning a lot of games. Can they be crafty enough, though?
Davies - Probably have too many in the loss column as is, but still potent.
Mt. Pleasant - Do they have a push in them? They can cause issues…just need to go on a streak.
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week:
Keep the bench engaged. When I coached club, this was a major concern for me. The starters would be on the floor and as things unfolded, I would constantly go to the bench guys and ask if they saw what was happening. I’d ask what they would do in that situation. Or, I’d ask if they saw what that particular player of the opposition did. The goal was to keep those players engaged and interested, while also helping them learn.
At the college level, I don’t do it nearly as much…that’s the job of one of my assistant coaches…but I still do it from time to time. Keep the support and reserve guys involved and they’ll likely play better if you put them in while also learning from what they see happening on the floor. Plus, it keeps the relationship between player and coach ok…which you’ll want more then not.
So, in conclusion, keep the reserve guys engaged by hanging out with them and asking them questions as the match goes along. You’ll find this attention to them will pay many dividends in the future.
ResV Player Tip of the Week:
Share information. Seriously, share information with your teammates constantly.
When I began to write this part, all I could envision was a player jumping out of position to try to save a ball, but actually getting in the way of the player’s whose responsibility it was to play a ball. The ball falls and both players get up and get ready for the next play…no information shared. Later on, the same thing happens and a similar result occurs but at a worse part of the match. Team loses.
Volleyball is hard. It’s complex and a lot of things happen in that small box six guys get to play in. This is why, there must be a plan for every type of play, and there must be communication between players. Back to the above paragraph. That situation should be talked about quickly between the two players…a decision made about who has what…and then the follow through of execution. These conversations are vital and need to happen with everything.
Share information constantly. Listen, learn, and execute.
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!