Week One…Adventures in the New World…
9/7/25
Good Weekend All!
The title of this article is Adventures in the New World because it is just that. Almost every team, with the exception of certain outliers (East Providence, La Salle, and Mt. Hope…I’m looking at you..), are vastly different and the landscape that has been easy to read in the past is no longer so.
Week one is never a good week to make predictions, however. Most teams are still trying to figure out who they are while those that win generally do so with execution from upperclassmen who’ve been there before. Nonetheless, week ones have to happen as it give us all a benchmark to work from. Week one sets the line and from there we’ll see the growth or wilting of programs.
Welcome to the new season and best of luck to all!
Big Matches Coming Up…
Tuesday - 9/9/25 - East Providence hosting Barrington
Wednesday - 9/10/25 - Portsmouth hosting Mt. Hope
Wednesday - 9/10/25 - East Greenwich hosting Cumberland
Thursday - 9/11/25 - North Kingstown hosting La Salle Academy
Thursday - 9/11/25 - Bay View hosting Lincoln
ResV Top 15…
North Kingstown - (1 - 0) - They’re young, with mostly juniors and sophomores on the floor. Kayleigh Garrepy is the real deal and can score whenever. Junior Tayla Schneider has hands and should be able to get the pins the ball while keeping the middles happy. Maggie Scott can play and will be a nusaince for everyone in the middle. Isla Arnold is the O2 and she is that all-around player you’re looking for in that spot to take the majority of the passing assignments. It’s a pretty new crew, but there are still plenty of pieces to the puzzle and lots of swagger to keep them at the top.
East Providence - (4 - 0) - The Townies have sliced through all of their competition thus far…they’ve not dropped a set. Keira Mullen is the top player in the state. Mullen blocks well, has a real live arm that is tough to stop, especially from a lefty, and she is the best setter in the league as well. Making things worse for opponents, Mullen is not alone. Ellie Vest is a top pin in the state. She is a huge presence at the net and can score in bunches. Meanwhile, Aliyah Evora is a premier middle for East Providence and Vivian Bernhardt also gives them pop as well. As mentioned in last article, the Townies are loaded and it’s going to take a real effort to put them in the loss column.
La Salle Academy - (2 - 0) - This feels like the Rams year to do it. Granted, they have EP and NK in front of them, and those will be tall orders… Nonetheless, this feels like the year. Sofia D’Agostino and Maisy Naff are seniors and have been balling at the varsity level since they were sophomores. D’Agostino is the top Libero in the league and will clean up anything hit at her within a ten foot radius. Naff is a top tier pin in the league and has seen it all. Sofia Benevides is a problem on the pin for opponents as well. The addition of Erin Tierney, however, is the real jolt to the lineup. Tierney was a top attacker at EWG as a sophomore, if my memory serves. Then she injured her knee and wasn’t a factor as a junior. As a senior, she should be another pieces that elevates the Rams. EP may have their eyes set on the Skippers…while they should be worried about La Salle on their six.
Barrington - (2 - 0) - Two up and two down for the Eagles. I saw the scores and thought it was interesting that both went four. Make no mistake, Barrington is different this year. They graduated a lot of firepower, though they have maintained a solid level at the top of D2. This is hard to do. It starts with Emma McCrann. McCrann is now in a role where everything runs through her. She can ball, so this works. Claudia Leonard’s role has increased as well…being called upon to score on both sides of the net. Lily Floriani steps into the Libero role, vacated by graduated Friar Morgan Martin, taking over the main passing and defensive duties. It’ll take another week or so for everything to mesh, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Eagles can hold the line till they’re firing on all cylinders.
Mt. Hope (+4) - (2 - 0) - The Huskies are in the same boat as the La Salle Rams. This is probably the year. Barrington is radically different, as is everyone else in the division, Mt. Hope has mostly everyone back. Sarah Wilcox will lead the way along with Gianna Lunney. Wilcox has been a varsity player since her sophomore year while Lunney’s breakout year was her previous. Both are dynamic enough to score points and carry the Huskies through tough times. The rest of the crew is battle tested, for the most part, and ready to make the run. Sure, Westerly is also out there along with Cumberland and Lincoln, however, I think like EP, it’s going to take a huge effort to blemish the Mt. Hope record this year.
Coventry (+3) - (1 - 1) - If you thought NK was a young team, and they are, check out the Oakers. They only have two seniors, Kendall Bednarski and Saige Hodges. The rest of the roster are underclassmen that will be called upon to contribute. Sophomore Emily Spadoni will be one of the focal points to this idea. Currently, they’re one up and one down to start, but I like the road win at Portsmouth. Most teams go to Portsmouth and crumble as it’s a tough place to play (some say haunted) and the travel time is more then most kids are used to enduring. There is a long road ahead for this Coventry side, but if the kids can gel…who knows what could happen…
East Greenwich - (1 - 1) - The Avengers drew the short straw and had to go to Portsmouth to start their season. Portsmouth isn’t the Portsmouth of old, but there isn’t much worse in terms of travel and mystique. It didn’t go EG’s way, but it did give some lessons that were applied to their next match when they hosted South Kingstown. Thus, the Avengers sit at one and one. Addison Fain is the main option on offense while Sophia Hartman has earned the offense orchestrator position and has done a nice job of distribution to her weapons. Hartman is also EG’s top server thus far which is key to keeping the opponent’s offense in check. As the season progresses the goal will be to kill the ball at a higher clip, but all in all a good start for my alma mater.
Portsmouth (+2) - (1 - 1) - With the Caitlin Mediate era finally concluded, the Patriots start anew. Today, it’s the Sophia Champagne show with plenty of new players to learn about. Champagne is no stranger to the big time as she shared setting duties with Mediate in the 6/2 last year. Her weapons this time around will include Audrey Abedon and Mia Ruggieri on the pins with a balanced crop of players everywhere else. It’s early, so it is tough to tell what this team actually is yet, but if they’re able to serve and pass well…anything is possible. They’ve hosted two teams thus far, and the four set loss to the Oakers raises some concern, however, it’s a long road and this team will grow as the year goes on. What they grow into is absolutely unknown…
South Kingstown (—3) - (0 - 2) - It’s early so I don’t want to be too critical here, but it does feel like all is not entirely well in Rebel land. Dropping to EP to start the year is ok, especially considering the firepower that the Townies are bringing to dinner. Now, with that being said, getting swept by EG on the road…well, that one hurts. I do think EG is a solid squad, so it’s not the loss that bothers me…what gets me was it was in straight sets. This one should have been a five set thriller, at least it was in my head (Lord knows, I’m wrong plenty of times), and instead, EG takes it home in three. Granted, it could have been a tough three… Anyway, where does that leave SK? Well, to be fair, this is a whole new SK side…meaning it’ll take some time to get it all blended together. Schedule has them seeing NK next followed by Prout, though which doesn’t feel easy. Regardless, time will tell, as it always does, and we’ll learn more about SK as the season trucks on.
Westerly (New) - (2 - 0) - The Westerly Bulldogs are on the board! Welcome Bulldogs! It was probably only a matter of time, but the two win jump out the gate made it pretty easy to make the call. Westerly has Lyla Auth who is one of the top players in the state. Auth can do pretty much everything, and generally does so for her team. This year, Auth is joined by Svea Crawford, a transfer from CA who gives some added punch to the Westerly lineup. With Auth and Crawford, and a solid crew with them, Westerly now poses some real problems to the D2 world. Barrington and Mt. Hope should be concerned…
Lincoln - (2 - 0) - The Lions feel in the similar vein to Barrington in the sense that they’ve won both of their matches in the first week, but dropped sets when perhaps they shouldn’t have. Now, there could be many reasons for dropping sets. Sometimes, you’re trying to get other players experience or perhaps try out new lineups to see what you actually have. I absolutely respect those decisions almost without fail. Could be injuries and sickness too which can cause some weird outcomes as well. At the end of the day, as long as you win three sets and the opposition doesn’t, you’ve done our job as a coach and team. Kimi Hickey is one of the of the top Liberos in the state and Allison Dumont should provide solid attacking on the pin for Lincoln. Defensively, the Lions should be right there again…it’s just can they put the ball away enough to make the long run.
Cumberland (+1) - (2 - 2) - The Farms! See what I did there? I can hear the collective “Boos” already…rightfully so… Anyway, this year’s Cumberland side is young and thus far their schedule has been perfect in terms of challenging teams and wins that need to happen. I like it. I do this almost every year with my clubs. Let’s play all the banger teams we can and see where we’re really at… It preps your squad for your conference. My conference at Wheaton will be all bangers all the way…at the top of the nation to boot…so there is no one I can play to prep for my conference… I digress. Anyway, Cumberland is led by Daryl Ashilaka on the pin. She has bounce and a good arm. The rest of the crew is learning the ropes and with four games already in the books, they’ll be seasoned in no time. I like the set taken off of Barrington and I like that there are clean sweeps of EWG and Burrillville. Cumberland will be in the mix, the only question will be how far they go.
Ponaganset (+2) - (2 - 0) - This Ponaganset side is one of my main assignments to learn more about. Last year, they came onto the scene late in the year and I really didn’t know much about them. This year, they’re off to a hot start, knocking off two D2 teams, Bay View and Burrillville. They now have a week off before they have a premier matchup in D3 when they travel to Scituate. I like Anna Lafontaine setting and Zoe Glover on the left is a smart attacker. The rest of the crew looks pretty polished plus Ponaganset seems to serve pretty tough as well. My gut is telling me this is the team to beat in D3 and that is going to be a tall order for most in the pack.
Bay View (1 - 3) - Bay View finds themselves in an interesting spot. They have a new coach and also two of the top players in the state in Avery Gomes and Charlotte Didie-Burke. Gomes can score and cause all sorts of issues for the opposition. Meanwhile Didie-Burke, whom I’m going to call CDB for a bit, is a talented setter who can put up hittable balls for the team. Some pieces are there, but the results are not exactly what they’re looking for…yet. I like that they took a set from Barrington. Not sweating the result from EP or even sneaking by North Smithfield. The Ponaganset loss was notable, though, and now they have Mt. Hope on the road. They don’t need to beat Mt. Hope there, but do need to have a good outing and make the Huskies work. The trick will be to make sure the team is just a little better then the day before all season.
West Warwick (New) - (2 - 0) - New Coach, new look! Coach Bevilacqua moves from Prout to West Warwick and makes an immediate impact. I have zero idea if the Wizards will stay up on the board, but I love their start and what I’m hearing out of their gym. They get the job done against Tolman and then dispatch Pilgrim in straight sets. It feels like a long time ago when the Wizards were in the finals against Rogers, but this new crew has made some early news and earns a spot on the board.
Receiving Votes… Tiverton, Johnston, Scituate, Toll Gate, Chariho, Tolman
ResV Player of the Week…
Week One - Kiera Mullen - Sr. - East Providence - The Beast of the East did her work in week one and has secured a perfect start to the season. She’s also doing it all in the modified 6/2 which takes a special player to run it. At the college level, it’s rare to see as it take a truly special baller to do it. Mullen is that good where she can run the offense in the back row, then be the passing and attacking focus in the front, giving her a stamp on almost every play…and this is her third year doing it.
ResV Honorable Baller of the Week…
Week One - Tayla Schneider - Jr. - North Kingstown - Schneider is in the tough position of following in the footsteps at the setter position of Syd Henson and Ella Maack. It’s a tall ask, however with one match under her belt, Tayla looked good. With Kayleigh Garrepy now on the pin along with Isla Arnold, Schneider is able to get hittable balls to the pin while also running a solid two ball for the middles. It’s a long road, but it’s also a good bet that Schneider will continue to improve as the season goes on. Week one was the perfect start for her.
Playoff Races Through Week One…
D1-
North Kingstown – One down, but everyone else has played more…
East Providence – Perfect to start and hungry for the top spot…
LaSalle Academy – Off to a great start and may be the team that nips everyone…
Coventry – Young and inexperienced or aggressive and ready to ruin your night?
East Greenwich – Gut says they may be one of those teams that loves home and struggles away…hope I’m wrong.
D2-
Barrington – New crew and have dropped some sets early…
Mt. Hope – Balanced and ready to change the seeding dynamics…
Westerly – Have the best player in D2 and she has help this year…
Lincoln – Same story as last year, can they generate enough kills?
Cumberland – Young team as well…how much time will in take for them to gel?
D3-
Ponaganset – Picked up where they left off last year…
Scituate – Off to a great start and always a threat in their gym…
Tiverton – Three wins to start the season…and their home gym is no picnic either…
Johnston – Long road ahead for the Panthers, but this is the start they needed…
Juanita Sanchez – Early split puts them on the board…
D4-
Toll Gate – Up two and put Cranston East in their place…
Central – Have two in the bank as well, but only seen D4 comp thus far…
Hope – Only have played once thus far, but they took down the Valley…
Blackstone Valley – Split to start the season and Toll Gate is next. Could make some news early in that one…
Shea – They’ve lost to Central, but that’s the only match they’ve played. Lot of season left…
ResV Coaching Tip of the Week:
It’s early in the season, so every team is trying to figure out their best lineup and decide who can do what and when…This means that as a coach, you should have an idea already of when you can pop in role players for situations. It’s a long seasonal grind and you don’t want to burn your horses out in the first sprint. Thus, finding some spot times to let you support crew gets some minutes is critical. It saves your starters legs, and gets the bench barbarians some key experience that will aid in their growth while also getting them mentally ready to do their job, when called upon, when the lights are brightest.
ResV Player Tip of the Week:
New season, new feel! Stretch and take your pregame warmup and end of game cool down seriously. As mentioned above for the coaches, the season is a marathon. You want to feel relatively good when it matters most. Thus, take those warmups and cool downs with care and precision. Or in other words, take care of, and listen to, your body. Another thing to do…adding to that, is communicate when things do not feel right physically. There is some credence to battling through some slight muscle discomfort, but if you’re hurting, and you know you’re hurting…let your coach (and trainer if your have one) know and follow the game plan for recovery. It is way better for you to get treatment and rest to be ready for the playoffs then battling a team in week three that sidelines you for the rest of the year.
NOTE- Thank you to everyone sending me information. This year it’s harder then ever to find stats from matches and obtain relative information.
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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