THUNDERSTRUCK

'Bolts sweep Spartans for first title, undefeated season

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 11/23/16

The Cranston East girls' volleyball team needed a quick memory after its first postseason set this year. The 'Bolts lost to Tolman, No. 5 seed out of Division II-North, after a game rife with errors and

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THUNDERSTRUCK

'Bolts sweep Spartans for first title, undefeated season

Posted

The Cranston East girls’ volleyball team needed a quick memory after its first postseason set this year.

The ’Bolts lost to Tolman, No. 5 seed out of Division II-North, after a game rife with errors and miscommunication. They didn’t look much like the team that came in as the top seed with an unblemished record.

“We [had] to push, push, push and win everything we can,” East captain Samantha Levy said of the team mentality following the first-set loss against Tolman.

Then, they went to work forgetting their start and regaining their reputation. Tolman dropped the next three sets, allowing East to clinch a spot in the semifinals. It made quick work of Juanita Sanchez to earn a berth in the title game against Scituate on Saturday at Rhode Island College.

“You can’t start slow out of the gate, you have to push out of the gate,” East head coach Meaghan McGonagle said after Wednesday’s win over Juanita Sanchez. “We talked about getting off the bus and being ready to play, and they showed it.”

East beleaguered the Spartans from the start with efficient serving and timely kills to finish off an undefeated season with another sweep and the school’s first-ever girls’ volleyball championship.

“There’s no way we were going to go undefeated and not win this game,” Levy said. “We knew from the beginning.”

The ’Bolts never trailed in the first set, coasting to a 10-4 lead before Scituate was forced to call timeout. Senior captain Amanda Hay and junior Chelsea Asare notched back-to-back kills, while Rossini Felix’s service ace pushed the advantage to 13-6.

The Spartans never got closer than four points the rest of the way, often hindering their own comeback efforts with a foul or return attempt out of bounds. The ’Bolts closed out the set on a 9-1 run, keyed by impressive work at the front line by McKenzie Richards, to notch a 25-13 win.

“She’s definitely part of the heart and soul of our team,” McGonagle said of Richards. “We call her our bulldog. She really wants to win all the time. She’ll yell at the girls and make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to do.”

Scituate would come out quicker in the second set to seize an early 5-3 lead. Junior Jane Owens brought an unconventional jump serve that threw off East’s timing. Levy said the ’Bolts were prepared for her lasers, though, after practicing against Hay’s unorthodox yet furious serve.

“She’ll mix it up with her spots, too,” Levy said of Hay. “We also have our managers, we have boys that come in and help and they serve, so we’re ready for the high speed.”

Aces would be high for East. Richards picked up three to help give the ’Bolts a 9-5 lead. Scituate would battle back to level the score at 11, but Hay came to the rescue.

Hay registered two kills to help East take control, 15-11, before putting the game away with her electric serving. She consistently altered her speed while almost always maintaining the same direction to keep the Spartans guessing. Her four aces in a row put the set out of reach at 21-14, allowing East to skate to a 25-15 victory.

The Spartans were in fight-or-flight mode, and they weren’t ready to give in just yet. Owens’ serving carried them to a 5-1 lead, and they kept East at arm’s length for most of the third set. Midway through, Hay couldn’t get her return over the net and Scituate took a 14-9 lead.

As most seasoned, undefeated teams do, though, East found its stride at the optimal time.

“I think it’s a huge advantage,” McGonagle said of her team’s experience, which includes six seniors to Scituate’s two. “We didn’t make it to the big stage last year, but two years ago we made it to URI, and we had quite a few girls on that team, or at least the JV girls, to see that. We talked about how the size of the court really plays a game, the crowd, you’re not going to be able to hear each other. Having some older girls really helped us out in the long run.”

Victoria Bowry and Richards picked up kills with Hay mixing in a couple more aces to tie the score at 14, forcing Scituate to call timeout. The Spartans rebounded, but East couldn't be held off for long. Joanna Wong came through with an ace and Scituate made a couple of miscues to give East its first lead, 19-16, since the opening point.

The Spartans used another timeout, but the momentum had already swung in favor of the top seed. With East ahead 24-19, Scituate couldn't get a strike from Hay back over the net and the ’Bolts collapsed in the middle of the court in celebration.

McGonagle had an inkling from the start that this year’s squad would have the chance to accomplish this remarkable feat.

“I knew from the beginning,” McGonagle said of when she knew she had a special team on her hands. “I knew that they were a great team, and that they wanted it more than any team I’ve ever seen. But as we went through and started racking up the wins, it was really, definitely obvious that we had a little more than we ever had in the past.”

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