The Cranston East boys volleyball team is grinding through the middle of its regular season schedule and sits at 4-5 in league play and 4-7 overall.

The Bolts have faced some adversity early as standout senior hitter Jethro Vargas was injured in the warmups on opening day. With no set timetable for his return, the team has been relying on a handful of underclassmen as it looks to return to the postseason.

“The expectations are to get back to where we were last year in the state semifinals. It’s been a tough start without Jethro because we’re inexperienced and young, so we’re trying to get by right now,” said returning East coach Jhamal Diggs. Vargas hopes to return in time for the postseason despite the uncertainty.

Although the Bolts have taken some tough losses, they have also enjoyed some eye-opening wins, including a victory against first-place North Kingstown. The young players are still finding their way, but Diggs has been encouraged by the early results.

“We’ve competed with every single team we’ve played. The boys are still struggling with their confidence, but those wins show that we can compete with any team in the state. We need keep working, trust the process and come to play everyday,” said Diggs.

In particular, a trio of new faces has been leading the way for East, including a pair of sophomores.

“Charles Pincince has really stepped up as our outside hitter and Caleb Xum has stepped up big time as our setter. They’re young, Caleb is playing a new position and Charles is playing a lot more than he did last year. Hunter Maloney is in the middle filling in as well,” said Diggs.

East will now enter the back half of its regular season schedule and will be seeing these teams for the second time. Diggs hopes his team stays patient, believes in itself, and puts the hard work in in order to return to the playoffs.

“We’re big on staying the course, trusting the process and applying ourselves every day. They need to understand that it’s a long year, it’s 18 games. If you lose early on, that won’t affect you down the stretch. It’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish,” Diggs said.

The Bolts took on Chariho on Wednesday, but the results were not available at press time. East will next hit the road to face off with the Skippers once against on Friday night.