Boys Volleyball: Thunderbolts Tame Knights

The Cranston East Thunderbolts notched a win over Exeter West Greenwich in a non-league boys volleyball match Monday night.  The Scarlet Knights fought tough, but in the end the Thunderbolts won the match 3-1,

It was a non-league match because EWG competes in Division II and East is in Division I.

In the first game, the Knights held the lead throughout. EWG had early leads of 2-0, 5-2, and 7-4. They reeled off four consecutive points to take a commanding 11-4 lead.

However, the Bolts roared back scoring seven of the next eight points cutting their deficit to 12-11. The Scarlet Knights never surrendered the lead and won the game 25-22.

"We were a little out of synch that first game," East coach Tom Ferri said.

The second game was in stark contrast to the first, as East led throughout. They started strong, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. After the Knights won a point, the Bolts went on a 8-2 run, opening up a 13-4 lead.

A kill by junior Kegan Moody ended the game, as East won it handily 25-14.

In the third game, both teams were fighting hard and it was competitive throughout. The game was tied at 2 and 4, before East held a slight edge at 9-7. After the Bolts took a 13-11 lead, a 6-1 run pushed their lead to 19-12.

However, EWG would not go down without a fight. After trailing 22-15, an 8-1 run evened the game at 23. The Bolts scored the final two points, as Tom Brewer's kill ended the game.

The fourth game proved to be a mirror image of the third. The Knights led for the majority of the game, but could not win it. Their lead was trimmed to 19-18, but they scored three in a row, aided by Matt Sevegny's two aces. 

The Thunderbolts clawed their way back into the game, scoring five out of the next six points to tie it up at 23. EWG had two chances to win the game and force a decisive fifth game. They held leads of 24-23 and 25-24 and had serves to win the game. However, they could not finish it out and East won the final game 27-25, winning the match three games to one.

"Some of the younger guys are playing and getting some valuable experience," Ferri added. In his eyes, one player made the difference in the contest. "Billy Chen really turned it up a notch at the end of the last game," he said.

EWG coach, Jan McMahon was pleased with her team's effort. "I liked the communication and that we were working together as a team," she said, "I feel like our players are growing."

Specifically she saw two players stand out. "Jordan Dunford is improving every single game and Alex Horlbogen did a nice job tonight," she added.

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