Is Cranston West volleyball destined for the Division II title? Falcons sweep again
BARRINGTON — The Cranston West boys volleyball team hasn’t lost a set in weeks.
Yes, that’s correct. The Falcons are literally sweeping the competition.
The Falcons’ dominance in Division II is otherworldly. Watching the Falcons’ well-oiled machine reveals a program based on depth, unselfish stars and a winning mentality forged only from losing.
Cranston West (9-0) added another 3-0 win (25-17, 25-22, 25-23), this time over a Barrington team that had raced its own way through the league.
Entering Thursday’s match, the Eagles (8-2) lost to only the Falcons earlier this season in a 3-2 decision. The only other team in the division to take a set from Barrington was Lincoln, the league’s defending champion.
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And although Cranston West and Barrington might be on a collision course to meet again for potential hardware, the final regular-season match between the pair belonged to the Falcons.
“I think we're just more well-rounded,” senior Christian Mak said of the team’s dominance. “Now all of the younger kids, they've been improving every game and you could tell in the middle especially, there were blocks all over the place.”
The Falcons’ middle blocker? Kevin Dilone.
Dilone played on junior varsity last season and now holds down the middle for a Cranston West team that finished runner-up a year ago. The 6-foot-5 junior negated Barrington’s size at the net and his second-set block ignited a run that sparked the Falcons to a commanding lead in the match.
“Everyone is starting to fit better in their roles and we're overall just playing more like a team,” Dilone said.
Barrington had a grasp on the third set, leading 21-20, before the Falcons rattled off four straight points. Chris Harvey, Cranston West’s star hitter, then swung for a decisive kill.
“It’s something about our mentality, because last year the same situation happened and we lost [to Barrington] at our house,” Mak said of the game-winning run. “This year it's a little bit different, [we’re] a little bit more locked in.”
Said Harvey: “We're comfortable in those situations. We know that if we just keep doing what we're doing, and play smart and hit hard and trust each other, trust the system, we can get those points.
“That was one of those [hits] where I go up and I’m like, ‘Let’s end this right here.’ ”
The Falcons ran their streak to five straight sweeps with the triumph. They haven’t lost a set since topping East Providence, 3-1, on April 12. The Falcons also haven’t changed their strategy from last year and with seven seniors and contributions from newcomers, their path back to a title appearance almost feels given.
“When we lost to Barrington [last year], we kind of stepped down at the end of the season,” Harvey said. “We almost started playing worse. This season, obviously this is a good sign, but we're going to hope to just keep pushing and getting better.”
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cranston West volleyball downs Barrington in straight sets
