PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School girls’ volleyball team faced a familiar foe and Division I-North rival in the LaSalle Rams Wednesday night, Oct. 15, on the road at the McLaughlin Athletic Center, the Townies earning a 3-0 victory.
The teams, who entered the contest in a share of first place, had faced off in East Providence’s season opener early in the fall in a match the Townies won by the same 3-0 count. Wednesday’s outing followed a very similar script with the Townies again winning in three sets by the scores of 25-23, 25-19, 25-21.
The win, however, didn’t come easy as LaSalle kept it competitive in all three games. E.P., though, pulled out the victory led by libero Casey Traverse (16 digs) and hitter Emma Drolet. The two were clear stand outs in the win with Drolet having tremendous net presence all game highlighted by back-to-back blocks in the first set. Traverse handled most of the hits that went to the back row successfully, EPHS head coach Alex Butler noting she has been one of the standouts for the Townies all season long.
“Casey has been a bulldog in the back row,” Coach Butler said. “If that ball is back there, it’s her ball. She is the quarterback of the defense and she has to go make the calls and communicate. Some people would say that is a lot of pressure to put on a kid but she wants it.”
Traverse wasn’t the only one that drew high praise as senior Cassia Spivey has spurred the Townies’ offensive attack at the setter position.
“Cassia is involved in every play,” Coach Butler said. “She is very knowledgeable about the game and is really experienced.”
While E.P. has been impressive all year long, Coach Butler says they have shown marked improvement from the start of the season.
“It has been a process. We have returned quite a few players but we have some young players out on the floor,” he said. “Our serving and passing struggled some at the beginning of the year and it is beginning to get more consistent. When that happens your play picks up.”
The Townies have a lot of experience on their roster. E.P. carries 15 players on the varsity roster with 11 of them being upperclassmen, which Coach Butler says has its pros and cons.
“There are advantages and disadvantages to having that many (upperclassmen),” he said. “They do know what they need to do in certain tough situations. However, I also think because you have so much experience you can rely on that too much.”
The win Wednesday night lifted East Providence’s record to 10-3 and put the Townies into sole possession of first place in the I-North standings. It also secured them a spot in next week’s state playoffs. Coach Butler said he is is pleased with how his team in playing, but that the squad needs to improve some entering the postseason.
“A level of consistency is where we need to improve. We will play seven points really high and then we will go down for three,” he said. “Those dips are something you really can’t afford come playoff time.”
Coach Butler also mentioned his appreciation for cohesiveness of the team and its focus on the same goal.
“It is a very close knit group. There is no ‘me’ before ‘we,’ and the girls work,” he said. “They want to be successful and we want to be playing on that last Saturday of the season (in the Division I championship match). And that is what we are working towards every day.”
The victory was the fourth in five matches for the Townies, while the loss left LaSalle with a 9-4 record. E.P. next hosts Cumberland Friday night, Oct. 17, while the Rams travel to Classical High School on the same evening. Both matches are set to start at 6:30 p.m.
— Story by Nick Friend