2016 Stories of the Year

1. West beats Central in four sets to claim D-II title

Posted 1/11/17

In June 2015, Cranston West sulked and sauntered off the court after falling in five sets to crosstown rival East in the Division II boys' volleyball semifinals. To date, they still haven't lost a match since. The Falcons returned a senior-laden core to

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2016 Stories of the Year

1. West beats Central in four sets to claim D-II title

Posted

In June 2015, Cranston West sulked and sauntered off the court after falling in five sets to crosstown rival East in the Division II boys’ volleyball semifinals.

To date, they still haven’t lost a match since.

The Falcons returned a senior-laden core to the court in 2016, riding them to an undefeated record and the school’s first-ever title in the sport. West downed Central in four sets at Brown’s Pizzitola Center in June, losing just two sets all year.

“It’s just amazing,” West senior setter Ryan Murphy said after the game. “Four years of hard work for this moment right here. We’ve been so close these past couple years to get to this moment. It’s great to finally get here.”

West was a machine all season, and it never stopped chugging. The Falcons surged to a 2-0 lead during the championship round before fending off a furious Knights comeback. Central took the third set, 25-23, and came out firing in the fourth.

That was where the magic ended, though. West did what it had all season, rip off blistering scoring runs en route to significant victories. The Falcons went on a 14-5 streak before eventually sealing the win on senior Andrew Albro’s 17th kill of the afternoon.

Entering the semifinal round against West Warwick, West had yet to lose a set during the campaign. The Falcons dispatched the Wizards, but it took an unfamiliar four sets to do so. In the long run, it may have been for the better.

“We were glad we got that set loss out against West Warwick, and not in the finals,” then-junior middle blocker Brett Bucci said. “I felt like if that was in the finals, our first loss, that would have thrown us off completely. So that definitely prepared us mentally for this one.”

The 2016 Cranston West boys’ volleyball team earned its spot in school history, with just two set losses to boot, and for that it receives one more honor: Cranston’s sports story of the year.

- Jacob Marrocco

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