By ALEX SPONSELLER For the second time this fall, the Cranston West girls volleyball team swept rival East in three straight sets to continue rolling in Division I. The Falcons won 3-0 by scores of 25-16, 25-12, 25-18.

The Bolts gave the Falcons trouble in the first half of each set and had multiple leads throughout the evening. However, the West offense would regularly take back control and run away with points down the stretch.

“We just came out a little bit sluggish, we weren’t attacking the ball, we weren’t as aggressive as we had to be. They picked it up and went on a couple of serving runs, no great run, but we served the ball well. We tipped the ball well which I think affected their hitting, too,” said West coach Tom Ferri.

East’s roster boasts some heavy hitters up front including Ajie Jagne and Trinity Saab. However, West got solid play from girls up front like Kaitlyn Antonucci, Makenzie Bessette and Emily Bessette to minimize the threat.

“We practice that a lot, we try to neutralize their best hitters. You’re not going to stop them, they’re just too good. So we try to slow the ball down, deflect it, give the back row a chance. They hit the ball down a few times but our blockers did a good job,” said Ferri.

With the win, the Falcons improved to 9-3 on the season and further solidified its grasp of the top spot in the Division I North playoff picture. The Falcons faced Mount St. Charles on Tuesday evening, but the results were not available at press time.

After getting off to a 6-0 start this fall, West dropped three straight matches but have since restarted another winning streak. Ferri has been proud of the team’s resilience and hopes to see it continue to gel with the postseason looming.

“We’ve come back after the three-game losing streak. Beating a tough team like Portsmouth was a big win to get back on track and to regain that confidence. It showed them that they can still be one of the best teams in the league. They have good chemistry, they play well together so hopefully they can relax,” said Ferri.

The Bolts dropped to 4-6 in the loss, but are still in the Division I playoff hunt. East hosted Cumberland on Tuesday night as well, but the results were not available at press time.