Northmen fall in playoffs
North Smithfield is edged by Classical in quarterfinal
PROVIDENCE — The No. 7 North Smithfield volleyball team allowed No. 2 Central to score the first five points of the second game in Friday afternoon’s Division II quarterfinal.
The Northmen, mostly due to the play of junior middle blocker Noah Darveau, rallied to win the game and even the match.
North Smithfield started slowly in each of the next two
games, but there would be no comeback. For the second time in four days, senior middle Oliver Rayner and junior outside hitter Luis Ayala led the Purple to a victory over the Northmen, this time it was a 25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 25-7 conquest to advance to next week’s Division II semifinals at Brown’s Pizzitola Center.
“I just think we got a little frazzled and a little lost in the moment early in those games,” North Smithfield coach Jeff Crins said. “We had a temporary period of insecurity, but then they got out of that and realized they could play with these guys. When they’re confident and they’re swinging and they’re blocking, we’re a great team. When we second guess that, we go right down the tubes.”
“We played unbelievable and we all left it on the court,” senior outside hitter Sean Murphy said. “It just seemed like we would come on to the court flat and then the intensity would kick in and we would all rally together as a team. I’m really proud of these guys.”
North Smithfield (11-7 Division II) received a teamhigh 16 kills and a pair of blocks from Darveau, while Murphy added nine kills and fellow senior outside hitter Tyler Cook chipped in with seven.
Classical (15-2 Division II) will play either No. 3 Pilgrim or No. 6 East Greenwich in the semifinals. The Purple had no trouble sweeping the Northmen early in the week, but outside of the final-game blowout, the Northmen were either winning or within a couple of points late in the first three games.
“We came here Tuesday and we didn’t even show up,” Crins said. “There coach asked me what I gave my guys today because this was a completely different team. We knew coming in they were going to underestimate us and we firing on offense early in the match. Our goal was to wear them down and keep the points going because eventually they would break down.”
The visitors’ best start actually came in the opening game when Darveau hit his team to a 3-1 advantage. The Northmen held leads of 5-3, 6-5 and 10-9 before the Purple used their superb defense and efficient hitting to grab control of the game. Classical went on a 7-2 run to take a four-point lead and the Northmen never got closer than two points in the Purple’s opening-game win.
Classical took advantage of a number of hitting errors early in the second game to take a 5-0 advantage. The Northmen still trailed 17-12 when Darveau took complete control of the game. The junior had five kills and a block late in the game to square the match.
“It was just about getting the ball to the hot hand,” Crins said. “Winners want the ball and he kept getting the ball and doing the right thing with it.”
The Purple, behind a kill from Ayala and a couple of Northmen mistakes, scored the first five points of the third game. And, again, the Northmen battled back to give themselves a chance to win. With Cook at the service line, the Northmen went on a 7-0 run to even the game at 14.
Classical responded with an 11-4 run to win the game, and they carried that momentum into the fourth game where Raynor and junior setter Rockey Vang simple controlled the contest. The Purple built leads of 6-1, 11-3 and 20-5 to advance to their second straight D-II semifinals.
“I like to see the progression from the beginning of the season until now,” Crins said. “That’s success to me; seeing them from where they started to the way they are playing now.”
“This was an unbelievable season,” Murphy said. “We were close with Classical for the first three games, it was unbelievable. Every single kid on this team – all the young guys – it’s all about them. It’s about the future.”