Woonsocket sweeps away Shea
Novans contending; Raiders building
WOONSOCKET — The final score of Thursday night’s Division III volleyball clash between reigning finalist Shea and improving Woonsocket showed the programs are in vastly different places.
While the Raiders have a completely new starting lineup after Dala Mendes and a number of other players graduated after guiding the squad to two straight finals, the Villa Novans find themselves loaded with a mixture of experienced seniors and talented sophomores.
Three-year starter Paola Almarante, right-side hitter Hannah Moyen, Taylor Webster and the Villa Novans played superb defense to down the young Raiders 25-14, 25-9, 25-16 victory.
“We have 10 seniors and only three are starters,” Woonsocket coach Wendy Mooney said.
“We have a young team, but they’re very talented, too. I’m very excited for the season. With our main core being younger kids, we look good. We wanted to serve and have good serve-receive in this match. We didn’t serve well, but we serve-received very well.”
“We’re just working on the basics,” Shea coach Christina Daily said. “Like I told them, this is a rebuilding year. They’re all young and they’re all eager to learn. I told them that we’re trying to work on little things in each game. I just told them I thought our passing was good tonight, but we need to work on the other things.”
Woonsocket (1-0 Division III) reached the semifinals last season after years of struggling in Division II. Mooney, who is in her second season in charge of the program after she was an All-State player in the 1990s, believes the squad can win its first title of any kind since claiming the Division I title in 1989.
“They want the title this year,” Mooney said. “I think this group can do that. With the experience from last year and making it as far as they did after a tough couple of seasons, they have that taste in their mouth of success. They want more of that.”
Shea (0-1 Division III) only lost two matches last season on its way to a five-game defeat to Rogers in the division final. Daily, who said she isn’t a patient person by nature, said she’s showing more patience with a group that is lacking varsity experience.
Sisters Janiah and Saneia Thompson are sharing time at setter, while Antonette Cooper is expected to be the team’s top offensive weapon and server.
“I do have patience, but I teach phys-ed to pre-K through first-grade kids, so by the time I get to the high school in the afternoon, I’m done repeating myself,” Daily said. “We’re just kind of rolling with the punches right now.”
The Raiders actually controlled played early in the first game and led 7-6, but three early service errors allowed the Villa Novans to slowly pull away. With Moyen at the service line, the Villa Novans went on a 4-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish.
Sophomore setter Mia Plasse settled into her first varsity start, as she started finding Webster and fellow middle hitter Kathleen Andino for kills Almarante, who started her career as a libero but moved to outside hitter last season, controlled the match with her passing.
“Paola will play all the way around because she’s the strongest person on our team right now,” Mooney said.
The Novans pulled away in the opening game before completely controlling the second game. An Almarante ace early in the game helped Woonsocket grab a lead they would never relinquish.
Mooney opted to play some of her reserves in the third game and Shea took advantage to grab a 12-11 lead. But, the Raiders couldn’t hold on to the lead, as Woonsocket went on a 13-5 run to complete the sweep.
“At the start of practice in August, I told these girls that the team I had last year, I had for four years and look what they achieved,” Daily said. “These girls can do the same thing as long as they’re dedicated and at practice every day and work hard. For the most part, this group is doing that.”