Rebels hand MSC first defeat

Reigning state champs even season series; tied for first

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – What a difference 45 miles makes. In the first meeting between the South Kingstown and Mount St. Charles volleyball teams, the Mounties coasted to asweep on their home campus. Forty-five miles south, and nearly a month later, the Rebels returned the favor, handing Mount their first loss of the season, 3-0.

“I thought the difference – and [SK head coach] Jackie [Elmer] would probably say the same thing – in the first game, our middles and net presence was much stronger than it was tonight,” said Mount coach Josh D'Abate. “Tonight was the exact opposite; their middles and net presence was better than ours. We were forced into hitting a lot of rolls and tips, and against a good team, they're going to make you pay.”

SK took the first two games by identical scores of 25-23, and won the decisive set in similarly close fashion, 25-22. Mount trailed by slim margins in Games 1 and 3, and led for most of Game 2. Long, decisive runs by the Rebels handed them close victories on all three occasions.

While it goes down in the books as a clean sweep, the match was closely contested

Photos by Jerry Silberman / risportsphoto.com Junior All-State setter Brett Gould (right) and the Mount St. Charles volleyball team suffered its first defeat of the season, a sweep at the hands of state champ South Kingstown Thursday.