Boys Volleyball: Tigers Upset Falcons and Advance to Finals

The top seeded Falcons matched up against Tolman in the Division II state semifinals of the boys volleyball tournament at Rhode Island College on Tuesday night. Tolman rallied to win the final three games, notching a comeback victory, by winning in five games. They advance to the championship game on Friday night.

West jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the first game. The Tigers scored five in a row, taking an 11-8 lead.

The Falcons bounced back, winning four points in a row to reclaim the lead.

It was competitive throughout and late in game one, West led 19-17. A 6-2 run, capped off by two kills by junior Evan Carbone gave the Falcons a 25-19 win in game one.

Early in the second game, the Tigers had the advantage. Miday though the game, they led 13-10.

West claimed the lead with five consecutive points and they would never relinquish it.

Carbone came through in the clutch yet again, notching the game-winning kill, as the Falcons took the second game 25-20. Carbone finished with 16 kills on the night.

"The first two games we made a lot of hitting errors," Tigers coach Neil Nachbar said.

The Tigers refused to go away quietly. After trailing 4-0 in the third game, they reeled off six points in a row to take the lead.

Roger Tow, West head coach, said "After we went up 4-0 in the third game, I think we got complacent."

West rallied to take the lead at 8-7. However, the Tigers quickly regained the lead, claiming a 13-10 advantage.

The Falcons closed the gap to 17-15, but Tolman never gave up the lead. An 8-2 run to close the game, polished off by senior Elijah Wiggins' kill forced a fourth game.

Tolman's momentum carried over into the early portion of game four, as they led 5-3.

West staged a comeback and took an 11-9 lead after scoring four consecutive points. The Tigers responded with a 7-1 run, re-taking the lead.

Despite a frantic rally by the Falcons, they failed to win the fourth game. West tied it at 18 and trailed 22-21, but Wiggins ended the game with one of his 16 kills, and Tolman took the fourth game 25-21.

"After the second game, we passed better and played better defense," Nachbar added.

After trailing 3-0 to begin the deciding fifth game, West scored six out of the next seven points to take a 6-4 lead.

The Tigers kept battling and four consecutive points netted them a 12-10 advantage. They never gave up the lead and completed the comeback with a 15-11 victory in game five. They advance to the finals, where they will face Barrington on Friday night at Rhode Island College.

Tigers junior Jeffrey Ramos had 11 kills and captain Juan Montes led the defense with 21 digs.

West junior Eric Borrelli had nine kills and 5 blocks.

Tow focused on the lack of defensive intensity by his team. "They were gaining a lot of points on tips or open looks because we were not penetrating the net," he said.

"The offensive team beat a defensive team tonight," the coach added, "Overall, we had a good season, only two regular season losses."