Girls Volleyball: Falcons Serving Key in Thrashing of Thunderbolts

Cranston East's girls volleyball team traveled to Cranston West to take on the Falcons on Tuesday night. The Thunderbolts put up a fight, but in the end, West swept the match, winning three consecutive games.

The first game was competitive throughout, as the biggest lead for either team was only four points. The Falcons took an early 5-1 lead, but eventually East tied it at 11. It was a battle in the final moments of the game, as the teams were tied at 16, 19, and 21. West scored four of the last five points, winning the first game 25-22.

The Thunderbolts seemed poised to rebound from their loss in game one, as they jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second game. However, the home team rallied, scoring nine out of the next 10 points, and 16 out of the next 19 points, eventually leading to a 17-7 lead for the Falcons.

"Our serving was consistent, which allowed us to go on those runs," Falcons coach Tom Ferri said.

East got within seven points, trailing 19-12, but West captain Sam Wheeler sealed the 25-15 victory with a block at the net.

The Thunderbolts could have folded at many times on Tuesday night. However, their effort and intensity level matched the Falcons throughout the contest. They never gave up and continued to fight.

Cranston East had an opportunity to take game number three, as they possessed a 21-20 lead. However, West outscored the Bolts 5-2 to end the match, winning the third game 25-23.

The Thunderbolts drop to 0-6 on the season and Cranston West improves to 2-3.

East co-captain, Jincy Phann, notched 12 assists in the match and senior Shyan Siakala had four kills and two blocks.

West junior Courtney Salisbury led the team with six kills and three aces and co-captain Ashley DeSimone had six assists.

"The thing I liked about tonight is we limited our unforced errors," Ferri added, "We need to work on our power and the consistency of our setting."