Girls Volleyball: Purple Defeat Thunderbolts in Thrilling Fashion

The Thunderbolts girls volleyball team came into Thursday night's home match against Classical searching for their first victory of the season. They had their opportunities and hung tough, but ultimately would fall short. The Purple won in five games, 3-2.

Cranston East showed a lot of heart and fight in the first game. They trailed for a majority of the game, but slowly battled their way back into the game. Ultimately, they would win 26-24.

In the beginning stages of the second game, both teams could not establish a big lead. Classical surged ahead 15-8, scoring six consecutive points. After the Bolts answered with four points in a row, the Purple went on a 7-0 run, extending their lead to 22-12. They won the game 25-16, evening the match at 1.

East had the lead early in the third game but Classical fought back. The Thunderbolts would relinquish the lead, when Classical went on a 8-1 run, to claim a 16-11 edge. The Purple took the game 25-18.

The fourth game was tightly contested from start to finish. In the later portions of the game, it was tied at 13, 15, 16, and 18. East surged ahead with five straight points, to take a 23-18 lead. They held on and forced a decisive fifth game, winning the fourth 25-19.

The final game was a rollercoaster ride at the beginning. The teams were tied at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7. Classical took a 9-8 lead, and ended the match convincingly. They scored six points in a row, to take the final game 15-8.

Classical senior Frances Vazquez led the team with 16 kills, 4 aces, and 2 blocks. Junior Aline Saysithidath had 25 assists and 2 digs.

Bolts senior Gianna Delgado led the team with 7 kills and Vanessa Recinos had 18 digs. Co-captain Jincy Phann led the team with 20 assists.

"These girls work really hard and I am proud of their effort," Bolts coach, Ron Lee, said. He talked about the inexperience of his team, stating that they only return two starters.

"We are making a lot of mental mistakes because most of the kids do not have varsity experience," he said.