VB: Rogers gives up a set to Middletown, but cruises to the win, 3-1

By Danaysha Cherry

NEWPORT -- Rogers High School rallied after giving up a set to rival Middletown for a 3-1 win, overcoming a sloppy start to secure the Division III volleyball victory Friday night. 

The rivalry matchup drew little fanfare with the Rogers football team hosting its homecoming game later in the evening. That left the volleyball crowd sparse, though the Vikings made the most of their chance to shine improving to 4-7, while Middletown dropped to 0-11.

The opening set was where the visitors, Middletown, struggled at the service line. The Vikings used that to their advantage and started gaining momentum, cutting the score closer which forced the Islanders to burn both timeouts. The Vikings won the first set, 25-23.

The second set is where Middletown started to find its groove, though.

They pulled through with their attacks and on the defensive end which led to a Vikings' timeout. The Islanders pulled away to even the match 1-1 at 25-20 .

Vikings senior captain Jezaleigh DeOliveira said after the match that when the Islanders took the second set, she told her teammates to not dwell on the bad, focus on the good, move on and make the next point better.

The Vikings responded in the third.  Junior Miranda Ventura contributed six aces while DeOliveira added four digs as Rogers limited errors to claim the set, 25-19.

The Vikings rode that momentum into the fourth. Ventura and senior Maryann Gallagher both put five kills on the board and senior setter Alana Finn kept Middletown on its toes with some well-timed dumps.

Middletown senior Jasmine Marks contributed four kills for the Islanders but still the effort was not enough and Rogers closed out the match with a 25-17 win in the fourth set.

Although the Islanders came up short, head coach Dahlia Rafael-Tirado said that she had seen growth within her team.

“This is my first year with the girls and I think they’ve improved from the first time we played Rogers,” Rafael-Tirado said. “We actually didn’t take a set on them, so to take a set on them is good improvement.” 
She pointed out that the team didn't communication and lacked aggressiveness, something it will work on in the next match as it continues to search for its first victory.

Rogers is also adjusting to new leadership with first-year head coach Lindsay Agvent and assistant coach Julia Damore.  Damore said that the transition has been really good thanks to her and  Agvent having a lot of experience themselves.

“We’re reflecting a lot of how we were coached and what worked for us on them,” she said.  
DeOlivieira said the new staff has already made an impact.

“I think that our new coaches are great and probably one of the best coaches I’ve had,” she said. 

Although this was a victory for the Vikings, there are still things that need to be worked on.

 “I think they get in their heads a lot. I think them getting down on themselves and digging themselves in a little bit of a hole is the hardest part,” Damore said. “At times they can be their own worst enemy.”

The Vikings' record is 4-7. They will return home on Tuesday Oct. 7 and face the top team in the division, Ponaganset, at 6:30 p.m. 

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