WEST WARWICK — Tiverton keeps rolling and North Providence girls volleyball continued its Cinderella run.
The Tigers, last year’s runners-up in Division III, added another sweep to their undefeated fall on Monday night. And later, No. 10 North Providence erased Woonsocket from the D-III bracket to book its trip to Rhode Island College.
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The top-ranked Tigers (19-0) handled Providence Country Day, 3-0, and the Cougars (8-12) swept the third-seeded Villa Novans, 3-0, in the nightcap at West Warwick High School on Nov. 9. The two programs now meet for the D-III crown at RIC’s Murray Center on Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
The Tigers are playing for their fifth title overall and first since 2017. They’ve managed a 54-13 mark over the last four seasons. A championship victory on Sunday would cap this run that rivals the late 90s when the Tigers won three straight Class B titles. North Providence, in just its fifth year as a program, also beat No. 2 Central in the quarterfinals to reach their first championship.
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“It’s definitely great,” Tiverton’s Olivia Pereira said. “We’re definitely out to aim for the championship and we’re definitely doing a lot better this year.”
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“It was great,” North Providence’s Danae Bruckner said. “I did not expect that from us, 3-0. I’m surprised. I’m shocked, I can’t believe it.”
Tiverton rolls again
The Tigers’ path to championship Sunday was set in motion last year when Ponaganset swept Tiverton on the final day of the season. It’s been a year of dominance since — 15 regular-season sweeps highlighted Tiverton’s campaign.
That didn’t change on Monday against Providence Country Day after the 25-23, 25-10, 25-18 triumph. The Tigers scored six of the final seven points in a close first set before easing to a victory. A dream start for Providence Country Day, which saw the Knights lead 7-1, was washed away by the league’s top seed.
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Tiverton returned with a 5-0 run as the rest of the frame tightened. PCD broke a 19-all tie with a kill by Susan Reeves and Madison Preston added consecutive points. Pereira took over for the winning stretch on the service line to rally Tiverton in the key first set. The senior supplied 13 digs, nine kills and five aces.
Ella Nivison, Tiverton girls volleyball
“We just had to get out of our heads and get our nerves out,” Pereira said. “We needed to work together, come together and just talk it out.”
It’s essentially the same team for Tiverton this year and the group made the first-set rally just a simple recovery. A deep senior class – Pereira, Olivia Rodrigues (nine aces and 13 digs), Sayler Ouellette, Carlie Martin and Adysson Amaral all contributed in the win. Ouellette (32 assists and 15 digs) engineered the offense, while the entire group was strong defensively.
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“I just think we built as a team this year and had a stronger connection,” Pereira said. “We all trust each other on the court, which is the main factor. We’re all big pieces to a pie.”
2026 Tiverton girls volleyball
North Providence finds its spark
The Cougars needed a shift midseason. They found it with better communication and an infusion of team support that has paced this playoff run. The Cougars ended the season with losses against Central and Tiverton. They already took down the Knights and will have their shot against the Tigers in a few days.
“I think our energy and us being positive,” Bruckner said of the playoff run. “It’s a lot, that’s why we win. Before, earlier in the season, we had a bad attitude and we didn’t really have the connection between the players. Now that we actually have a chemistry, we’re playing so well.”
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North Providence’s newfound system was on display in the 25-15, 25-22, 25-16 victory against Woonsocket. The Cougars captured the back-and-forth middle frame and then were on their way to Rhode Island College. Bruckner had seven kills and nine digs and Mariana Xavier managed 10 kills.
“I’m so happy,” Bruckner said. “I’m a senior, I’m going to leave with this and I’m so proud of us.”
Danae Bruckner, North Providence girls volleyball
EWG advances to Division II semifinals
The No. 6 Scarlet Knights have been waiting since their opening-day loss to the No. 3 Titans to exact revenge against the No. 3 seed. Monday came their chance and for EWG, the wait was all worth it as they knocked off Toll Gate in the D-II semifinals, 3-1 (25-21, 25-27, 25-19, 25-13). This match started Friday, but a leaking roof forced the suspension of play. The match was completed Monday night.
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Leading the way in the victory were Anna McCoombs (21 digs, 3 kills, 4 aces), Julia Martin (6 blocks, 6 kills) and Maddie Mallard (23 assists, 3 digs, 4 aces).
Despite the loss, the Titans got solid outings from Bella Hathaway (12 kills, 1 block), Savannah Lozowski (9 kills, 6 digs) and Mackenzie Long (25 assists, 5 digs and 2 aces), in what would be their last match of the season.
EWG moves on to the D-II finals and will take on another team they lost to during the regular season, No. 2 seed Lincoln, at St. Raphael Academy on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tiverton and North Providence girls volleyball reach D-III title game
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