PROVIDENCE – Mt. Hope Huskies are champions again.
After a complete team performance and strong finish, the Huskies swept Exeter-West Greenwich on Saturday, June 6, to secure their second boys volleyball title in program history and their second straight Division III title.
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“I felt nothing but happiness and pride for my team,” Huskies senior captain Matthew Moran said of the win. “With the way we played coming in, being back-to-back champions was something we were fighting for all season.
“That last point, I was so happy. I just looked up at the board, saw the margin, and knew my guys were going to make it.”
What do these consecutive titles mean for such a small program?
“It means a lot. There’s very little chance of sequels happening on a show like this, considering it’s a new show. No. [Mt. Hope] The team advanced to the semis last year. It’s a great achievement, and I’m proud of everyone involved.”
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Going into this game, the Huskies and Scarlet Knights were both tight. Mt. Hope entered after back-to-back sweeps of Mount Pleasant and Hope, while EWG got to sweep St. Raphael in the semi-finals. With these two teams combined for just six losses all season and both playing impressive volleyball for a long time, the matchup had all the makings of a championship-level battle.
Despite being a new show, with its first season coming in 2014, Mt. Hope quickly rose to prominence as one of the country’s top programs. EWG was making its first tournament since 2022, with the Scarlet Knights looking to capture their first title since 2006 (the program’s only tournament).
The two teams faced each other at the beginning of the season, Mt. Hope won a tough game in five sets. The Huskies entered Saturday’s rematch as the favorite, and the stage was set for a very competitive game.
The first set started with the point of Mt. Hope, and the war was still going on. Back-and-forth volleyball ensued, with each side trading two- and three-point runs. EWG fought hard and kept it close, led by another impressive performance from junior Zoltan Libertini. After a tough first set, the Huskies took a 1-0 lead, winning the highly anticipated set 25-21.
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Things started to look different in the second and third sets, however. The Huskies began to change their size and skill when junior Dylan DeOliveira and junior Jackson Gould began to take over the game. Before the Scarlet Knights knew what hit them, Mt. Hope took the second set in dominant fashion, highlighted by hunderous spikes from the Huskies’ big hitters.
Mt. Hope swept Exeter-West Greenwich on Saturday to win their second boys volleyball championship in program history and their second consecutive Division III state title.
EWG gave it all, but Mt. Hope was a different animal in the third. Smelling blood in the water, the Huskies raced to a 5-0 lead and never looked back. The final set was never in doubt. As senior Logan Toste stepped in and stepped in at the service line with the Huskies holding match point, Mt. Hope closed out the game 25-9, capping off an impressive performance and securing its second straight championship.
The Huskies have a team spirit and a sense of camaraderie that is evident to anyone who watches them play.
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“We’ve all been playing together since freshman year,” senior libero Arion Ferris said. “I remember my brother got us all into it. We got Matt into it, Dylan into it, the other guys into it, and this chemistry just built over time. Just being able to be here with these guys for four years, and now winning two years, you get along when you do good.”
Dylan Shaw (9) of Mt. Hope goes up for the kill against EWG’s defense.
For the Scarlet Knights, this season is nothing to stop heads over. The team put together an impressive junior varsity run and was led throughout the season by standouts like Libertini and Casey Kretchman, both of whom will be back for next year’s campaign. Despite a significant size disadvantage, EWG played with a lot of heart and left everything out on the field on Saturday.
Looking ahead, don’t be surprised if these two teams get back at it in the future. The Huskies will lose their talented senior class but also retain several key players, and will look for three points. EWG will also retain many key athletes in this squad who have proven they can play with anyone.
This article originally appeared in the Providence Journal: Scores from the 2026 RIIL Division III Boys Volleyball Championship
