By BRANDEN MELLO
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PROVIDENCE — The coaching of Dan Greene, the defense of libero Paige Williams and the hitting of Emily Caswell, Kellie Welsh, Kristen Rameika, Adrian Pendergast and Nicole Peacock make Prout one of the best volleyball teams in the state.
But what separates the Crusaders from every team in the state – and that includes two-time defending state champion La Salle – is junior setter Elise Walsh.
Walsh, who was a second-team all-stater last year when Prout won its third consecutive Division II crown, has made the seamless transition to Division I. Tuesday night against those talented Rams, Walsh had what Greene called the junior’s best match of the season.
In just three games, Walsh dished out 44 assists to her vast array of targets. But, what made Walsh so brilliant Tuesday night was the speed she played with. The junior ran quick attacks to Peacock in the middle and then, without looking, played perfect back sets to Pendergast on the right side.
In a match that showed how superior the Crusaders are to the rest of the division, Prout didn’t allow La Salle to earn a kill in the first set as the Crusaders swept the Rams 25-13, 25-22, 25-20 to move to 12-0 in Division I-South. The Rams are now 10-2 in I-North.
“Elise put the ball in such sweets spots tonight and she made such good choices with who to give the ball to where and when,” Greene said. “This was probably her best night of the season. These hitters do realize it because they play other arenas and they know they have a real gem dishing them the ball.
“She’s got great footwork. She’s got great desire and great work ethic. She puts all that together. She’s got great training and that’s just a winning combination for her.”

For more, read the 10/16 edition of the Narragansett Times