The CCRI Lady Knights volleyball team had its best season since 2008. The Lady Knights ended the season with an impressive 22-7 record and won the District L title in impressive fashion, beating Delaware Tech and Harcum College two times.  Their District L championship victory earned them a trip to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Charleston, West Virginia from Nov. 17-19. The Lady Knights faced eventual national champion Parkland out of Champaign, Illinois, in the first match and lost 3-0. In their second match, they faced Central Community College out of Grand Island, Nebraska, to whom they also lost 3-0. With the defeats, the Lady Knights end their historic season with a 22-7 record.

CCRI falls to Parkland: 11-25, 12-25 & 10-25

The Lady Knights got the toughest draw in the tournament after having to face the No. 1-ranked Cobras of Parkland College.  The Cobras did not lose a set on their way to winning the national championship and ended the season with a 51-set win streak. CCRI lost in three straight sets but battled hard until the end as they always do. Melanie Diaz

(New Bedford, Massachusetts) led CCRI with three kills, two aces and two digs followed by Carol Rodrigu

ez (Pawtucket, Rhode Island) with two kills and Tri-Captain Amanda LaCroix

(East Freeport, Massachusetts) also had two kills. Angelis Perez

(Central Falls, Rhode Island) added four digs while Tri-Captain Mackenzie Easterbrooks

(Plainville, Massachusetts) added three digs. The Lady Knights played as well as they could versus a near-perfect opponent.   

CCRI falls to Central 10-25, 11-25 & 12-25 

Once again, the Lady Knights found themselves in a tough matchup versus a very talented Central team out of Nebraska.  However, the Lady Knights played much better in this match despite still falling in three straight sets. Leading the way for CCRI was LaCroix,

who had eight kills and seven digs, followed by Diaz

with three kills and a team-high 10 digs and two aces. Also helping the Lady Knights was Easterbrooks

with nine digs and an ace, while Dahlia Rafael-Tirado

(Warwick, Rhode Island) had nine assists, six digs and an ace. Tri-Captain Hailey Smith

(Cumberland, Rhode Island) had a kill and Perez

added seven digs.    

Though the Lady Knights’ season ended with two three-set losses, they accomplished their goal of becoming District Champions. Now with a taste of the Nationals under their belt, the Lady Knights will have new goals as they move forward with the hopes of improving upon this season next year.