Volleyball tops Massasoit in five-set thriller to capture second consecutive Region XXI title

Monday, October 24

The Community College of Rhode Island won its second consecutive NJCAA Division III Region XXI Women’s Volleyball Tournament Sunday with wins over Northern Essex Community College in the semifinals and Massasoit Community College in the championship match.

The top-seeded Knights beat No. 4 Northern Essex 25-19, 25-18, 25-14 in the semis and then held on for a 3-2 win over No. 3 seed Massasoit by scores of 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 20-25, 17-15 in a thrilling championship finale.

The Knights advance to the 2022 NJCAA DIII Volleyball Northeast District Championship beginning this Saturday at home on the Flanagan Campus with an opportunity to advance to the NJCAA DIII National Tournament. The Knights, who finished 11-1 during the regular season to earn the top seed in the regional tournament, also won the Region XXI championship in 2021 before falling short in the districts.

Freshman Madison Dessert (Coventry, RI) led the Knights’ attack in the championship, finishing with a team-high 16 kills and seven service while sophomore co-captain Madison Capwell (Coventry, RI) – No. 1 in the nation this year in service aces per set – added 13 kills and four digs. Freshman Kaylie Cabral (Tiverton, RI) led the Knights with 11 service aces and sophomore co-captain Kelsey Conway (Coventry, RI) capped an all-around solid performance with two kills, four service aces, and a pair of digs.

In the semis against Northern Essex, Conway finished with four service aces, two kills, and seven digs while Capwell added team-highs in digs (12) and kills (10). Freshman Adriana Ortiz (Providence, RI) led the Knights with 11 digs.

Dating back to last October, the Knights have won 19 of 22 matches, including the postseason.