The East Providence High School girls' volleyball team passed what was most certainly its sternest test to date in its 2023 Division II regular season as the Townies went on the road to defeat Cumberland 3-1 Monday night, Oct. 16.

East Providence returned home with its 12th win in as many league matches at the time following its 26-24, 25-19, 24-26, 25-12 win. For the host Clippers, it was just their second loss in 12 outings. The defeat dropped them into third place behind the unbeaten Townies and 10-1 Mt. Hope.

"I thought the team played with great energy," said EPHS head coach Alex Butler. "We overcame a slow start. We focused and played smart point to point volleyball to take the first. Thought Cumberland was a little defeated after that first game."

Game 1 remained tight though 8-all before Cumberland edged ahead a bit and maintained a lead to 21-18. The third three games, in fact, saw the score reach 21-18 at the critical late moment in each.

In the first the hosts then made a few errors and Keira Mullen delivered a pair of kills to bring the Townies back to tie the score back at 23-apiece. It was EP's turn to make a miscue next, a passing error that led to a poor hit to put Cumberland in front again 24-23. But the visitors found a response, winning the next three points on an errant Clipper hit, a Mullen kill and a Daniella Escudero ace on set point to earn the important, momentum building win.

The next two games followed a similar pattern, close early before one side gained a late advantage. In the second set, it was East Providence who opened up a working margin in the final stages. And it was another Mullen kill followed by an Escudero ace that put the locals on the precipice of the win. Cumberland got a point back with a kill off an EP block, but Mullen closed it out with what is becoming her patented left-handed spike for the six point win.

Game 3 also remained tight for a significant amount of play, staying tied through 14-14 when a Clipper and a Townie locked legs at the net. The Cumberland player needed medical attention, which caused a lengthy delay. Her mates eventually responded with an inspired effort late, rallying from a 23-16 deficit to win the set on a clean kill down the line. In between, East Providence, which hadn't faced much adversity in its previous rather easy 11 win, played sloppy, tentative ball down the stretch. The game, then, fittingly ended in the hosts' favor on an EP net infraction and a Townie hitting error.

"The second game we controlled and the third we were up 21-18 and didn’t finish. We got stuck in a rotation and we reverted to earlier in the season where we played unsure," Butler said of the middle sets. "It’s hard to play in these matches because we haven’t had a lot of back and forth solid plays. So it was a learning experience. We have so many people going through this 'the first' time so it was good to see them pull together."

In what had to be taken as a sign of growth and maturity, East Providence had an emphatic answer in Game 4. The Townies raced to an 11-3 and maintained the sizable spread the rest of the way. EP went up 15-5 on a Kate Bernhardt kill. Later, the locals doubled up Cumberland, 22-11, on the last of Mullen's team-best 10 kills. The Townies reached game and match point on a Trinity Johnson-Carter spike, then won it on a Cumberland hitting miscue.

"The fourth game we played smart, solid volleyball and really minimized our errors and that’s why the score was lopsided," Butler added.

Mullen added three blocks and 12 assists in the Townies' two-setter formation. Escudero had five service aces total and led the locals with 15 digs from her libero position.

East Providence had three matches remaining as of a mid-week contest, October 18, at home against Exeter-West Greenwich. The Townies close out their regular season next week with matches in North Smithfield, October 23, and against visiting Westerly on Thursday, Oct. 26, for Senior Night. Each match starts at 6:30 p.m.