The Barrington High School girls volleyball team battled through a bumpy start, including some unexpected service errors, to win the Division II State Championship on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 10.

The number one-seeded Eagles defeated the number three-seeded Middletown Islanders 3-1 at Rhode Island College. The final score was 27-25, 20-25, 25-15, 25-22. 

“We just started with a ton of unforced errors. I think we had four service errors,” said Barrington High School Coach Ron Enos said, adding that some of the errors may have been due to the brand new volleyball the teams were using in the finals. 

The Islanders took a commanding lead in the first set, pushing ahead of the Eagles by as many as nine points, before Barrington stormed back to win 27-25. Enos said his team was finally able to land some serves in and flip the momentum. 

Barrington took an early lead in the second set, but Middletown responded and captured a five-point victory in the set. 

Enos said he continued to remind his team that they were the stronger squad and they just needed to play their game. The message hit home and Barrington began to distance itself down the stretch. The Eagles won the third set 25-15 and captured the title with a 25-22 victory in the fourth.

Sophia Denham led the charge for Barrington and was named MVP — the senior tallied 24 assists, five kills, four aces and 17 digs. Enos said her passion on the court was also a key factor for the Eagles. 

“Sophia, she’s the MVP because without her we’re a different team. She’s a leader,” Enos said. “She was not going to let us lose.”

Enos also praised Emma McCrann: “Emma McCrann is the best player on the team and she may be the best player in the division.”

Claudia Leonard made an impact as well. She tallied 11 kills in the victory. 

“Claudia came through for us. She had a good night at the net. She did a really nice job playing above the net. She did a great job of mixing it up,” Enos said. 

Rachel Freshman finished the game with eight kills and two aces, and Morgan Martin had 23 digs and five assists. Ruby Ciummo continued to play well, adding to her season tallies for blocks and kills, while Lauren Leonard stepped up for some key serves in the third set. 

“We’ve got a lot of girls who bring the passion,” he said. “They love to play.”

The big win on Sunday afternoon marked the third state championship for Ron Enos as coach of the Eagles. He also won titles in 2015 and 2016, when the Eagles were led by three-time RI Gatorade Player of the Year Maile Somera.

Enos said this year’s championship team may be the most well-rounded he has coached. 

“This is a good group,” he said. “They’re really committed to this.”

This year’s victory served as redemption for the Eagles, which lost in the semifinals last year. 

“I’m just real happy for the girls,” Enos said.