PROVIDENCE – Jacob Betres didn’t come this far to not take a swing.
Mt. Hope was deep in the fifth set Saturday night and two points from the Division III boys volleyball title. The Huskies had already watched their first two chances to clinch slip past, with Portsmouth pulling back even at The Murray Center.
Betres came up with the most important kill of his career to snap the final tie at Rhode Island College. The Patriots committed an error to close an extended following rally, a mistake that gave Mt. Hope a 3-2 victory in a thriller on Saturday.
The Huskies claimed the last two sets to post their 22-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21, 16-14 triumph. That was good for the program’s first championships since its founding ahead of the 2014 season. Mt. Hope trailed by a set twice and by a single point three different times in the fifth.
“You get a little nervous out there, because every point really matters,” Betres said. “But you only score if you go for it.”
Sean Wilkey’s kill and a hitting error by the Huskies snuffed out their first two potential championship points. Portsmouth was back level at 14-14, the eighth tie in what was supposed to be an abbreviated race to 15. The next attacking opportunity came to Betres on the left side, and he gave Mt. Hope a one-point edge with a timely contribution.
“Coach always tells us to play aggressive ball,” Betres said. “That’s what I was going to do today.”
The Huskies snapped a 10-10 deadlock with three straight points and put the Patriots on the brink thanks to Matt Moran. His stuff block on the right side denied Wilkey from adding to his 22 kills and made it 14-12. Mt. Hope just about finished it off from there while avoiding a third defeat against Portsmouth this season.
“He’s given us problems every time we’ve played them,” Moran said. “It really came down to watching the setter and seeing where he would go.”
The Huskies (19-3) looked in major trouble early. They were down a set and 22-17 in the second when Arion Ferris went on a run at the service line. Betres and Dylan Shaw each put down kills to break a 23-23 tie and draw Mt. Hope even in the match at 1-1.
“After losing the first set we had to at least take the second one,” Moran said. “It felt pretty good coming out 1-1.”
Another strong finish in the fourth helped the Huskies push this one the distance. It was 19-18 when setter Dylan DeOliveira went on two and feathered one into the open center of the court. Moran’s kill and a couple mistakes by the Patriots were enough to earn Mt. Hope a deciding set.
“We just didn’t let the fire go out,” Betres said. “We were able to bring it back again.”
Portsmouth (19-3) was also bidding for a first crown after founding its program in 2023 and posting a combined 30-6 mark over the last two regular seasons. Both of its wins against the Huskies were tight affairs, including a 3-2 squeaker on the road May 5. Mt. Hope found a way to reverse its fortunes at the ideal time.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for every single one of us,” Moran said. “Never winning a division title or a state title, it feels very good coming in and winning it and making history for Mt. Hope.”
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Mt. Hope outlasts Portsmouth to claim Div. III boys volleyball title