La Salle boys volleyball adds to its culture with another championship

PROVIDENCE — La Salle boys volleyball was easy to find.

>The maroon and white colors seemed all-encompassing this season. But it was even easier to hear the Rams from every corner of the Murray Center — or any gym La Salle invaded this spring.

>The best bench mob always traveled with the best team in the state and the starters fed off their teammates’ energy. The Rams’ machine trampled through Division I and the playoffs were just an extension of that excellence.

>The top-ranked Rams (15-3) didn’t surrender a set over three postseason victories. La Salle was only competing against itself when the calendar hit June, and it succeeded in outshining its previous matches.

>The final showcase was a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-16) bulldozer championship against rival No. 2 Hendricken (14-3) on Saturday, June 6 at Rhode Island College. The Rams reached the final round after sweeps of Coventry and North Kingstown. The state championship victory was La Salle’s third in four seasons and landed in the first title meeting against the Hawks.

>“Our bench is the best in the state,” Flavio Tavares said. “They help us out so much and we wouldn’t have the amount of energy without them. It’s so hard to see people who aren’t playing be so selfless and be so energized on the bench. They’re so bought in and we love them for it.”

>“Our practice squad would easily put up good numbers against other teams,” David St. Onge said. “Winning against most of D-I and the other divisions as well. Practices help our blocking, passing — just everything. [The bench] contributes so much to our wins.”

>La Salle’s been on a title run since it broke through in 2023 with its first volleyball crown. That group swept Chariho and then La Salle upset North Kingstown the following year. It took the first championship to help build the culture and now everyone’s subscribed to the winning ways.

>Tavares was the group’s best hitter, and it showed on Saturday. But St. Onge, Stephen Buco, Daniel Ayorinde and a host of more hitters all aided to La Salle’s title run. Setter Cooper Amaral had his pick of options to run the offense through.

>“I’m just so proud,” Amaral said. “The coaches put in so much time — they deserve all the credit. … They’re in here everyday and I’m just super proud of the program.”

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>The Rams turned in a 3-0 run midway through the first set to take control with a 20-14 advantage. The sequence stretched to six straight points with an ace from Jackson Potter and a kill by Anthony Thibeault from the middle of the attack. La Salle finished that opening stanza by winning eight of the last nine points and built on the run with a 5-1 lead to start the middle set.

>Hendricken climbed back into the frame as it cut the deficit to 16-13 with four straight points. But Tavares returned after a timeout with a kill and then La Salle ended the set with three consecutive points.

>“We were trying, our goal was obviously to win, but we were trying to just build a bigger margin than the last game,” Tavares said. “Our first championship in [2023] they did just that, every single game they grew and grew. So that's what we were really striving for. We were trying to play our best ball, and then the next game, play our best ball.”

>The banner-raising third set was never in doubt as La Salle held 7-2 and 21-15 leads. The final four points went La Salle’s way as the Rams put the finishing touches on a standout season.

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>“It’s impressive [not losing a set], but we have so many great players playing behind me and playing with me,” libero Jayden Simao said. “Especially our bench, our bench was definitely a big part of this season.”

>“We were ready for everything during this playoff season,” St. Onge said. “We practiced hard, our alumni came back and that just shows how much they love our team and La Salle volleyball.”

>Saturday marked just the second all-private school State Championship as Hendricken returned match for the first time since 2021. The Hawks improved by five wins this season and beat East Providence and East Greenwich to make it to the championship.

> “There’s no feeling like [winning], it’s indescribable,” Tavares said. “You have to feel it in the moment, it was amazing to be around my brothers and feel that sense of victory.”

>This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score from the 2026 RI high school boys volleyball state championship