West Warwick boys volleyball sweeps Westerly to win Division II crown

PROVIDENCE – The West Warwick faithful arrived in droves.

History for the boys volleyball program beckoned, and they weren’t going to miss it. West Warwick had the loudest supporters of any team playing in the championship tripleheader at Rhode Island College on Saturday, June 6.

The Wizards used rallies in the first and second frames to ignite the Murray Center. The third set against Westerly was more of a formality as the Wizards cruised to their first boys volleyball title in Division II.

The 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-16) victory came after the top-ranked Wizards (16-2) reached the title game for the first time in program history. West Warwick won 13 games last year after just five total victories in the two previous seasons combined.

“It’s insane, and it means the world,” West Warwick’s Colin Kelly said. “Just to show our fans, all the people here, the work we’ve done these past seasons. I’ve been here four years, and to see where the program is now, it just feels great.”

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The Wizards were down 10-7 in the first set and 8-5 in the middle stanza before taking both with runs. The 7-1 sequence in the second set forced a timeout from the second-ranked Bulldogs (13-4) as Michael Gallo’s kill made it a 12-9 advantage.

“It’s a blessing,” Gallo said. “I’ve been a part of a lot of varsity teams here at West Warwick but haven’t been able [to win a championship]. This one felt really nice to pull it off. We won the division, and now we get the title with a statement to put us on the map.”

The Bulldogs fought back and were on their way to evening up the match with a 23-19 advantage. But Gallo’s kill rotated Kelly back into the middle of the attack, and the Wizards took advantage with their 6-foot-5 blocker. West Warwick denied the Bulldogs five set points as Kelly’s final kill put the Wizards up 2-0 in the match.

“It’s just perseverance,” Kelly said. “We were down, I had to come back in, make some plays and the team had my back and we just won.”

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Kelly is a basketball player by practice – he’s committed to Dean College. But the multi-sport standout stayed with volleyball throughout high school, and it paid off with Saturday’s win.

“This is probably the most fun season I’ve ever been a part of,” Kelly said. “It just means the world to the team. We’re so close. I’m with these guys every day. It just comes to show that we’re a team.

“I got to the AMP [for basketball] last year, and now I get to play here. It’s just amazing, all of these experiences and all of the people I’ve met throughout these sports.”

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Alex Osmena then left little doubt in the third that it was West Warwick’s night. The senior struck for four straight aces to capture the title and a celebration in front of the grandstand.

“Four straight aces, I never thought that I would have done that,” Osmena said. “But when I was serving, it fell off my hand perfectly. I just knew that with the right power, the right accuracy, it was going to be nice.”

“I never doubted him at all during this game,” Gallo said of Osmena. “When I saw him at the line to finish the game, I got really excited. He started smiling. That’s when you know it’s a win.”

West Warwick’s only setbacks this season were 3-1 defeats against D-I’s Cranston West and Central Falls. The Wizards avenged that loss against the Warriors in the semifinals and swept Juanita Sanchez in the first round.

“We couldn’t have done it without our fans,” Osmena said. “Every single one of our supporters, they all helped us out to win. They all love us, and we love them.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score from the 2026 RIIL Division II Boys Volleyball Championship