Division I , Division I predictions, Division II , Division II predictions, Division III , Division III predictions

NORTH KINGSTOWN — The North Kingstown and La Salle boys volleyball teams aptly scheduled a state championship rematch on the final day of the regular season.

It provided a perfect launching point for the 2025 playoffs as the Skippers exacted a bit of revenge with a 3-0 sweep. North Kingstown finished as the top seed in the Division I playoffs with just four set losses all year.

The Skippers enter as the heavy favorites to win this year’s title, and honestly, if NK doesn’t win, it’ll be stunning.

"It felt very good; we've been waiting a while for that," NK's Stephen Dufour said, after the La Salle match. "We've proven that we still have our players and we can win."

The same goes for D-III where Portsmouth and Mt. Hope have blitzed the league. One of those two teams will win that championship, and any other result would be the upset of the spring.

D-II is led by No. 1 Lincoln and the Lions’ undefeated mark. They'll likely be promoted to D-I next year and they will deserve it after this spring.

Here are full playoff breakdowns, with predictions:

Division I

Maybe the hardest challenge NK faced this regular season was staying focused. Even that didn’t seem to faze the Skippers. Returning All-Staters Dufour, Ryan Harrington and Cody Tow have higher aspirations than an undefeated regular season on their minds. Evan Shea, Ryan Rathbun, Sean Peters and Connor Valois have complemented that core perfectly to create the most well-rounded team in the state.

“Even at the end of the regular season and at the beginning of it, it's really just tunnel vision for us,” Harrington said, after the La Salle victory. “The goal throughout the entire season is to get to the end, and we stay focused regardless of who we play. If it's the No. 2 seed or the 10 seed, it doesn't matter.”

North Kingstown's Ryan Harrington has championship aspirations this spring.

No. 2 Cranston East hasn’t shied away from the Skippers this season. The Thunderbolts scheduled NK three times during the regular season knowing that an eventual playoff meeting might happen. If it does, expect Charles Pincince, Dennis Dixon, Caleb Xum and Co. to bring their best. Cranston East can hit and serve with the best of them as the Thunderbolts are eyeing their first D-I championship appearance.

No. 3 Classical came on late in the season, winning five of its final six matches. But the Purple ended the season by being swept by Cranston East. Ian Nascimento and Jacob Agramonte can swing it for the Purple and they’re going to need it if they see Cranston East in the semifinals.

The 4 vs. 5 matchup is always fun in the quarterfinals and this year is no different. La Salle at East Providence should be a really entertaining match with the winner getting NK in the semifinals.

Division I predictions

Preliminary round

No. 7 Chariho over No. 10 Cranston West

No. 9 Coventry over No. 8 East Greenwich

Quarterfinals

No. 5 La Salle over No. 4 East Providence

No. 2 Cranston East over No. 7 Chariho

No. 3 Classical over No. 6 Hendricken

No. 1 North Kingstown over No. 9 Coventry

Semifinals

At Rhode Island College

No. 1 North Kingstown over No. 5 La Salle

No. 2 Cranston East over No. 3 Classical

Championship

At Rhode Island College

No. 1 North Kingstown 3, No. 2 Cranston East 1

Division II

No. 1 Lincoln topped No. 2 Pawtucket in both meetings this spring. The Lions have size and depth at the net that the rest of the league can’t match. Jackson Colton, Brian Gugel, Sebastian DeCubellis, Jacob Lizotte and Tyler Biddle all can take over a set in their own ways. It’s no surprise that Lincoln has marched through the season and might do that in playoffs.

How does Pawtucket pull off an upset? The city co-op can’t beat itself and Lincoln at the same time. It must limit the errors and Hayson Ortiz has to take over for stretches. The multi-sport star is the best athlete on the floor and Pawtucket has to set him early and often.

The dark horse, if there is one, is No. 3 Central Falls. Jamilson De Pina Almeida is a stud and he might win matches all by himself.

Division II predictions

Preliminary round

No. 8 South Kingstown over No. 9 Central

Quarterfinals

No. 4 Westerly over No. 5 West Warwick

No. 1 Lincoln over No. 8 South Kingstown

No. 2 Pawtucket over No. 7 Juanita Sanchez

No. 3 Central Falls over No. 6 Johnston

Semifinals

No. 1 Lincoln over No. 4 Westerly

No. 2 Pawtucket over No. 3 Central Falls

Championship

At Rhode Island College

No. 1 Lincoln 3, No. 2 Pawtucket 2

Division III

The championship will be No. 1 Mt. Hope vs. No. 2 Portsmouth. The Patriots won both meetings behind a cast of multi-sport athletes. Sean Wilkey was an All-State goalie for the Patriots in the fall and Jack Loper and Jack Casey both played for Portsmouth soccer. The volleyball club knows how to win and having multi-sport athletes on your team is never a bad thing. Everything has paid off for Portsmouth in its third season as a program.

Mt. Hope is led by Nathaniel Fisher on the outside. Fisher can certainly take over a match, but the Huskies’ defense might be more important than anything else. It can’t let Portsmouth go on runs like it did in the regular-season finale. Wilkey essentially won Portsmouth the third set in the match and it led to a 3-1 final. Mt. Hope has to stop Portsmouth before it can get going in the championship.