Providence senior Erin Vallone was kind of a big deal on opening night.
She made big plays at big times. She led the team in kills.
And she had one of the biggest smiles Monday after the Celtics celebrated a 22-25, 25-16, 25-20 GCAC Red victory over Resurrection.
“It felt good — felt really good,” Vallone said. “This team has a really good connection with each other. My setter (Kylie Williams) and I connect so well. I give a lot of credit to her.”
Vallone finished with six kills for Providence (1-0, 1-0). Senior middle hitter Ashlee Jackson added four kills and five aces, while Williams had 16 assists and Maddie Tures made 15 digs.
For Vallone, being a star in a varsity match was a long time coming.
The 5-foot-10 outside hitter was used to being a pretty big deal during her first two years at Providence.
She started at the freshman and JV levels. And she was a leader.
“I went to the captains’ meetings and everything like that,” Vallone said. “I was involved a lot.”
Then came COVID-19 and the postponement of the fall season. During a shortened season in the spring, Vallone found herself on the bench behind a bevy of seniors.
She didn’t sweat it.
“I kind of thought it was going to happen,” Vallone said. “All of the girls who played were on varsity for three years, so I just kind of figured that I wasn’t going to start.
“But I still accepted it. I played hard when I got the chance. I was happy for the other girls who were starting and playing. I supported them.”
Her next chance came in the summer. And according to Celtics coach Lee Rucinski, she made the most of the opportunity.
“I think she realized, ‘Hey, this summer is my opportunity to do it,'” Rucinski said. “She brought a high-level energy. She was very consistent. She earned her place at the table.
“In the spring, she was just stuck behind some really great players that had been multiyear varsity players. It speaks a lot to her character and her as a person that she worked so hard.”
In the win over Resurrection, Vallone was a rally starter.
The Celtics trailed 11-9 in Game 2 when she showed a heavy arm to put down a kill. She had three more during a relentless final surge in which Providence scored 12 of the final 15 points.
In Game 3, her final two kills both came after Resurrection had put points on the board and were coming back. The last one set up Jackson for the match-clinching spike.
Earlier, Jackson delivered three consecutive aces. Jackson and Vallone made a nice one-two senior combination.
“I’m so proud of Erin,” Jackson said. “She definitely worked very hard this summer. I think it’s proving out on the court. I’m excited to see her hitting.”
Opening night couldn’t have gone better.
“It’s great to watch a player work as hard as they can and get rewarded,” Rucinski said. “One of the messages I sent the girls is, ‘In life, you can work as hard as you can and you can still fail, so have no regrets and work as hard as you can.’
“To make it pay off for Erin the way it did in this match was amazing. We’ve all been around this sport too long, where kids don’t play and they just quit and sit on the end of the bench and pout.
“All she did was work hard. I can’t wait to see more.”
