Rhode Island high school boys volleyball All-State team for the last quarter century.

The Providence Journal is taking on a new challenge this summer.

The sports staff of Bill Koch, Eric Rueb and Jacob Rousseau are dusting off the archives in search of the best athletes from the last 25 years. We’ve set out to compile the official Rhode Island high school sports All-State teams of this quarter century.

We’ll start with the spring sports and then move to winter and end with the fall teams. The plan is to publish every sport before the 2025-26 school year begins. There’s subjectivity, as always, with these teams, but they’re created with great care and detail. We’ve searched through our own notes and memories and consulted the state’s coaches to aid in this project.

There have been numerous standout athletes over the years and narrowing it down was no easy task. For our own sanity, we essentially doubled the number of All-Staters on each of the teams.

Without further ado, here is The Providence Journal quarter-century All-State boys volleyball team.

Outside hitters

The hitters always steal the show on All-State volleyball teams. The best players filter to the outside in search of points and the previous 25 years only proved that notion. We start with one of Hendricken’s best hitters, Steve Fuller, Class of 2006. The Hawks’ star was a two-time All-State selection (2005-06) and finished his senior season with 276 kills to break the school’s record for hitting percentage with a .420 mark. Fuller also amassed 160 digs, 31 aces and 41 blocks. He helped Hendricken win three straight state championships.

North Kingstown’s Mason Andrade, Class of 2022, also did plenty of winning during his career. The hitter captured the 2021 and 2022 crowns with North Kingstown and was a two-time All-State selection by The Journal. In his senior season, Andrade took home player of the year honors from The Journal. He’s currently a junior, playing Libero, at Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Brad Borsay was an athletic freak for Chariho volleyball. At 6-foot-5, Borsay had 303 kills and logged 645 attacks in his senior year. He also led the Chargers with 39 aces and 364 digs. Borsay, Class of 2010, carried Chariho to a runner-up finish in the state championship. He was a two-time all-state selection (2009-10) and went onto play at Sacred Heart. In his final year with the Pioneers, he accumulated 254 kills.

Dylan McClung unfortunately didn’t have the chance to display his prowess for a full four seasons. His junior season at Hendricken was lost to COVID, but he returned for the 2021 year and put on a show. In the state championship match against North Kingstown, McClung, standing a whopping 6-foot-7, compiled a dozen kills in the third set alone. McClung was the Journal’s 2021 Player of the Year and he earned second-team honors as a sophomore. He went on to play at Sacred Heart, where he finished with 300 kills for his career.  

Zack Stedman is the oldest player on this All-State team. His dominance with East Providence stretches back to the turn of the century when he was a three-time All-State selection (1999-01). Stedman led the Townies to consecutive state championships in 2000-01 and an undefeated campaign in his senior year. That fall, Stedman had 223 kills and connected on 45 percent of his hits, with 210 assists and 66 blocks.

Mount St. Charles had a limited volleyball resumé before Jarod Tessier arrived. That changed as the outside hitter paced the Mounties’ first state championship appearance in 2017. Mount suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to South Kingstown, but Tessier made his mark. He was a three-time All-Stater (2015-17) and finished his senior season with 386 kills.

Middle blockers

Ephraim Abhulime graduated from La Salle in 2024. The middle blocker was a key cog in the Rams’ first state championship in 2023. But in his senior year, he really took over. The 6-foot-6 star athlete finished with 287 kills and had 47 blocks as La Salle won its second straight title. Abhulime just completed his first season at Merrimack College where he had 96 kills as a middle blocker.

Hendricken’s Brendan Baker was in the middle of the Hawks’ 2010 and 2011 titles. He switched to outside for his senior year and led the team with 320 kills, 181 digs and finished with 49 blocks and 15 aces. He played for three seasons at Johnson and Wales where he compiled 661 kills.

Dan Fanning’s 2005 season for North Kingstown was one to remember. The Journal wrote then that he was, “North Kingstown's most dangerous player and opposing teams regularly keyed on Fanning.” Despite the attention, Fanning still managed more than 100 blocks and recorded 197 kills. And he was an outstanding server for good measure with a 95% service percentage.

Hendricken’s David Rufful won — a lot. He was part of four consecutive boys basketball state championship teams and he led the Hawks to three straight volleyball titles. In his senior season on the volleyball court, Rufful had 296 kills with a .355 hitting percentage and 34 aces. He earned first-team All-State honors during that 2007 spring and was a second-team pick in 2006.

Setters

Setters have a ton of weight on their shoulders, especially on powerhouse teams. North Kingstown’s Garrett Bucklin handled those offensive responsibilities perfectly. He guided the Skippers to a 15-1 championship-winning season in 2014 and a 12-4 record in 2013. He made the Journal’s first team both years.

Ryan Buglio steered loaded Coventry teams over three seasons. Coventry went 14-2 in his junior year in 2014 as he nabbed second-team honors from The Journal. In his senior year, Buglio led the Oakers to a 15-1 mark and a state championship win. Buglio had 572 assists with 92 digs and 46 aces in 2015. He also had 47 kills and 37 blocks for good measure. During his career, he handed out 1,842 assists over a 45-3 regular-season record.

Libero

The defensive specialist spot wasn’t utilized for all 25 years. But that didn’t stop Mount St. Charles’ Dan Gould from making his feelings on the position known. Gould was a two-time first-team All-State selection (2017-18) and he made the second team as a sophomore. He helped the Mounties to their first state championship win in 2018. He managed 208 kills in his senior year and 228 digs, including 19 in the championship vs. Hendricken. Over four seasons, he totaled 1,053 digs.

Utility

Ryan Harrington was the Journal’s 2025 Player of the Year and for good reason. Harrington could have been an All-Stater at any position and is the type of player any coach would welcome. He played outside for the Skippers and totaled 278 kills with a 0.39% hitting percentage. Harrington also added 35 aces in his senior year. The Skippers’ star was a first-team member in 2024 and made the second team the previous year. Harrington went 67-5 in the regular season over four years with NK.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island high school boys volleyball quarter century All-State team