By JAMES BESSETTE

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WEST WARWICK — If the Wizards have it their way, many demons from last year’s quarterfinal playoff loss to Tiverton will be exercised in a couple of hours.

It’s been 376 days since the Tigers disrupted a potentially-strong playoff run by the West Warwick High volleyball team, stunning the Wizards in four sets in front of their home fans in the Division II quarterfinals, with a few still feeling the sting from that fateful Nov. 7 evening.

Now, the 15-1 Wizards, who will be playing their first competitive match in 12 days since their season-ending blowout of Johnston on Nov. 6, have the opportunity to gain redemption against the Tigers tonight at home.

“I want to get them back for what they did to us last season,” West Warwick outside hitter Amber Wilson, still despondent over having a 14-2 season end after one round in the playoffs, said.

“Hopefully, we’ll beat (Tiverton) in three, and that will be good,” West Warwick libero Alison Brousseau added.

Oddly enough, both Wilson and Brousseau have been one of the few Wizards that want payback against Tiverton, with the rest hoping for a date with North Smithfield at the end of last week, mainly because West Warwick is more familiarized with the Northmen, facing them twice during the regular season – and winning both of those matches.

The other reason is some members of West Warwick don’t want to have the same team spoil a dominating season in their home building for the second year in a row.

Plus, the team would’ve had more preparation for the semifinals if the Wizards’ quarterfinals match involved North Smithfield. Had the Northmen defeated Tiverton, West Warwick would’ve had the quarterfinals last Friday night giving the Wizards an extra two days to practice for the Division II semifinals, which are slated for tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. at URI’s Keaney Gymnasium.

With Tiverton coming to town instead tonight, it leaves West Warwick very little time – if any – to both celebrate and get ready for the semifinal round if the Wizards come out victorious.

“I would have rather played North Smithfield because it gave us more time to practice,” West Warwick setter Samantha Andrews said, “after if we had won. But, we’ll take what we get.”

Experience gained could give West Warwick a better advantage this year against Tiverton.

Last season, West Warwick was a bit awestruck entering the playoffs with much of the starting roster fairly new to varsity playing well above its expectations from the beginning of the year, right up until Tiverton burst the Wizards’ bubble in a huge way.

As the confidence grew in the Wizards in terms of their individual play, so did the team’s cohesiveness. With Andrews’ improved management of West Warwick’s offense, working the play to Wilson and Monica Johnson on the outside attacks as well as Molly Kelly in the middle, the normally defensive-minded Wizards have become a bit more dynamic as the year progressed.

Both the strong defense from the back row and the net attack will be pivotal tonight against Tiverton’s strong middle attack, which was a major problem for West Warwick last year.

Suzanne Landry put forth a hitting clinic on the Wizards last season, recording an astonishing 38 kills to lead the Tigers to the upset victory. The foot injury sustained by then-middle hitter Felicia Terwilliger during the match magnified West Warwick’s problems in containing Landry even more.

Although Landry has since received her diploma from Tiverton High School, Jillian Cayer has filled Landry’s shoes quite nicely this season in the middle. In that same match against West Warwick, Cayer had herself a solid match 16 kills, normally a number that would lead any team but was dwarfed by the stellar performance of Landry.

“We didn’t have an answer for their middle hitter (Landry) last year,” West Warwick head coach Mike Shunney said. “Hopefully we have some form of an answer this season. If you’re good on defense, you’re always good on defense. We played Mount St. Charles against good hitters. Scituate had good hitters and North Smithfield had good hitters. All year, we have been turning around their offense and run our offense off of the transition. So, I can’t see the defense going away.”