Last year, two points stood between the Middletown girls volleyball team and a state crown.

Not this time.

Yesterday, the Islanders walked out of Keaney Gymnasium with hardware in hand, after defeating Central Falls, 27-25, 25-18, 26-24, in the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Division III Championship, at the University of Rhode Island.

The state title is Middletown’s first since the Islanders won the Class A Championship in 1981.

``We actually did it this year,’’ said Middletown’s 6-foot-3 middle hitter and Alice Sullivan MVP award winner Marjorie Pfeiffer, who refused to look at the scoreboard as the match went on for fear of a repeat of last year, when Shea staged a comeback late in the third game and went on to beat the Islanders in the 2006 Division III championship. ``It feels a lot better because it’s my senior year and we finally won. It feels so good. And my coach [Cathy Silveira] is leaving, so it’s her last game, it’s our last game.’’