Whispering Palms vs GCA in finals

 Whispering Palms and Grace Christian Academy arranged their championship duel in the junior varsity division of the 2011-2012 Coalition of Private School Sports Association Volleyball League after posting separate semis wins yesterday at the Whispering Palms court in Navy Hill.

The first finals berth went to Whispering Palms after the Terns swept Marianas Baptist Academy, 25-18, 26-24, while GCA nailed the second and last championship seat after surviving Saipan International School in three sets, 25-18, 25-27, 18-16. The winner-take-all finals will be played tomorrow at the Mt. Camel School Gymnasium, starting at 4:30pm. MBA and SIS, which lost in last season’s finals to Saipan Community School, will battle for the third place trophy at 3:30pm.

Whispering Palms, which is composed of Tommy Choi, Danny and John Auther, Aaron lee, Jennifer Tan, Gabrielle Race, Negahr Rastguiy, Colin Ramsey, Troy Young, Suah Cho, Maile Aldrich, Steve Lee, Rachel Kim, Olivia Hirsh, and Caitlin Tinney, and coached by Emily Young and Heather Kennedy, is back in the finals after missing the championship round for two seasons. Whispering Palms last won the JV volleyball title in the 2008-2009 season incidentally against the Eagles.

GCA is also returning to the finals after failing to advance in the 2010-2011 season, following a loss in the early rounds of the playoffs.

The Eagles boosted their chances of moving into the finals this season after winning the opening set by seven points. However, GCA could not finish off the Geckos, who showed nerves of steel in the extended second set to pull off a close win and keep their finals bid alive.

The second set was a neck-and-neck battle with the game tied last at 25-all. Daniel Lim then moved SIS a point away from winning the second set when he connected on a kill. Lim served for the game point and won it for SIS when GCA failed to return the letter after three touches.

In the deciding third set, GCA took a 2-0 lead off Jonathan Libut’s aces. However, the Geckos kept on fighting and was one point away from a return trip to the finals, 16-15, after Lim’s service dropped on un unguarded spot of GCA’s right sideline.

Lim served for the match point and GCA returned the ball, which clearly dropped past the backline. However, the lineman called it in for another deadlock, 16-all. The break was a big relief for the Eagles, as before the extended third set, they were also called for a wide return at the backcourt with GCA ahead, 14-12. The ball was in and could have ended the game right there, but officials saw otherwise.

With the game tied, 16-all, Billy Hinson made an ace for a 17-16 lead. He served anew and GCA finally won the semis game that lasted for about two hours when SIS’ Dakota Hall failed to return the leather as he lost his balance while hitting the ball. Lim had the first touch off Hinson’s serve, but hit returnwent off to the SIS right sideline and Adele Hudkins chased the leather. Hudkins managed to return the ball safely to SIS’s court, but Hall was not square off for the final hit.