GCA wins season opener

A Grace Christian Academy player blocks a shot from a Mt. Carmel School player during their game in the CCOPSA high school volleyball league yesterday at the Eagles court. (Roby N. Pamintuan)

Grace Christian Academy’s boys team finally debuted in the 2018-2019 Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Association High School Volleyball League and survived Mt. Carmel School in an extended match yesterday at the Eagles court.

The Eagles, who had their first two matches rescheduled due to lack of referees, withstood the Knights’ onslaught, winning in three riveting sets, 26-24, 19-25, 15-9.

The opening set of the game featured several lead changes, as neither team was willing to give in. With the score evened at 9-9, Sam Ryu threaded two consecutive aces, which prompted Knights coach Don Cabrera to call a timeout in an effort to steady their ship. Shortly after the lull, Mt. Carmel team captain Eric Kiser strung four consecutive serves to put the Knights on top, 19-18.

As the first set eventually went to the last deadlock, 24-24, GCA skipper Josh Pajarillaga stepped up to the server’s line and delivered two consecutive serves to clinch the deuce victory for the Eagles. With Grace Christian’s servers frequently overshooting their serves in the first set, Pajarillaga’s back-to-back were a welcome sight, giving his teammates and supporters relief.

“Today’s game was really an eye opener about unforced errors,” Pajarillaga said “As Coach C (Cesar Libut) said, it comes down to serves and it also comes down to playing smart on the court when it comes to your spike or your receive.”

After losing the closely fought opener, the Knights found their groove in the second set, as they clamped down on defense and synergized on offense to smother the Eagles. GCA’s serving woes carried over into the second set, providing Mt. Carmel with multiple opportunities to extend their lead. At the 5-5 tally, Chris Kim had five consecutive serves and left the Eagles’ defense searching for answers. Mt. Carmel went on to take a double-digit lead behind Kim’s consistent serving stroke and never relinquished the driver’s seat to earn the victory and force the deciding third set.

The tides of the match then changed in final set, as GCA frontline players Steven Balakrishna and Sebastian Camacho capitalized on multiple spikes and executed well-timed blocks throughout the clincher. GCA’s defense held on in the third set, giving Ryu, Balakrishna, and Camacho the opportunities they needed to score. The Eagles prompted a court switch after taking an 8-6 lead, and the momentum they garnered throughout the first half of the final set proved to be enough to slip past the Knights. Ryu, after his two aces powered GCA to victory in the first set, also delivered the last two serves of the game to seal the deal for the Eagles.

After the tough win, Pajarillaga admitted they have more work to do to get better as the season progresses.

“Because this was our first game, we were a little rough. If we could polish our serves over the break, it would really help us in the upcoming games,” the GCA team captain said.

Meanwhile, yesterday was the last playdate in the league this year, as participating schools will take a holiday break and matches will resume on Jan. 14.

For the first set of games next year, Agape Christian School will host GCA’s girls and boys teams, while Mt. Carmel’s varsity and junior varsity girls squads will play at their home turf in Chalan Kanoa. Like the Lady Knights, Saipan International School’s two teams are also having a faceoff at the Geckos court in As Lito.