Eagles still undefeated

Grace Christian Academy’s Steven Balakrishna, left, attempts to block a Saipan International School player during the first set of their game in the CCOPSA volleyball league yesterday at the GCA court in Navy Hill. (Roby N. Pamintuan)

Grace Christian Academy withstood Saipan International School’s repeated comeback bids to keep its perfect record in the boys high school division of the 2018-2019 Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Association Volleyball League.

The Eagles stiff-armed the Geckos in two sets, 25-13, 26-24, yesterday at the former’s court in Navy Hill to remain undefeated after four games. SIS, on the other hand, absorbed its first loss of the season after going 2-0 to drop to second place behind the unbeaten GCA.

Setter Jason Wang and spiker Kevin Song made it to the Eagles’ starting lineup after missing the team’s first few games of the season and both rose to the occasion, making contributions throughout the match.

“It felt pretty nice to play with the team again,” Wang said. “Before the game, we heard that SIS has a strong team, but our squad was really focused and we had good communication with each other.”

With the Eagles holding on to a precarious 25-24 lead in the second and final set, Wang dealt the final serve then slid over to the setter’s slot to set up Song for the game-winning spike. Wang and Song’s combined efforts helped prolong GCA’s possessions and also put their team in a position to score in bunches.

When asked about how Song and Wang developed chemistry on the court despite playing in just their first game of the season, the former was quick to remark that their friendship off the court plays a big factor with their on-court synergy.

“Jason [Wang] and I are very close friends. We would always talk and sit together. By doing that, we got to know each other, and it definitely helped us with our chemistry and team work,” Song said.

Before the GCA duo delivered the clutch plays in the last set, A.J. Hudkins attempted to extend the game, as he was all over the court, making multiple and key defensive stops and several spikes for SIS. He and Alex Park scored repeatedly off serves and anchored the Geckos frontlines to help their team remain in contention in the second set.

In the opener, Steven Balakrishna and Sam Ryu contributed to GCA’s winning cause, as they capitalized on an array of tips, powerful spikes, and well-aimed serves. Balakrishna also frequently warded off the Geckos’ spiking attempts and finished multiple spikes of his own, while Ryu delivered on several serves, including two aces.

Meanwhile, the regular season and make-up games are scheduled for this week and barring any delays, the playoff round will start next week.