Nishimura, Yamamoto cut above in Marianas Cup

The twin towers of Nippon came to Saipan on a mission to emerge victorious in the 13th Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival this weekend, and when Koichi Nishimura and Tatsuo Yamamoto left the main court of the Pacific Islands Club at the end of Sunday’s championships they had accomplished their goal.

The duo put the finishing touches on their tournament of perfection by knocking off fellow Japanese professional Satoshi Watanabe and local veteran of the beach volleyball scene Nick Castro in straight sets, 21-7 and 21-14.

Nishimura and Yamamoto cruised through their competition to finish the weekend with a perfect 5-0 record that included wins over a combination of professional athletes and amateur side-out enthusiasts.

The duo took home $2,800 in cash as well as roundtrip airfare and accommodations at the PIC for next year’s tournament—and both plan to return to take part in the 14th Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival in 2006.

The teams set off on their collision course on Saturday morning, as both teams made it through their first contests unscathed, but Castro and Watanabe suffered their first loss to the would-be champs to the tune of a 21-12 humbling.

The tandem quickly regrouped for their match-up with professional Paul Baxter and local beach volleyball maven Dale Roberts in the losers bracket, and set themselves up for a rematch with a 21-14 win over the fair haired combo.

After suffering a lopsided 21-7 in the first set of the best-of-three finals, Castro and Watanabe fared better against Nishimura and Yamamoto, but the result was the same in the 21-14 clincher.

According to tournament director Jon Cramer, this year’s edition of the Marianas Cup was the most successful beach volleyball event in its history—boasting a field of 20 women’s teams and 29 men’s teams.

“The amount of quality players was also at an all-time high. The pros were awesome about coaching and mingling with all. They were incredible players and I hope that the younger players from Saipan were inspired by watching them play and by playing with them,” he said.

Cramer added that he was pleased that a number of players from Guam made the trip to the CNMI because “they always play well and help increase the competition level.”

Following the cessation of game play, the athletes, organizers, sponsors, and volunteers retired to the awards banquet on the No. 4 court, where they were rewarded for their efforts throughout the weekend.

Cramer expressed his thanks to everyone who had a hand in making this year’s event a success, including Northwest Airlines, the Marianas Visitors Authority, Pacific Trading Co., AON Insurance, PIC, Hyatt Regency Saipan, EFC Engineers and Architects, and the volunteers who donated their time to prepare the volleyball courts so that the annual affair could go off without a hitch.