LL Sleese Staks, Small Hustlers take early lead at PIC beach V-ball

With the first week of competition in the bag, the L.L. Sleese Staks and the Small Hustlers have jumped out to an early lead over the pack in the 6th Annual Coors Light Four-Person Beach Volleyball League.

After posting wins on Tuesday night, both squads returned to the sand court behind the Pacific Islands Club Thursday to turn their previous victories into streaks—mission accomplished.

First it was the L.L. Sleese Staks who swept the untested Yacchatta!! and elevated their point total to an unrivaled 66, followed by another brooming of the Crashers at the hands of the Small Hustlers.

The L.L. Sleese Staks have yet to lose a set in the young season, and their squad of cagey veterans looks to be an early favorite for the championship early on with solid play from team captain Laurie Peterka, Dan Westphal, Randy Steele, Chris Nelson, Kevin Carey, and youngster Melissa Halaby.

They opened up with an 11-8 win in the first set in which they held an 8-1 advantage at one point before Yacchatta!! shook off the rust from last season to tie the game at eight apiece. Communication and experience paid off, as the L.L. Sleese Stacks scored the next three points for the win.

In the second, both teams opted for player substitutions, but the Staks pulled off a more convincing win at 11-5 to clinch a notch in the win column. With the game already in hand, Peterka and company stayed on target to win a long third set that saw a complete rotation by each team with the score 6-9 in favor of the Staks.

Westphal eventually found a seam in the Yacchatta!! defense to complete the sweep in a 11-7 win.

The Small Hustlers earned their second win of the season with their own three-set special, as they safeguarded their backcourt from the Crashers. Henry Magofna captained his squad of indoor and outdoor veterans to an 11-7 victory through a hard fought first set, and got big time play from Marino Pungiulug.

Rookie coach Paul Dujua and the Crashers dropped the second set in a one-sided 11-2 score, but his team of Scott Eck, Nikki Shryack, Leo Wania, and Stephan Stettenbenz played tough in the third set despite the 11-9 loss.

The first game of the night featured a pair of teams who had yet to play in the spring season, and a player who has graced the court as an announcer only, as the Beach Side Rockers squared off against Monkeys and Bananas.

Volleyball aficionado Jon Cramer played his first game with the Rockers since being sidelined with an injury almost two years ago, and his presence may have provided the added inspiration for his team to get its first win.

The Rockers edged the M&B dream team by two points in the opening set with a 12-10 win, but found themselves on the losing side of the equation in the second when Monkeys and Bananas peeled off an 11-8 win to even the game at a set apiece.

Monkeys and Bananas lost a key part of their squad when team captain and CNMI team player Nan Intharaluk was forced to excuse himself when he suffered an injury. The Rockers took advantage of the loss of the star player to take the game 11-7.

In the final game of the night, the Dale Roberts and the Air Biscuits evened their record at 1-1 when they defeated Ganbarimasho. After dropping the first set 11-6 to Andrew Ortega and the company, the Biscuits rose to the top of a closely contested 13-11 second, and followed with a string of smart plays to win the third, 11-5.