NMIVA players may give Fiesta a go

The Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association is just a couple of weeks from hosting the third round of qualifying action on the beach for men and women aspiring to represent the CNMI in the 2006 Micronesian Games, and while the usual haunts will play host to the seaside action, a new venue may be in store in the New Year.

According to NMIVA president Jon Cramer, the future rounds of hand-to-hand in the sand may place the two-on-two battles at the newly renamed Fiesta Spa and Resort—formerly the Dai-Ichi Hotel Saipan Beach— in Garapan.

“We still have to make the final arrangements, but I’ve already spoken with [representatives from the Fiesta], and I think that we should give them a shot,” said Cramer.

The previous qualification tournaments for the beachside bombers have been held at the Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio and at the Hyatt Regency Saipan, but the indoor squad has not had the same success.

With a pair of tryouts in the can, the team has been experiencing some difficulty obtaining time in the local gymnasiums to size up the competition. Players wishing to remain anonymous accredit the local basketball leagues with gobbling up the court time at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium and the Northern Marianas College surface.

While the Marianas High School facility would be a suitable venue for the indoor sessions, sources within the volleyball community cite the prior commitment of the blue venue to other community based groups.

With only a handful of months to go before the Games, the race to represent the Commonwealth is too close to call. That may change when NMIVA hosts the men’s qualifier for the beach team on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006 at the Pacific Islands Club.

There are still no clear cut leaders in either the men’s and women’s divisions as the tandem of Marino Pungilug and Jess Palacios is tied with the Quincy Johnson and Kaycee Rengaelur duo atop the rankings with 30 points. Each team has a tournament crown in its pocket, and they hold a narrow four point advantage over their closest competitors.

Kitinan Intharaluk and Taula Peter teamed up to take second place in the first qualifier while Palacios joined Andrew Ortega to bag second at the Hyatt the last time out, and both teams have 26 points. This creates an interesting dynamic for the decision makers as Palacios has a stake in each of his teams, but he will have to opt for a permanent partner as the CNMI team will be chosen by team points gained as opposed to last year’s system of individual rankings.

On the women’s side, Stephanie Arnold and Jazmine Anastacio are all alone in first place with 48 points after back-to-back top five finishes on the sand. The duo managed to take fourth in their first outing as a team before surging to the forefront with a first place finish on the Hyatt sand.

They’ll have a chance to create some space on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2006, when the women’s qualifier enters its third round of bumps, sets, and spikes for the beach team rights.

Arnold-Anastacio holds a four-point lead over Laurie Peterka and Heather Kennedy, as they earned their 44 points by winning out at the Pacific Islands Club before falling to fifth place in the last qualifier at the Hyatt.

Benylynn Mettao and Sia Dela Cruz are tied for second with a pair of third place finishes, while 2005 Palau South Pacific Mini Games star Melissa Halaby and the most valuable player from the Private Schools Indoor Volleyball League, Lena Guzman, are in fourth place with 40 points.

The fee for the two-on-two action is $5 for NMIVA members and $10 for all others.

For more info, call Taula Peter at 322-9263 or email taulap@gmail.com or NMIVA head coach Nan Intharaluk at 235-6231 ext. 5147.