Kraken wins undefeated showdown

Captain Scott Eck and company won its first meaningful match of the 8th Annual Miller Lite Coed Four-Person Volleyball League on Thursday night as they knocked off Luther’s Ride to remain undefeated on the Pacific Islands Club sand court.

Luther Taylor, Dan Westphal, Adam Hardwick, and Gin Gridley played tough but they were unable to match Eck’s Kraken and their height advantage. Eck was joined by power hitters Chris Nelson and Randy Steele in delivering lasers that led to their 11-4, 11-6, and 11-3 sweep over the Ride.

A relative unknown during the preseason draft party, Beverly Cabanatan continued to impress with her solid skills on the court in the absence of veteran star and national team player Laurie Peterka.

At 5-0, Kraken is just a shade out of first place because Taula Peter’s Dingleberries refuse to let go of their grip on the top spot. With the league’s highest points tallied (163) and fewest points against (42), the Dingleberries hold the power position, but they lost their first set of the season against Somethin’ Fishy on Thursday night.

After opening with a dominating 11-1 win, Peter’s squad dropped the second, 11-9, and faced its first meaningful third set of the year. Determined not to lose the game, Peter’s Dingleberries scored an 11-5 win in the rubber match to extend their undefeated streak to five games.

The Kawawang Dolphins and Afternoon Delight teams also extended their perfect seasons, but each did so by losing their fifth games in as many attempts to the Dolphins-Just Wanna Have Fun and Grace Christian Academy, respectively.

After losing the first two sets 11-3 and 11-7, Afternoon Delight rallied to fight the sweep with an 11-7 win over the Eagles, but there was a little more excitement in the battle of Marianas High School teams that started the night.

Dolphins-Just Wanna Have Fun eked out an 11-9 win in the opener but the Kawawang Dolphins outlasted their classmates with a marathon 15-13 match in the second. With both squads playing their best ball, Dolphins-Just Wanna Have Fun took the clincher by the narrowest of margins, 11-9.

The action continues tomorrow night when E.J. Lee’s Battered Fish Sticks battle Dolphins-Blue Shiner at 5:30pm, followed by another Dolphins squad match when Not Ashamed squares off against the Saipan International School Geckos at 6:30pm.

Fotten Gaga gets into the mix at 7:30pm against Dale “Dread Pirate” Roberts and We’re All Going Streaking, while the master of wireless communication James Lee and SaipanCell tries to dial-up a win against undefeated Pulullun Part II at 8:30pm.