Four, Team X8, DYS lead co-ed indoor v-ball league
Four, Team X8, and the Division of Youth Services won their respective first two matches in the Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association Coed Indoor Tournament, which opened last Friday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
The tournament is NMIVA’s fundraising event for the men’s and women’s teams that will be competing in the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from July 4 to 18 at the Sir John Guise Sports Complex at the capital’s Wards strip.
Four only needed two sets in dispatching Aztig last Friday and Just4Fun on Monday night in the first NMIVA-organized indoor tournament in years. They capitalized on Aztig’s errors and survived their opponent’s late comeback bid in securing a 25-19, 25-20 win.
Four followed that up with a 25-11, 28-26 decision against Just4Fun last Monday night. They easily won the opening set but their end-game savvy was tested in the next frame after their opponent’s forced them to a nail-biting finish.
Team X8 and DYS also scored back-to-back wins in contrasting fashions to join Four on top of the leaderboard.
Team X8 hardly broke a sweat in a more than 30-minute match against Managaha Unknowns, 25-10, 25-15, last Friday then swept a hard-fighting Set2Kill, 25-22, 25-18, on Monday night.
DYS, on the other hand, pulled off a two-set decision against Set2Kill on May 8, 25-7, 25-19, then were pushed to the limit by Aztig, 25-15, 23-25, 15-13, last Monday.
In the other Monday night game, the Managaha Unknowns overcame a first set loss to escape with a 23-25, 30-29, 15-13 triumph over Power Express for an even 1-1 record. Managaha lost to Team X8.
Aztig and Set2Kill are winless. Games resume on Friday night at the Ada Gym.
Andrew Johnson and Clay McCullough-Stearns make up the men’s team for the Pacific Games, while the women’s side will have Charnessa “Chenny” Lizama Tonini Kasilyn Yamada. They will be coached by Darcy Wylie and Codie Sayles.