GCA 1 extends streak, takes solo lead

Grace Christian Academy 1’s Kian Pajarillaga serves during the second set of their game against Seventh Day Adventist in the 2018-2019 Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Association Volleyball League yesterday at the GCA court. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Grace Christian Academy 1 proved to be too much for Seventh Day Adventist, as the Eagles recorded an emphatic 25-4, 25-7 win in their middle school division game in the 2018-2019 Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Association Volleyball League yesterday at the GCA court.

The victory was the fourth in as many games for GCA 1, which now holds the solo lead in the eight-team field. The Cesar Libut-coached Eagles set up the easy win over SDA after taking a commanding 19-2 lead in the first set. Then in the second, GCA’s much better service game and its frontliners’ strong presence in the net allowed them to establish a 22-7 advantage. The towering Jason Ou went on to deliver the killer blows for the Eagles with his two booming spikes, which he did without even leaping and in front of the diminutive Marielle Lopez. Kat Saures scored the other point in GCA’s strong finish against SDA, which won its first game (versus Agape Christian School 2) before losing the next two.

The one-sided win over SDA was a fitting follow-up on GCA 1’s domination of Agape 2 last Tuesday. The Eagles shut down Agape 2 in the first set and then gained the outright win with another outstanding performance in the second, 25-4.

In other results this week, Mt. Carmel School downed the then unbeaten Agape 1 last Wednesday to notch its third straight win after losing its season debut to GCA 2. The Knights and Agape 1, with their identical 3-1 records, share second place in the team standings. Saipan International School, pending the results of its game against Agape 2 yesterday, is ranked No. 3 with its 2-1 mark following a three-set victory over GCA 2 (1-2) last Tuesday. The Geckos dropped the opening set, 17-25, and then eked out a 26-24 win in the second to stay in the game. In the deciding third set, SIS kept going and posted a 15-12 triumph to earn its second consecutive victory after bowing to Agape 1 during the opening day of the league.

Agape 1, before losing to Mt. Carmel, bagged its third win in a row after downing Saipan Community School last Tuesday. Agape 1 prevailed in the first two sets in similar scores, 25-12, and completed the sweep with a 15-4 victory in the third. SCS absorbed its third defeat in as many games and was hoping to snap its skid yesterday, as it was scheduled to face GCA 2 at the Eagles turf in Navy Hill.