GCA keeps winning run in MISO v’ball

A Marianas High School player makes a return to Saipan International School JV during their game in the MISO volleyball league last week at the MHS Gymnasium. (ROSELYN B. MONROYO)

Grace Christian Academy has won its last 10 games in the 2013-2014 Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization Girls Volleyball League after losing in the opening week to keep pace with the leading Marianas High School.

Incidentally, the Lady Eagles were the first ones to beat the Lady Dolphins this season, as the former rallied past the latter at the start of the second round on Feb. 13. The defending champion GCA lost the first set, 19-25, but prevailed in the last two, 25-21, 15-10, to avenge its first round loss to MHS.

With the victory, only one win separated the second-running Lady Eagles (10-1) from the Lady Dolphins (11-1). Completing the standings are Mount Carmel School (10-2), Saipan International School (9-3), Saipan Southern High School, MHS JV, and Kagman High School, which have similar 4-8 records, SIS JV (2-11), and KHS JV (1-12).

Besides handing MHS its first defeat of the season, GCA tucked on two more victories last week at the MHS Gymnasium. The Lady Eagles swept MHS JV last Tuesday, 25-10,15-16, and had similar two-set triumph over KHS JV last Thursday, 25-12, 25-13. GCA’s matches over the two JV teams were cut short, as the two-set sweep wins the game rule has been implemented, starting in the second round.

In other results last week, MHS bounced back from a loss to GCA with back-to-back victories last Tuesday. The Dolphins first dominated Kagman in the first game on the southern court, 27-7, 25-11, and then showed no love lost to sister team MHS JV, 25-2, 25-20, in the last match at the same side of the court.

Completing last Tuesday’s winners list were Mt. Carmel, SIS, and Southern. The Lady Knights were paired against KHS JV in the second game on the north court and needed three sets to nail their ninth win, 25-18, 23-25, 15-8. On the southern end, Kagman’s varsity team challenged SIS with the latter finishing the match quickly, 25-12, 25-12. Back on the north court for the last game of the day, Southern may have swept SIS JV, but labored a 26-24, 25-23 win.

For last Thursday’s results, five of the six matches were decided after only two sets. Duplicating GCA’s sweep of KHS JV were Mt. Carmel, Kagman, MHS, and SIS. The Lady Knights dominated SIS JV in the first set, 25-10, and then pulled off a 25-21 in the second, while Kagman posted a similar straight set victory over Southern, 25-19, 25-15. The Lady Dolphins handed SIS JV back-to-back losses last Thursday after cruising to a 25-7, 25-15 triumph. SIS JV later went 0-3 in one day, as it fell to its varsity squad, 21-25, 11-25.

Meanwhile, MHS JV registered the lone win via three sets in last Thursday’s matches. The Lady Dolphins’ junior varsity team dropped the opening set, 23-25, but recovered in the last two, 25-20, 15-13, to bag their fourth victory this season.