Knights 1 turns back Dolphins 2 in return of boys HS v-ball

Mount Carmel School 1’s Merrick Toves goes up for a spike against Marianas High School 2 during their Public School System Boys High School Volleyball League 2021-2022 match Tuesday night at the MHS Gymnasium. (LEIGH GASES)

Mount Carmel School Knights 1 defeated Marianas High School Dolphins 2 in three sets as the Public School System Boys High School Volleyball League 2021-2022 season kicked off Tuesday night at the near capacity, humid, and unairconditioned MHS Gymnasium.

The first set was won by the MHS boys’ team after MCS started the game aggressively and in a rush and were unable to keep up with their opponents. MHS won the first set by 2 points, 20-22.

However, with a lot of movement from the Knights who didn’t really rely on spikes and force in the end, they prevailed over the Dolphins. In the second set, the Knights won 21-9. The last and third set, the Knights finalized their win, 15-7. The Dolphins were unable to catch up despite their first set lead.

Knights 2 coach Francis San Nicolas said after the game that it’s “good to be back” after last season. Despite the shaky start, the Knights managed to catch up on the last two sets after listening to their coach, “to keep up and keep our cool.” San Nicolas added that he is happy with the start of their season.

The team is made up of JunBeom Kim, Christopher Mafnas, Merrick Toves, Brandon Lee, Earle San Nicolas, Richard Steele, Richard Villagomez, Ji Hwan Ryu, Jeremiah Diaz, Xin Wen Jin, Achilles Evangelista, Lindon Digno, Dylan Santos, Vaughn Mallari, and Min Soo Kwon.

In the other game between Saipan Southern High School and Saipan International School, the smaller and younger SIS 1 team, who only had two seniors, prevailed over a taller SSHS team.

SIS 1 lead the first set 21-13, then SSHS 2 won the second set 21-8. In the final set, SIS 1 secured the win with a nail-biter result, 17-15.

SIS 1 coach Stacy Eno said that, “because of COVID-19, other sports, and injuries, it was hard to get the boys together as a full team, and we’re really spotty up until last week.” However, she was “very happy with how far we improved… and these kids are fresh. They just learned this rotation. They’re taking it in stride, and I’m very proud of them,” she added.

The other games in the MHS Gym were between MHS 1 and SIS 1, with MHS 1 prevailing after two sets, with the first set score of 21-8 and with the final set score of 21-18.

SSHS 2 and Kagman High School played as well, where KHS defeated SSHS 2 after two sets, with the first set score of 21-14 and with the final set score of 22-20.

MCS 2 and Grace Christian Academy also played two sets, with the victory handed over to GCA after winning two consecutive sets. The first set score was 21-15 and the final score was a blowout at 21-4.

Between MHS 2 and MHS 3, MHS 2 was handed the victory after winning both sets, with the first set score of 21-16 and with the final set score of 21-19.

The Public School System Boys High School Volleyball League 2021-2022 is being held with help from the Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association.