Saipan Tribune

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Vacos slips past foe in beach volleyball

Vacos' JR Gechig, Wilton Laniyo, Chenny Lizama, John Nekaifes, and Mili Saiki rallied past Dig This, Beaches during their game in the Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association's Sunset Co-ed Beach Volleyball Tournament last Friday at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan sand courts.

Dig This, Beaches won the first set of the upper bracket semifinal, 21-18, but Vacos erupted in the second set, 21-13, and rode the momentum into the deciding set for a 15-12 victory.

In other results, Manam'ko and Managaha survived last weekend's lower bracket and will face off this Friday at 5:30pm to remain in contention in the double-elimination tournament.

Manam'ko knocked off Harapwang Face in two sets, 15-11, 15-6, while Managaha defeated Managaha Boys also in two sets, 15-10, 15-9.

The finals are scheduled for Feb. 15 with modest cash prizes, in kind gifts, and bragging rights going to the overall winners.

Fiesta, Brabu, KZMI 103.9 FM and Gold's Gym are sponsoring the event, which will use its proceeds for NMIVA's youth volleyball development programs and international travel expenses.

Clinic tourneys postponed

Meanwhile, NMIVA's Beach Clinic Tournaments have been postponed and may resume on Feb. 2

The competition has three categories: U13 mixed boys and girls, U18 mixed junior men and women's and U25 mixed men's and women.

The tournaments start out with pool play rounds, which will set the seeding for a double elimination series. Game point for all divisions is set at 15 with a cap of 21 and a “must win by two” rule in effect.

The free tournaments are bannered as training events because they feature special ground rules to encourage players to utilize the skills they have been learning at the weekly practice sessions.

Special ground rules for the U13 division include awarding a bonus point to teams that score on a play using a bump or hand-set leading to a spike, in addition to receiving a second opportunity upon attempting an over hand serve. A point must be credited on a play in order to receive the extra point and a second serve is only awarded if the first sails out of bounds or into the net.

The same special rules apply in the U18 division, aside from the second service opportunity. Notably, all teams must also consist of at least one female player who must remain on the court at all times.

Visit www.nmivolleyball.org for more information.