Lost Boyz ousted by Proa

Just two days following the demise of pennant runner-up Managaha Chiefs, the road to the championship of the Island Wide Volleyball League took another unexpected turn as the NMC Proa outlasted the heavily favored Lost Boyz in a frenzied three-set match Wednesday that saw the fall of another postseason favorite.

Family, friends, and fans looked on inside of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium as the teams searched for a chink in the other’s armor until Kitinan Intharaluk, Nick Castro, Joe Mettao, and company drew first blood for the Lost Boyz by taking the opening set, 25-20.

The Proa quickly turned the tables on the third-seeded Lost Boyz in the following set when Marino Pungilug, Tarius Kapwich, Sivas Awes, and the crew from NMC rallied back to force the game into a final race to 15-points in the third set.

The walls of the Ada Gym echoed with the cheers and screams from the stands after every point as the teams began the count to quince, and after the proverbial dust settled to the rubberized surface, the upstart Proa pulled off the improbable 15-11 upset.

With the win, the Proa will face the Ol’Aces on Monday, April 4, in a battle of the underdogs, at 6:30pm

There wasn’t an upset in the second round of action in the men’s division, as the Chuukanos swept Shag in identical 25-20 sets to earn the right to play No Fear in the second round next Monday in the late game.

The Chuukanos came into the match hot off of their solid performance during the Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association Jam Attack, where they stunned the Guam delegation with a series of close games that went unrewarded.

The lessons learned helped get them past the Rocball crossovers, as their coach Burtha Sam guided his boys to the next rung on the ladder to the finals.

The women entered their second day of the first round on the south court of the Oleai facility, as the She Devils and the Dragons locked horns for the highest scoring volleyball match of 2005 season.

Neither team was able to put together a run in the first set, but Frances Somorang and the She Devils patched together a win by finding their three final points faster than the Dragons in the 25-22 win.

The second set featured more of the same hotly competitive matches, as the teams almost went to the 30-point cap. Aleta Glaze label the ball for a pair of kills, Erika Komatsu hammered a kill and an ace, and Jazmine Anastacio fired a laser serve for the Dragons, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the She Devils.

Mayumi Aguon had a pair of kills and aces to lead the She Devils to the 29-27 victory, and to the finals on Monday, April 4, at 6:30pm, while the Dragons will battle for third place at 7:30pm.

The She Devils will be playing Pikan Gaga, as the top seed in the playoffs spanked Bootylicious in straight sets, 25-18 and 25-17. Connie Camacho led all players with five kills through the pair of sets, while teammate Bego Camacho finished the night with three aces and a kill.