Pikkan Gaga, Nu Heights win Jam Attack

Pikkan Gaga and Nu Heights survived hard-fought finals and won the 16th Annual Jam Attack Volleyball Tournament yesterday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

It was a showdown between veterans and young stars as the Pikkan Gaga took on the rising caliber of Burma Pink in the finals for women.

Pikkan Gaga had the upper hand as the team defeated the Burma bombers in the early stages of the playoffs and held a twice-to-best advantage.

The advantage came to good use as Burma Pink came out storming and fought off a first set defeat to win the match by taking the next two sets, forcing a do-or-die battle.

After a brief break, the two teams returned to the court and put on a show that will be remembered for quite a while.

Riding on momentum from their earlier victory, Burma Pink broke out to the strong start and was able to control the first set. E.J. Lee then closed out the set with an exclamation mark as she connected for an ace to bring the Burma crew to set point, 24-13, before the squad closed out the set for the 25-13 victory.

Burma Pink continued to roll on the right track as the second set got underway, scoring the first five points for the early lead.

The veterans of Pikkan Gaga, however, were far from throwing in the towel and battled back to knot the score at 6-6. The two teams traded points and were tied at 12-12 when Pikkan Gaga went on a 7-0 run capped by a kill by Percy Torres for a 19-12 lead.

A kill by Jazmine Anastacio snapped the run, 14-19, and after the two teams traded the next two points, Torres came up big again with another kill to give her team a 21-15 lead.

A 4-0 run by Burma Pink pulled the team to within two points as Mayumi Aguon connected on a couple of kills, 19-21, but Torres came back with another kill and Pikkan Gaga was able to survive for a 25-21 victory.

The Pikkan Gaga players continued to have their way in the early goings of the decisive third set and took advantage of several mishaps by Burma Pink to streak ahead for a 13-7 lead.

Two points away from losing, Burma Pink unleashed a furious rally as Aguon spearheaded a strong attack with powerful serves. Added with Pikkan Gaga errors, Burma Pink was able to fight back and put the pressure on their opponents as a dink by Anastacio followed by a shot hit long by Torres enabled Burma Pink to pull even at 13-13.

Aguon’s next serve, however, was long and a kill attempt by Burma Pink went out of bounds, giving Pikkan Gaga the victory.

Torres was named most valuable player for her efforts on the court.

Third place went to Bomsoro, which lost to Burma Pink in the losers’ bracket playoffs.

Meanwhile, Nu Heights made their trip from Guam to Saipan worthwhile as the team defeated Burma Blue in the finals of the men’s competition.

The win was not easy, though, as Nan Inthraluk and company represented Saipan well and put up a strong fight before falling short.

The first set was a tight battle as both teams matched each other well. Nu Heights was able to hold a three-point lead mid-way through, 14-11, but Inthraluk smashed another kill on a perfect set by Taula Peter to cut the deficit, 12-14.

Nu Heights was able to maintain its cushion, not letting Burma Blue closer than two points until the Saipan squad broke through and tied the score at 19-19.

Nu Heights recovered and went up 23-21 before Burma Blue put up another charge that gave them a taste of the lead. With the score knotted at 23-23, Kashi Kukkun leaped and with perfect concentration, blocked a kill attempt that gave his team a 24-23 lead.

A bad serve, however, gave a point to Nu Heights, who were able to follow with two more points to win, 26-24.

Another close battle followed, as both teams were neck and neck in the early parts of the second set, with Nu Heights leading 6-4 to open the action.

The Guam-based squad then swung control to their corner as they ripped off five straight points and never looked back en route to a 25-14 victory.

Placing third was Chuukanos, who defeated Burma Gray in the consolation bout.

Robert Borden took home MVP honors for Nu Heights.

“I think the team played pretty well,” he said shortly after receiving his trophy. “The passing was good and the hits were there.

“It’s nice to come out here and play and see something different…see different players and techniques,” he added.