PIC volleyball weekend rocks the sandbox
If you weren’t at the Pacific Islands Club this past weekend, you missed out on some incredible displays of athleticism and sportsmanship as the 6th Annual Seaside Grille Beach Volleyball Weekend returned to the sand court along the beach in San Antonio.
Players and spectators alike were treated to excellent play by the men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and the mixed four person teams, and a break in the otherwise crummy weather that has been soaking Saipan.
The tournament got underway Friday as the Men’s and Women’s Doubles took to the sand with a common goal in hand—to be named the champions on Saturday.
The action was intense as the pairings battled it out for two long days. Tomo Obata and Kittinan Intharaluk were able to knock off Donn Dunlop and Scott Eck 21-11 and 21-14 in a best of three sets for the men’s doubles finals while Jennifer Williamson and Keiko Iwami outplayed Bridget Madell and Izumi Kawakami 21-8 in the Women’s finals.
Obata is no newcomer to the sport. The Sendai, Japan native finished fourth at the Marianas Cup, while teammate Intharaluk won his first two person beach title despite being named volleyballs most valuable player four times.
The twosome was able to make it through the tournament unscathed, finishing the event with a perfect 10-0 record.
Dunlop and Eck also managed to pretty well for themselves in making it to the finals. This was Eck’s first two-person tournament on Saipan while the experienced Dunlop hasn’t competed in a single two-on-two in the past four years.
On the Women’s side, Williamson and Iwami were also able to escape the tournament undefeated at 3-0. This wasn’t their first time teaming up together, but it may be their last. The two managed to take second place in the Marianas Cup, but unfortunately they will both be leaving the island.
For their efforts, the men walked away with a dinner for two at the Seaside Grill, $20 in gas from Shell, and $150 each. The women didn’t do too shabby either, with each of them bagging a dinner for two at the Seaside Grill, $20 in gas from Shell and $60 in prize money.
World Peace conquered all Sunday, as Donn Dunlop, Tomo Obata, Marc McDonald, Heather Kennedy and Gabriel White took away their olive branch and the Four-Person title from the team named We Love Keiko.
After dropping the first set of the match, and of the tournament to Keiko 21-19, the Peaceniks bounced back to take the next two sets 21-14 and 15-0.
The daylong competition was great for all who attended, and tournament organizers would like to thank Miller Lite, MGD, Gatorade (Pacific Trading Corp.), Shell Marianas and the Pacific Islands Club Saipan for all of their support.
