Lady Eagles claw way to 7th v-ball title

There was never a doubt from Grace Christian Academy Lady Eagles’ head coach Joe Saures that his team would win the championship once again in the NMIVA-PSS Interscholastic Girls High School Volleyball League 2024-2025.

Despite having to claw their way up the playoff rounds against No. 1 seed Marianas High School Lady Dolphins lying in wait, the Lady Eagles rose like phoenixes and won three sets in the best-of-five finals at the MHS Gymnasium last Tuesday.

The Lady Dolphins entered the championship with a one-set advantage due to their bye. Despite this, the Lady Eagles—fresh off a win against Mount Carmel School just before the finals—claimed the next two sets, 21-14 and 21-16. However, the match wasn’t over yet. When GCA needed just one more set to secure the win, MHS bounced back and evened the series with a 21-17 victory, tying it at 2-2.

In the fifth and final set, the Lady Eagles’ rotation of Mariana Angeles, Beatrice Fabre, Sofia Gomez, Eunji Hahn, Sarang Kim, Tae Hee Kim, L.J. Libut, Alyssa Omampo, Eliane Pagaduan, Eunice Pagaduan, Joaenella Yarofalir, and Dianna Zheng moved and breathed as one to win it all, 15-10.

Long rallies and aces defined the game, as the last two standing teams played their hearts out. The matches were as intense as the cheering supporters in the bleachers, with each point sparking an eruption of cheers from both players and crowd alike.

The final set could’ve gone either way, with MHS drawing first blood and keeping pace with GCA. But errors on their end allowed the Lady Eagles to capitalize and lead, 7-3. MHS wasn’t out for the count yet though and hard-hitting Erica Zandueta helped them back within two, 7-9.

However, GCA’s serves were the epitome of unhittable, as Eliane Pagaduan took them from an 11-8 lead to within a point of victory at 14-10. Finally, the nail-biting and thrilling finals, which lasted well into the late evening, concluded with another championship added to GCA’s repertoire.

MHS’ roster included Rizza Relucio, Erica Zandueta, Cassie Regan, Sheira Dela Rosa, Jayme Vargas, Airianna Estrada, Ella Hall, Fiona Regan, Savita Sikkel, and Charlotte Amano.

According to PSS Athletics director Nick Gross, GCA’s championship win is their seventh in a row since interscholastic sports began at the beginning of his tenure in 2018.

Saures, who never doubted his team, said of their win, “It feels good. We just needed to work harder and prepare because the other teams worked hard.” Having to fight their way to the finals and face off against the top seed, he said, “We just had faith. We concentrated on our weaknesses and tried to fix that so we can correct our mistakes.”

The strategy in their finals, he said, was to be ahead and land points early. “We needed points early so that they can gain confidence and be a little bit more comfortable when playing,” said Saures. “We wanted to be ahead and correct our serving, receiving, and hitting along the way.”

As for the season, he said, “It was great. It was just a short time to practice, but the girls are really hard workers. They practiced on their own and my assistant coaches (Katriel Saures and Cecile Guevarra) helped out too. We had a game plan and we did it.”

With their championship legacy that was started by GCA’s longtime coach Cesar Libut still intact, he said, “I think the team knows where their heart is at in the game. I believe that every new group that’s coming up, they don’t want to throw that away, and they want to continue that legacy. They’ve worked hard since middle school to be better players in high school, because when they leave, they want to still hold that legacy.”