The Bomba explodes into 1st place of 4 Starz men’s division

The Bomba exploded into the final round and won it all in the men’s division of the Inaugural 4 Starz Fall Fest Volleyball Tournament 2024 last Saturday at the Agape Gymnasium.

The Bomba took down host and veteran team 4 Starz in the semis and faced off against Bench Warmers, which was a mix of players from different high schools, for all the marbles.

The Bomba, which was also a mix of high school players and recent graduates, ended their run in the tourney with a bang of just two sets, 25-23, 25-22.

The first set saw an intense exchange of firepower from both sides. Throughout the whole match, emotions were high and it got heated as the points were a back-and-forth battle of ties and one-point advantages until the very end of the first set.

The Bomba’s John Matias then served the final two points to secure the 25-23 win over the Bench Warmers.

The second set was also a fiery display of skill and want for the championship. However, The Bomba’s Matias, K.C. Nuyles, Jerome Manzon, Jermaine Salas, Bernard Villagomez, Merrick Toves, Frankie Satur, Clarence Rodriguez, and Joseph Ito showcased their individual skills and talent, but meshed together into one powerful unit.

Bench Warmers actually led early in the second set, but Nuyles’ serves brought them to an 11-11 tie. From there, the momentum shifted into The Bomba’s favor as their hard-hitting kills and multiple errors from the Bench Warmers made it a 19-15 game in favor of The Bomba.

When it seemed like Bench Warmers were on for a comeback rally at 19-23, Matias’ serves—along with well-placed kills by Manzon and Salas—and the team’s air-tight defense at the net allowed them to take it home by three points, 25-22.

The Bench Warmers included Mokyang Kim, Jia Hao Yang, T.J. Saures, Omari Joab, Dwight Crisostomo, Kyle Kramer, Kyle Moon, Jasper Hall, Minsoo Kwon, Seth Tababa, and Seth Hong.

Manzon, who was the captain of The Bomba said of the tournament, “it was a really a great one because, to be honest, coming into the tournament, I thought I expected the same level of playing style from the previous tournaments. But this tournament, I was like, ‘wow.’ I was really amazed by how the players did on each team.”

He said of their semis against 4 Starz, “it was not just hard, it was extremely hard. 4 Starz of course really wanted to take the championship and in two previous tournaments, we lost to them, so it was really, really good to finally beat them.”

Then in the finals against Bench Warmers, he said, “We never played against the Bench Warmers throughout the entire season, but coming into this game, I told them, ‘if we were able to beat 4 Starz, what more can we do with the high school players that we’re going against this championship,’ So I told them that we just play how we played from the previous match and bring it to this match—all positive vibes, and we’re good to go.”

With their team, he said the new players—Toves, Satur, and Rodriguez—were the key pieces that were missing because of their ability to defend the net.

On winning the championship, he said, “Oh, my goodness, this is the first time I felt the fruit of my hard work. I was like, ‘wow, this tournament really made me push 200%.’ So yeah, on behalf of my team, I love my team. Everybody showed passion towards the game and especially towards reaching the championship. And, yeah, I’m really proud of everyone.”

4 Starz then thanked their family and friends, the Open Gym kids, and their sponsors Agape Christian School, Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, Alex and Neil, The Angry Penne, Inas Kitchen, Brabu Pharmacy, Pacific Islands Club, Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, The Athlete’s Foot, McDonald’s of Saipan, Coca Cola, Hybrid, 3HIGH-RES, Mar Pac Distributors, Gold’s Gym, Latte Built Gym, and National Office Supply.

4 Starz is a volleyball group that was formed last year, with an homage to its president Nak Nakashima’s roots—the Federated States of Micronesia and Japan—hence the four stars within the sun of Japan’s flag in their logo. The four stars represent the four FSM states, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Yap.