Volleyball serves up outstanding opener

A large crowd gathered at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Tuesday night to witness the three hotly contested matches of the 2004-2005 Island Wide Men’s and Women’s Volleyball League season opener.

The sounds of bumps, sets, spikes, shouts, and whistles echoed off the walls of the community complex as six teams welcomed the return of the sport to the neutral rubberized surface of the Oleai facility.

The women got things underway when Pikan Gaga and T-8 squared off on the south court alongside of Shag and the Ol’ Aces on the north court at 6:30pm.

Led by Connie Camacho, Pikan Gaga could do no wrong in the first set, as they waltzed to a 25-7 win. Camacho was responsible for 11 of the Pikan points, recording five aces and a kill.

The Gaga girls took the second set in the best of three as well, but T-8 put up a little more of a fight in the 25-20 clincher. Camacho came through with another strong set, scoring six points in the win.

The men took the court in a battle that was billed as the rocball legends versus the track and field stars. Shag and the Ol’ Aces locked horns in three sets of high-flying high-powered action, and at the beginning it looked as if the Aces would pull off the upset.

The well-rounded runners of the Ol’ Aces were the fastest to reach 25 in the first set as they jumped out to take win, 25-18. The Aces weren’t shocked at all—in fact, they were trash talking all throughout the second set in an effort to throw Shag off of their game.

It didn’t work, as the rocballers turned the tables to get the victory in the second, 25-16. With the best of three knotted up at a set apiece, the third was turned into a race to 15, but the winner had to take the game by two points.

That’s exactly what Shag did, but they needed to go into extra points to beat the runners, 16-14. Myron Laniyo of Shag provided his squad with half of its offense, as he led all scorers with eight points.

The final game of the night began when the Lost Boyz and the Floaters served up a thriller at 7:30pm. The Lost Boyz started off the first set in the right direction, as they walloped the Floaters 25-17 to get the ball rolling.

The Floaters rose to the top in the second to edge the Local Boyz 25-23 in the second set, and after the teams changed courts, there was no clear-cut favorite entering the third set.

After straying from the path, the Lost Boyz found themselves on the road to their first win of the season. The Boyz played solid team ball and eventually outlasted the Floaters 15-12 to end the game.

All of the indoor action returns to the Ada Gym tonight at 6:30pm when the 2004-2005 Island Wide Men’s and Women’s Volleyball League continues its search for possible players for the 2006 Micronesian Games in Chuuk.

If you are interested in further information, contact either Joe Lizama or Joe Mettao by calling 664-2503 or 664-2508.