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NMC Proa upset Shag in IWVBL
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Posted on Feb 11 2005
The NMC Proa pulled off an upset in the Island Wide Volleyball League on Thursday night when they downed Shag in three sets of six-on-six action at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium to even their record at 4-4.
The young collegians took the opening set from the Rocball crossovers 25-23 in a nail biter that went down to the wire, but they allowed Shag to climb back into the game in the second set.
Led by Mike Olaitiman and Kashii Kukkun, Shag bounced back to score five kills to overwhelm the Proa 25-21. The teams were able to focus on their game plan, as the Oleai facility fell uncharacteristically quiet with the women’s league finishing their regular season action on Tuesday.
With the match evened up at a set apiece, the Proa exploded out of the gate to deliver a healthy dish of payback when they turned the tables on Shag for a 15-8 thumping in the rubber match. While the Proa have been involved in many close games throughout the season, they usually found themselves on the losing end of the stick, but their five kills and three aces proved to be more than Shag could handle in the clincher.
The win also had playoff implications, as Shag, at 5-4, holds the fourth and final slot in the postseason, but the Proa are 4-4 with a game in hand. Representatives from the Chuukanos were on hand to witness the game, and they were pleased to remain two games out of fourth at 3-4.
The race for the final place will certainly heat up in the next couple of weeks, but postseason was the last thing on the minds of the players in the second game of the night, as the Ol’ Aces and the Floaters have a combined record of 5-15.
While the only thing on the line was pride, the players on both sides of the net enjoyed every point of the light hearted match. The Ol’ Aces finished with a two set sweep of the Floaters, 25-16 and 25-23, to improve their record to 3-7, and saw some spirited play from Dexter Dillay. Dillay served up a slew of points in the opener, and finished the game with a pair of kills and an ace.
All of the bumps, sets, and spikes of the Island Wide Volleyball League continue next Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 6:30pm.
