IWVBL continues tonight

The cheers from fans of kills and aces will echo from the walls of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium once again tonight, as the men of the Island Wide Volleyball League return to action in the second round of the regular season.

Atop the standings is once-felled Lost Boyz at 10-1, who only lost their first match of the season in their last outing against one of the teams in the upper crust.

Though they have dispatched most of their competition, Lost Boyz are closely followed by a pair of teams with identical 7-2 records. No Fear and the Managaha Chiefs are hot on the trail of the pennant leaders, but the Chiefs sport a feather in their cap from having marred the Lost Boyz’s previously sterling record.

Only the top four teams from the men’s division will advance to the postseason when the slate of league play comes to a close on Thursday, Mar. 31, and a battle looms between Shag (5-4), NMC Proa (4-4), and the Chuukanos (3-4). With just a whisper of room separating the teams and only a handful of games remaining, the squads need to make the most of every one of their remaining opportunities.

The door has all but closed for the Ol’Aces (3-7), Floaters (2-8), and the Monarchs (0-10), but the trio of teams has yet to quit. The Ol’Aces showed some of the most promise of the three, but they were unable to find the missing ingredient needed to win the close games. The Floaters were unable to get consistent play from their top players, but the effort was always there, while the Monarchs have been just happy to be in the league.

The regular season for the women’s league has been finished for a week now, and the top four teams are waiting for the men to finish so that the playoffs can commence.

Pikan Gaga (10-1) ruled the roost, and were able to finish the regular with a single loss, but they were just a game ahead of the second place She Devil’s (9-2). These two teams played two of the closest games against each other, but the third place Dragons (8-3) were right in the mix.

The top three teams were definitely playing head and shoulders above the rest of the league’s teams, but they may be in for a shock when one of the faces the fourth place Bootylicious (5-6). Though they do not sport a flashy win-loss record, Bootylicious came within a couple of lucky bounces from beating each of the top three, and they look to take that confidence into the playoffs.