No equal for No Fear

First place in the Island Wide Volleyball League came down to a postseason make-up game in the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Wednesday night between the Managaha Chiefs and No Fear, and the fearless squad survived the three-set battle by communicating effectively, executing plays with precision, and capitalizing on their opponents’ mistakes.

Emotions were running high for both teams as the facility operators set up the net to make use of the premier court in the center of the rubberized surface. All eyes were on the back-and-forth action in the first set as the Chiefs won by the slimmest of margins to gain the early advantage, 25-23.

The roar from the fans echoed off of the walls of the Oleai landmark, and the sound poured out into the night, sparking the interest of passersby. Fans from the adjacent baseball field ran in from time to time to check the score which they would in turn relay to the players, fans, and officials.

With their backs against the wall, No Fear staved off elimination in the second set powered by four kills from Gabriel White that led to a 25-19 win to tie the game at one set apiece.

The deciding third set was a frenzied race to 15 points that went back and forth almost as many times as the ball itself, but No Fear overpowered the Chiefs with nine kills to reach the summit in the clincher to take sole possession of first place with a 15-11 victory.

White led the way for No Fear with a total of 11 kills on the night, while teammate Taula Peter finished with five kills and an ace.

Apple Samson finished with six kills for the Chiefs in a losing effort, while teammate Larry Sharry tallied four.

In the late game, the Chuukanos bounced back from their Monday night loss to the Chiefs to prevail over the NMC Proa in two sets, 25-14 and 25-13. The Proa took a pounding early as Coach Burtha Suda and his squad from Capitol Hill exploited every weakness with more energy than the CUC.

J-Luck Takoichu, Simson John, K-Fis Raphael, Eken Amitaro, Ritrick Masawa, and Tery Sam led the charge for the Chuukanos to the cheers of their fan faithful and teammates. The second set was not as easy for the close-knit team, but Takoichu’s final two serves ended the set with a sweep of the game and a fourth place finish for the regular season.

The playoffs of the IWVBL starts in less than two weeks, as the first-place No Fear take on the eighth-seeded Floaters at 6:30pm on Monday, March 28, and the pennant runner-up Managaha Chiefs take on the seventh-seeded Ol’ Aces in the 7:30pm match.

The postseason also means the return of the women’s league, as the Dragons face the Haz Been at 6:30pm the same night, while Bootylicious and T-8 meet in the 7:30pm game.