NMIVA women busy at PIC

A week after the Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association tested the top men’s players on the beach behind the Fiesta Resort and Spa they are set to do it all over again, but this time the CNMI’s top women will hit the sand running at the Pacific Islands Club for a chance to represent their hometown in the 2006 Micronesian Games.

The best bumpers, setters, and spikers will descend upon Saipan this summer for the hottest beach volleyball competition in the region this summer, and NMIVA is close to finding the local team that will face them.

Saipan’s top crop of players is also its youngest as the tandem of Stephanie Arnold and Jazmine Anastacio is all alone in first place through the first two qualifying tournaments with 48 points after back-to-back top five finishes.

The duo managed to take fourth in their first outing as a team before surging to the forefront with a first place finish on the Hyatt sand.

They’ll have a chance to create some space this Sunday, Jan. 21, 2006, when the women’s qualifier enters its third round for the beach team rights.

Arnold-Anastacio holds a four-point lead over Laurie Peterka and Heather Kennedy, as the second place team earned their 44 points by winning out at the Pacific Islands Club before falling to fifth place in the last qualifier at the Hyatt.

They look like serious contenders for the title but Kennedy is not eligible to represent the CNMI due to the Micro Games’ seven-year residency requirement. At the very least they can help to raise the level of competition around them to get their cross-court counterparts ready for the Games.

Benylynn Mettao and Sia Dela Cruz are tied for second with a pair of third place finishes, while 2005 Mini Games star Melissa Halaby and the most valuable player from the Private Schools Indoor Volleyball League, Lena Guzman, are in fourth place with 40 points.

Halaby’s teammate from the 2005 Mini Games is in fifth place as Mili Saiki joined Kelley Butcher to take second in the opening round—but Butcher is new on island and is also ineligible to represent the CNMI.

From there it’s wide open, as five teams are still capable of making a run in the final two weeks of tournament play.

The fee for this weekend’s two-on-two action is $5 for NMIVA members and $10 for all others. For more info, contact NMIVA vice-president Taula Peter by calling 322-9263 or via email at taulap@gmail.com. NMIVA head coach Nan Intharaluk can also be reached for more information by calling 235-6231 ext. 5147.