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NMIVA readies for Marianas Cup
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Posted on Feb 21 2006
Some of the region’s best beachside bombers are about to hit the Saipan sands as early as tomorrow as the Pacific Islands Club braces for the return of the Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball
Festival this weekend in San Antonio.
Teams of bumpers, setters, and spikers from the CNMI and Guam will be joined a well-established international field of players when they enter the war by the shore as Paul Baxter, Phil Dalhausser, Taichi Morikawa, Tetsuo Yamamoto, Heidi Ilustre, Diane Pascua, Hatsumi Yui, and Emi Oguri will bring a hefty professional presence to the tournament.
The American combo of Dalhausser-Baxter will face off against Japan’s Morikawa-Yamamoto in the men’s exhibition match on Friday evening, while Ilustre-Pascua of the Philippines will play Yui-Oguri of Japan.
All of the live games take place this Friday, as the professionals put on an exhibition at the PIC at 6pm. Aside from watching some of the world’s top players work their magic between the lines, amateurs have a chance at winning a professional teammate for the start of Saturday’s games the two-on-two during the raffle.
The cost to enter the tournament is $60 per team, which includes a commemorative T-shirt, a ticket to the awards banquet, drinks during the tournament, lots of games, and four raffle tickets good for the treasure trove of prizes.
According to Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association president Jon Cramer, there will be between 75-100 participants of all skill levels ready to play hand to hand in the sand, so all names need to be submitted as soon as possible.
This time out the organizers are expected to get a huge turnout as there will be more than $15,000 in cash and prizes on the line. As an added bonus to all of the beachside studs and board short-wearing wannabes, the pros will be conducting a pair of free clinics for all interested players tomorrow at the PIC sand courts at 10am and 3pm.
