Kraken takes Blue Division at PIC

The showdown between the top two teams of the Blue Division lived up to the hype on Thursday night as Kraken took two of three from Taula Peter’s Dingleberries at the Pacific Islands Club to take the division title during the 8th Annual Miller Lite Coed Four-Person Volleyball League.

Captain Scott Eck’s Kraken faced its stiffest competition against the Dingleberries in the battle of the two remaining undefeated squads, and his crew came through in one of the most thrilling matches in the season.
Neither foursome gained a decided advantage until Peter and Jess Palacios eked out an 11-9 win in the first set, but the action was just starting to heat up as Kraken staved off elimination with a 12-10 win to even the match at a set apiece.

A crowd gathered around the San Antonio sand court to watch the clash of the titans in the rubber match and the team named for the mythical beasts linked with the biblical Leviathan and the Norse “world-serpent” Jormungandr sank their opponents in the finale, 11-9.
All of the games had significance on Thursday as the Luther’s Ride wasn’t sure that they had the third slot in the postseason locked up before taking the court against the Eagles from Grace Christian Academy.

Captain Luther Taylor and big man Dan “Barno” Westphal celebrated their sweep after handing the students losses in straight sets (11-4, 11-3, and 11-3), but their ticket was already punched before the night began.

The same could not be said for Dolphins-Just Wanna Have Fun and Noke Rogopes’ Somethin’ Fishy as the two squads battled for the fourth and final playoff spot to open the night.
Dolphins-Just Wanna Have Fun flashed their Marianas High School spirit in the first set by stunning Somethin’ Fishy, 11-8 to take an early hard fought advantage, and they followed with a lopsided 11-2 win to clinch the contest and the playoff berth.

The third set didn’t come quite as easy, but the Dolphins played with a “porpoise” and took the finale by the slimmest of margins, 11-9.

The last match of the night was between the two last place teams as the Kawawang Dolphins faced Afternoon Delight in the battle of winless wonders. Despite their less-than-impressive records, both squads have enjoyed the season, and Kathleen Carrey’s Afternoon Delight snapped its six-game losing streak with a sweep over the scholars.

A subdued celebration ensued after Carrey’s Clubmate clan took the first two sets, 11-3 and 11-6, before notching the third, 11-7. While Afternoon Delight broke into the winners’ column for the first time, Emily Jang, Mindy Park, Boogz, and Oliver Tabhan completed their perfect season of imperfection at 0-7.