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SIS hands GCA first loss
Grace Christian Academy’s Jasmine Phan leaps for a spike during their game against Saipan International School 1 in the CCOPSA volleyball league last Thursday at the latter’s court in As Lito. (Roby N. Pamintuan)
Saipan International School halted Grace Christian Academy’s streak in the boys division of the 2018-2019 Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Association Volleyball League last Thursday at the Geckos’ court in As Lito.
SIS came out on top of the neck-and-neck game, 25-23, 25-22, to hand the Eagles their first loss of the season after going 4-0. Besides putting a blemish on GCA’s record, the Geckos also snapped their two-game losing skid to improve to a 3-2 mark.
Meanwhile, earlier in the girls division game, the Lady Eagles earned a come-from-behind victory over the Lady Geckos, 25-22, 26-24. After securing the close win, GCA maintained its league best 8-1 record, while SIS 1 took their second loss in six games.
Jasmine Phan broke the 24-24 standoff in the second set after landing a clean spike and then delivered the killer blow for the Lady Eagles from the server’s area.
“It felt very relieving to close out the game,” Phan shared. “I just kept in mind what soach C (Cesar Libut)always says ‘play how you always play.’”
The second half of the final set featured seven deadlocks, while GCA faced a 3-6 deficit in the early stages. The Lady Eagles and Lady Geckos went back and fourth as they were too familiar with each other’s offensive strengths and tendencies. However, in the end Clerisse Dacumos stepped up for GCA, as she mixed in unexpected tips with setting up jobs for Anna Nunez, Karina Dilse, and Phan.
In the opening set, Nunez hit the clinching serve to complete the comeback win. GCA was lethargic to start the game off, allowing the Lady Geckos to jump out of the gates with a 6-2 lead. After the reeling, the Lady Eagles tightened loose ends up on the defensive side, while Phan delivered back-to-back serves to claim their first lead in the game, 8-7. Then with GCA hanging on to a 20-19 lead, Miku Kimura lobbed three consecutive underhand serves to push her team’s advantage to 22-19. The Lady Eagles hung on tight with Kimura and Nunez scoring the needed points to close out the set.
GCA had to work harder in both sets, as SIS 1’s frontline weapons—Sally Lai, Malika Miyawaki, and Maury Zon Tybaco—proved to be constant threats to the Lady Eagles’ defense.
