By Kyle Terwilliger
Variety News Staff

SIMON Sanchez, the preseason champions for the SHANK! Tournament, pick up where they left off against the John F. Kennedy Islanders on Tuesday at the JFK gym. In this IIAAG match up the Sharks defeated the home team in two sets winning 25–19 and 26–24 behind the strong performances of Dioor Jones and Jeremiah Taisacan.
Despite the quick start the Sharks would acknowledge the fact that they still need to work on things if they have hopes of getting the league’s championship title. The Islanders jumped out to a five-point lead, in the second set, behind the hitting of Lester Tolentino and Christian Mafnas. Feeling the set slip away from them, the Sharks would regroup behind a Dioor Jones block. Two JFK errors an ace and another block by Jones would tie the game at 15 a piece.
The lead then rocked back and forth between the two teams as the scrapped for every point. The Sharks front line led by Taisacan and Jones, shut down much of the Islanders hitting. The Islanders’ John Lactoen would attempt to rescue JFK by serving the next six points which would tie the game at 24 and rallied the home crowd.
However that was not an issue for the Sharks’ Jeremiah Taisacan who would achieve his second kill on the night and then end the rally on a block to give the Sharks the win.
In another match up the Knights of St. John’s would take on the Eagles of Harvest Christian Academy. With only a nine player roster the Knights relied on a rotating eight-man game and sophomore Reyn Johnson would step up big for the Knights giving them the win in three sets winning the first set 25–21, losing the second 19–25 and winning the third 15–12. Johnson the starting outside hitter would have ten kills and three aces in the win.
Raymond Piana, a middle blocker, would contribute seven kills, two aces and six blocks in the win. The Eagles’ Teddy Bassler would have six kills, and John Michael Alim and Miles Herron would add four kills and one block a piece in the loss.
On the other side of the island the Guam High Panthers would be lead Niko Bolivar with 13 digs, Terry Guerrero with 16 assists, Curtis Washington with six kills and five blocks and Mark Ceres and Seri Tajima who had five kills and two blocks a piece, defeating the Southern High Dolphins and moving to 1 – 0 on the season.