By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

THE Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association has named the NMI team that will be competing in the North Pacific Qualifying tournament in June.
Making the list are Ji Hoon Heo, Russell Buenaventura, Benjie Decena, James Camacho, Mayuko Arriola, Jessica Soll and Lila Mailman in the 18-and-under division and Joe Motto, Jr., Rafael Jones, Christian Miller, Clay McCullough-Stearns, Thea and Theecel Minor, Melody Johnson and Michaela Grandinetti in the 13-and-under division.
The NPQ will be held here from June 11 to 15 with NMI players battling netters from Guam, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.
At stake in the five-day tournament are eight slots on the North Pacific Team.
Last year, the NMI dominated the qualifying tournament getting seven of the eight spots.
NMI coach Jeff Race said this year, they might clinch four tickets with Arriola, Heo, Thea and Motto having the best chance to make the team.
Arriola, Heo and Thea were part of the North Pacific team last year, while Motto failed to make the cut, as he placed third in the boys’ 13-and-under qualifier on Guam in 2006.
Camacho, Johnson and Decena were also on the North team last season, while Buenaventura, Jones, Miller, McCullough-Stearns, Theecel, Soll and Grandinetti are first timers.
Though she is named to the NMI squad this year, Mailman, who made the team last year, will not play in June due to school commitments.
Players who gain spots on the North Pacific team will also clinch tickets to the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships, which will be held in Fiji in August. They will play against the best junior players from the East and West squads.
The West team, which will be gunning for its seventh straight overall championship at POJC, is composed of players from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands Norfolk Island, Vanuatu and Fiji.
Making up the East team are junior netters from the Cook Islands, Samoa and American Samoa.