By Kyle Terwilliger
Variety News Staff

THE Simon Sanchez Sharks would improve their undefeated record on Tuesday as they defeated the Father Duenas Friars in straight sets in the Shark Tank that was the Simon Sanchez home gym.
The Sharks would come out and make the statement that they are the team to beat for the IIAAG Boy’s Volleyball. The Friars seemed to have no answer for the very energetic Sharks’ team. After the Sharks’ JV team set the stage with their win in three sets: 25-21, 22-25, 15-6, the Varsity Sharks could smell the blood and quickly made their attack taking the first set in a matter of only minutes as they won 25-14.
With the crowd buzzing from the JV’s exciting win earlier in the evening the Sharks would take the floor and get very good production out of everyone that was on the floor jumping to a quick 8-4 lead forcing the first timeout of the game by the Friars. Coming out of the timeout the Sharks’ Captain Michael Pocheco would serve eight straight points to make the score 16-4.
The Sharks would continue the onslaught pushing the lead to an amazing 20 – 7 behind Dioor Jones forcing once again a timeout from the Friars. The Friars would attempt a comeback scoring six straight points but just could not figure out how to play the much more intense Sharks’ and would drop the first set 25-14.
As the second set began each team made significant lineup changes. These changes would make the second set much closer with each team rallying back and forth trading points. The Sharks would begin to pull away but with the score 13-10 in the Sharks favor, the Friars’ Ashton Wong would lead the comeback to tie the game at 13 a piece. After the Sharks’ Jeremiah Taisacan and the Friars’ Ryan Salas traded kills, the Friars would get their first lead in the set moving the score to 16-15.
Dioor Jones would step up for the Sharks to stop any type of momentum the Friars would attempt to get. Jones would come up with a huge block to swing the momentum back to the Sharks forcing the Friars to call a timeout with the score knotted at 18. Out of the timeout Dioor Jones and Jeremiah Taisacan would lead the way for the Sharks as they took a 23-19 lead forcing the Friars to call another timeout yet again.
The Sharks would score quickly out of the timeout giving them the chance to close the door on the Friars and Jeremiah Taisacan would not hesitate getting his sixth kill to end the game taking the set 25 – 19 and winning the match. When asked about how well his team is playing the Sharks coach Jack Hattig said “The league is very even, there’s not one team that really sticks out as the best. We know people are gunning for us now because of how well we are playing.”
Hattig also expressed what his team needs to work on, “Our serves were a little off today, but our defense was very scrappy and overall we minimized our errors which was good.” This is something that they are going to have to do once again as they travel to play the very good Notre Dame Royals Friday. With the win the Sharks are proving that their win of the preseason SHANK! Tournament was no fluke.
In the other games of the day the team that the Sharks have to get ready for now, the Notre Dame Royals defeated the Harvest Christian Eagles relatively easily winning in straight sets 25-17, 25-9. Now that the Friars have lost the 5-1 Notre Dame Royals have the second best record behind the Sharks.
The Southern High Dolphins got their first win defeating the John F. Kennedy Islanders in three sets taking the first 29-27 losing the second 24-26, and taking the third 15-8.
The Guam High Panthers fell to 1-4 on the season as they lost to St. Paul Christian Warriors in straight sets losing 25-20, 25-22.