Kiss My Ace team members pose with the women’s division championship trophy and other prizes after winning the Fall Fest Volleyball Tournament 2024 at the Agape Gymnasium on Saturday.
KISS My Ace defeated Lady Starz, 25-13, 25-20, to clinch the women’s division championship of Fall Fest Volleyball Tournament 2024 at the Agape Gymnasium on Saturday.
Led by captain Alisa Baquiles, the members of Kiss My Ace are Cecile Guevarra, Alyssa Velasco, Esco Ulloa, Julie Harrison, Leirha Manalo, Fatima Monterubio, Karisse Ong, Beatrice Fabre, Reilly Tyler, Kiana Hocog, and Nina Manglona. Their grit and chemistry as a team led them to victory.
In the early minutes of the first set of the championship match, both teams unleashed powerful spike finishes and diving returns. Lady Starz started to fall behind after committing errors that allowed Kiss My Ace to seize the lead and bag the set, 25-13.
The second time around, Lazy Starz kept up and even controlled the pace at certain points. But Kiss My Ace remained focused as they protected their weakside while delivering the final blows needed to secure the win, 25-20, and the championship.
“It was very challenging,” team captain Alisa Baquiles said. “But it still worked out well because we had a lot of communication and adjustment — it was a good championship match,” she added.
Initially, she said, Kiss My Ace tried to position themselves in the back, but it did not work in their favor so they decided to stick to their original setup. “Our strength is our communication and lifting up our spirits despite the errors we made,” Baquiles said.
She also commended 4 Starz Marianas Club for hosting a well-organized tournament.
“We are very thankful for them and the volleyball community for coming out and playing the game we love,” Baquiles said.
4 Starz Marianas Club, for their part, would like to thank their sponsors, family and friends, including Open Gym Kidz, Agape Christian School, Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, Yohei lwashita, Anthony Yoshikawa, Alex & Neil, The Angry Penne, Ina’s Kitchen, Brabu Pharmacy, Pacific Islands Club, Crowne Plaza, The Athlete’s Foot, McDonald’s, Coca Cola, Hybrid, 3HIGH-RES, MarPac Distributors, Gold’s Gym, Latte Built, National Office Supply, “and the volunteers that helped ref, line and assist in any way possible.”
