Saipan International School’s volleyball team members pose for a photo with PSS Athletics Program Director Nick Gross and NMIVA officials after winning the boys middle school division title of the NMIVA-PSS Interscholastic Volleyball League on Saturday at the MHS gym.
ACS’ Ziqian Cheng connects a spike against an SIS defender during the boys middle school division championship match of the NMIVA-PSS Interscholastic Volleyball League on Saturday at the MHS gym.
SIS’ Moshe Sikkel attempts the overhead serve during the boys middle school division championship match of the NMIVA-PSS Interscholastic Volleyball League on Saturday at the MHS gym.
SAIPAN International School recorded a perfect season by defeating Agape Christian School, 20-10, 21-19 to win the boys middle school division championship of the NMIVA-PSS Interscholastic Volleyball League on Saturday at the Marianas High School gym.
In the first set, SIS established dominance early thanks to the speed of Nason Wessel’s overhead serves. ACS failed to keep the ball alive, allowing SIS to seize the lead, 9-4.
ACS fought back with Yang Song, Shengshi Yang and Ziqian Cheng unleashing powerful spike finishes and serves to close the gap, 7-11.
But in the end, miscommunication and the inability to defend incoming attacks and control possession kept ACS behind as SIS secured the first set, 21-10.
The break seemed to have revitalized ACS which started strong in the second set and held a four-point lead during the first five minutes of the game.
However, SIS regained the momentum with constant set ups for Moshe Sikkel and Theo Joab who finished with powerful spikes to give their team the lead, 19-14.
However, ACS refused to go down easily and launched an offensive that reduced SIS’s lead 18-20.
Unfortunately, ACS committed a crucial error during the receiving end of a serve as miscommunication left the ball untouched. It was an anti-climactic finish that gave SIS a second set victory, 21-19, and the championship.
“These guys have great skills. They have been practicing together for so long. They executed all season,” SIS coach Stacy Eno said.
She added that only two players on the team will stay for the next middle school season, but “we have two unstoppable high school [varsity and junior varsity] teams so, watch out everybody.”
This is Eno’s second year as SIS coach, and it is also her first undefeated season and first championship.
The SIS players are Daniel and Theo Joab, Nason Wessel, Aiden Camacho, Moshe Sikkel, Landon Pudney, and Allan Cabrera.
The team’s assistant coach is Mili Saiki.
