The Lady Geckos – holding 10 perfect regular season wins – crushed MHS 1, 25-15 in the first set. They secured the match, 25-16 by the second set.
“The game was great, it was a close match,” said SIS head coach Mili Saiki. “We played MHS earlier, and our players were a little nervous, but we beat them. We changed our players a bit. It went back and forth, back and forth. We changed our players again, and it worked.”
Marianas High’s star player Toni Yamada scored six straight kills in the second set of an earlier game, giving the Dolphins a 25-21 victory over SIS. The Dolphins also won, 27-25 in set one. They lost, 25-22 and 25-15 against the Geckos in the semifinals.
SIS came back in the finals’ second round with Amber Roberts and Zoe Jewell dominating the court. One by one, both players shot perfect spikes past MHS’ Melody Johnson and Glorily Williams. Celine Camacho provided a solid defense, deflecting attacks from Yamada.
Also in SIS’ roster were Emma McCullough-Stearns, Shane Jones, Jian Joyner, Abigail Hudkins, Svhan Tured, Jeane Bracken, and Jessica Soll.
Joining Yamada, Williams, and Johnson in MHS 1 were: Michelle Ngirbabul, Rita Del Avellano, Tracey Uchau, Rachel Abrams, Ann Pua, and Rikka Kaijo, with assistant coach Natalie Cruz.
After taking the title in 2009 and 2010, the Dolphins were upset from last Saturday’s loss. They slowed down and fell behind, 13-7 in set one of their second finals game. Yamada suffered from a minor leg cramp but quickly returned to action. Despite her efforts, the Geckos’ late-game 24-14 lead was too much for MHS to handle.
“It was good, everyone did their best,” said MHS 1 head coach Tyce Mister.
The Dolphins defeated their sister team, MHS 2 and crushed Tinian High School in a quarterfinals game. The Geckos knocked them down to the losers’ bracket, where they fought off Kagman High School in the semis. Saipan International School started the playoffs with a quarterfinal win over Grace Christian Academy. Saipan Southern High School and MHS 2 fell early in the playoffs. KHS pummeled through the losers’ bracket after losing to THS.
MHS 2 claims
MISO girls soccer title
Despite Marianas High School’s upset in girls volleyball, another group of Dolphins took the lead to claim MISO’s 2011 girls soccer title last Saturday.
MHS 2’s varsity squad swept Kagman High School, 3-0 in a championship game at the Oleai soccer field. The Dolphins bagged all three points in the first half, with goals from Jeralyn Castillo (third minute), senior Rima Halaby (ninth minute), and Krizelle Alforeza (23rd minute).
The Ayuyus never knew what was coming as they rallied back to defend their goal. An early-game rush was exactly what MHS 2 needed to control the field. KHS goalie Alexis Hofschneider scrambled to deflect attacks from Halaby and teammate Lina Manalili.
“They played fantastic – it was a great tournament all around,” said MHS coach Joseph Elger after the game. “This tournament, it was the best they played all year. Their defense was absolutely sensational. They didn’t give up a goal in the entire tournament. That’s pretty impressive. And their offense, they really did a good job. The senior class, I’m really proud of them especially. They all had a fantastic experience. It’d be wrong for me to single out one of them because they were all absolutely amazing. I’d also like to thank coaches [Maria] Ornes and [Robyn] Wondrasek. They just kept me in line and they were awesome.”
Elisa Fejeran led the Dolphins’ main offensive in the second half, but was unable to score. Halaby and Castillo – who assisted with each other’s goals earlier – also couldn’t connect in the last 20 minutes. Gemmilie Eugenio defended MHS 2’s goal in the first half before switching out with Kimiko Wally. Both Eugenio and Alforeza advanced 60 yards but lost the ball to KHS’ Jemma Lara. The Dolphins pushed deep into Kagman territory, sending several attempts from Olivia Leung and Lyvette Lacsina.
None came past Hofschneider, however. The Ayuyus focused on the defense but lost time to recover.
Earlier in the quarterfinals, KHS defeated Saipan Southern High School, 4-3. Kagman High lost to MHS 2, 4-0 in the semis and was pushed to the losers’ bracket. From there, the Ayuyus crushed SSHS again, 2-0 to reach the championship round. Prior to their elimination, the Manta Rays ousted MHS 1, 3-2 and Tinian High School, 2-0. MHS 1 downed THS, 4-0 before losing to MHS 2, 2-0.
Joining Marianas High’s 19-player roster were: Goldie Aque, Riezel David, Ericka Dela Rosa, Deveney Dela Cruz, Shane Golingo, Genevieve Gottwald, Windy Orcine, Josifynn Rasa, Lia Rangamar, and Paila Race.
KHS included: Andrea Camacho, Patsylynn Jetley, Allyson Kanai, Elloise Lotoc, Mercedes Mesa, Shana Metta, Emily Palacios, Rita Taitano, Robin Romero, Nichelle Sablan, Lara San Nicolas and Chystal Santos, joined by head coach Megan Herber.
