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By Robert Balajadia
The St. John’s Knights girls volleyball undefeated streak came to an exciting end as the St. Anthony Raiders handed the Knights their first loss of the season Thursday evening in just two sets 25-19, 25-23 at the Raider gym in Tamuning in middle school volleyball action.
The Raiders (6-1) have now tied for first place with the Knights, who drop to (7-1).
Though pressure for the Raiders was admitted to be at an all-time high, nothing felt better to Nicole Gandaoli and her team than when she served an ace to seal the victory after the Knights battled from 12 points down to eventually tie the game in the second set.
“It felt really great, because it made up for when I messed up,” said Gandaoli on the winning point. “We were very nervous because we really just want to win the championship and we played with all our hearts.”
St. Anthony got a big lift off the bench to start the second set with strong serves from Therese Fegurgur, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. The Knights briefly ended the Raider run, but Isabel Itliong-Cruz and Gandaoli each handed the Knights a pair of aces as St. Anthony rolled on to a 16-5 lead.
The Knights were then hit with a formation penalty to give the Raiders their 17th point, 17-5, when coach Chris Shepherd took a timeout to recollect his girls.
St. John’s responded in the biggest way possible as they chipped away at the large Raider lead, led by Hana Fernandez and Elizabeth Errett, to get within 19-12. Itliong-Cruz got a kill to go up 20-12 with the Raiders aiming to close out the game.
Errors by the Raiders allowed the Knights to score five straight points to get within 20-17 with the Knights fans cheering on their comeback effort. Fernandez served her team back into just a one-point game 21-20, but errors allowed the Raiders to get a 23-20 lead.
The Knights served the game into a tie at 23 until an error and an ace by Gandaoli ended the Knights perfect run.
Itliong-Cruz was instrumental all game by keeping the Knights at bay, scoring points that broke the Knights runs in the wild second set.
“We just put trust in each other, we’re one team and one family and we don’t blame one another for anything. This was a really big game, fighting for first place, but now that it’s over we can relax a little bit,” said Itliong-Cruz.
Rayven Benavente led the charge in the first set after a kill, followed by an ace, that gave the Raiders a 15-7 lead. Both teams would trade points back and forth until the Raiders made a momentum swinging play that helped them close out the first set.
Hallie Wigsten appeared to have a kill on hand until Raiders Kirsten Silva and Jackie Martinez made the save of the game as they both went out of bounds to save a seemingly dead ball that got the crowd on their feet, giving the Raiders a 20-16 lead after the Knights struggled to get the ball back over. Itliong-Cruz served the final point in the set to win it 25-19.
The Raiders now have one final game against the Santa Barbara Spartans next Tuesday where a win will secure, at least, a tie for first place.
PHOTO GALLERY:
GPS Sports Calendar
March 2024
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for February
1st
ISA SOFTBALL
IIAAG MS GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS
HS RUGBY PLAYOFFS
Events for March
2nd
HS RUGBY
ISA GIRLS SOFTBALL
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
Events for March
2nd
Events for March
4th
ISA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
ISA SOFTBALL ALL-ISLAND COACHES MEETING
Events for March
5th
HS RUGBY PLAYOFFS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
Events for March
8th
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
ISA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS PLAYOFFS
Events for March
9th
ISA SOFTBALL FINALS
HS RUGBY FINALS
Events for March
9th
Events for March
14th
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
Events for March
16th
Events for March
17th
Events for March
18th
Events for March
19th
Events for March
20th
Events for March
22nd
Events for March
24th
Events for March
25th
Events for March
27th
Events for March
28th
Events for March
29th
- 31
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Events for March
30th
Soccer
ISLANDERS OUTSHOOT DOLPHINS
Uncategorized
4TH QUARTER SPORTS SET FOR TAKE OFF
Soccer
ISLANDERS OUTSHOOT DOLPHINS
Uncategorized
4TH QUARTER SPORTS SET FOR TAKE OFF
COMING SOON …
4th Quarter Sports
- Guam Marathon