PLAYERS ENJOYING COMBINED TEAMS IN PRESEASON TOURNEY

By Shihori Fujisaki

The island saw its first glance of what the 2023 high school boys volleyball season holds, with both the ISA and IIAG league teams in the GSPN preseason tournament consisting of two pools.

With Pool A including many talented players from Friars 1, Geckos, Knights, Islanders, Eagles and Sharks, Joseph Mafnas, a junior from Friars 1, says that he sees this tournament as an opportunity for his team to become aware of their strengths and weaknesses, in which they could improve on.

In last year’s championship game of the IIAAG league, the Friars went against the Harvest Eagles. In hopes of making it to the championship once again this year, setter Christian Shinohara from the Harvest Eagles states, “This preseason is a good time to get chemistry with our team and just get a feel for the flow of the game.”

In Pool B, the champions of the 2022 ISA league, the Titans, lead Pool B with a record of 8-2. From the Titans, senior Gerald Malana says that this tournament allows for his team to get a feel of how they play and how the other teams in the league play.

Isaiah Cruz from the Titans adds that this tournament is also a “reality check” for his team to realize the improvements they can make in order to have a successful season.

Junior Dominic David from the Okkodo Bulldogs believes this tournament is beneficial for his team. He states, “It gives us a real good insight to other teams in our league, since things may have changed from last season.”

In addition to preparing the teams for their regular season, many of the players agree that this tournament gives them a valuable experience, as they compete against both ISA and IIAG teams. Christian Fredrick from George Washington states, “It’s better to have more competition.”

Furthermore, Cameron Kelley from St. John’s says this tournament is a great opportunity for the volleyball community to grow, as players from both public and private schools are able to compete and socialize with each other.

With 12 teams enrolled in the preseason tournament, the teams are given an opportunity to adjust for their upcoming season, as well as give them a gist of how the teams are going to look like in both the ISA and IIAG league. Although this tournament will prepare them, the best prepared team will be determined as the championship game of the tournament will take place at 2:30 pm.