SHARKS DROWN GECKOS TO STAY UNBEATEN

By Shania Bulala

An intense volleyball matchup took place at the GW gymnasium Tuesday evening between the Sanchez Sharks and the GW Geckos in the ISA Girls Volleyball League. The Sharks walked away with the win, but not without a fierce battle from the Geckos, who forced the game to four sets 25-19, 26-24,17-25, 25-22.

Sharks Lyrwana Mugol recorded nine kills, while teammate Erin Clemena also earned nine kills and two aces.

“Our team has some pretty talented players who already knew what we should be doing. We came into this match ready to play the game we know how to play. That’s always our game plan,” said Clemena.

First Set
The Sharks came out swinging, quickly testing the Geckos defense and establishing a commanding 8-2 lead, thanks to powerful kills from Mugol and Clemena. The Sharks capitalized on every mistake the Geckos made, quickly expanding their lead to 11-4. Despite trailing by as much as seven points, the Geckos gave a hard fought battle, narrowing the gap to just a two point difference. However, the Shark attack proved too strong, with Mugol getting four kills in the first set alone.

“Individually, I think I did pretty well. There are still a lot of things I need to personally work on. But overall, as a team, I think we played awesome, but there is always much to improve on,” said Mugol.

Katherina Caguioa sealed the set for the Sharks with a decisive kill, closing it out at 25-19.

Second Set
In the second set, GW came out determined, flipping the script and taking the early lead 12-9. The Sharks’ errors fueled the Geckos’ momentum as they continued to build on their lead. Sophomore Yenia Smartt led the Geckos on the offensive end with kill after kill.
However, the Sharks refused to stay down. After being down practically the entire set, the Sharks clawed their way back to tie the set at 24-24. A massive kill from Clemena sealed the set for the Sharks 26-24 to take a 2-0 lead.

Third Set
Down two sets, the Geckos refused to go quietly. A much needed pep talk between the sets reignited their fighting spirit as they stormed to a 10-6 lead. As the gap grew to as much as eight points, the Geckos’ determination was evident, with every point hard-earned.

The Sharks fought to find weaknesses in the opposing defense, but strong serving from Smartt helped the Geckos hold on to their lead. With improved communication and teamwork, the Geckos closed out the set 25-17, forcing a fourth set. The Geckos’ spirited comeback effort definitely kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Fourth Set
The fourth set began with quick back-to-back kills from GW’s Savannah Dela Rosa. However, Sanchez quickly regrouped, exploiting the Geckos errors to take an 11-5 lead. GW clawed its way back into the set, tying the score at 12-12, thanks to big blocks from freshman middle blocker Gleyn Alim. The crowd was up and hyped as both teams fought for each point.

Despite the Geckos’ grit, the Sharks eventually regained control, with Breanna Simina orchestrating key plays to slowly pull away 19-16. Sharks’ Phaedra Taijeron delivered the final kill to end the set 25-19, winning the match 3-1.

The Sharks remain as one of the two undefeated teams in the ISA league. They will face off against the other unbeaten team in the JFK Islanders in a rescheduled game on Thursday at JFK.

In the Junior Varsity match, the Geckos swept the Sharks 25-20, 25-12.

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