BULLDOGS INCH BY KNIGHTS FOR PLAYOFF POSITIONING

By Mya Owens

On Tuesday night at Okkodo’s home court, the Bulldogs and the St. John’s Knights went head-to-head in a five-set battle that kept the crowd on edge with both teams coming into the game tied for 4th place at 7-3. It would be Okkodo taking the tough match 21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 21-25, 15-10 with one more week to go in the regular season. The top eight teams advance to the playoffs.

Contributing to the Bulldogs’ win, Rihanna Lee Estoy served seven kills and three aces.
“I wanted to play hard for myself and my team and show that Okkodo is a strong team to play against,” said Estoy.

Set 1
The Knights and Bulldogs opened the game trading early errors. Okkodo quickly settled into rhythm, attacking aggressively behind Estoy’s leadership. On defense, St. John’s pressured the Bulldogs into passing mistakes and pulled ahead. As the set neared its final points, the Knights lost momentum with errors at the net and service line, allowing Okkodo to close the gap. After a timeout, however, St. John’s regrouped and capitalized on the Bulldogs’ errors, sealing the first set 25–21.

Set 2
Much like the first set, both teams opened by trading errors. The Knights gained an early edge behind Naima Cook’s precise setting, which allowed their hitters to score at the net. The Bulldogs, however, stayed strong on offense, sending attacks that forced the Knights into scrambles. As Okkodo approached set point, St. John’s called a timeout to regroup. The set closed with long rallies, but the Knights’ passing struggles continued, allowing the Bulldogs to take the set 25–21.

Set 3
The Knights opened the third set with strong attacks that forced the Bulldogs into passing errors. Okkodo kept the score close with Estoy mixing in timely tips against the Knights’ defense. As St. John’s attacks slowed, the Bulldogs capitalized on hitting errors and pulled ahead, securing the set 25–22.

“We had a lot of hustle, and that is what kept our energy up and made us push even more to fight,” reflected Estoy.

Set 4
St. John’s took an early lead behind the powerful swings of Amara Del Carmen and Jia Peters. Okkodo played it safe, sending tips and free balls into the Knights’ zone. With St. John’s ahead 13–8, both teams called quick timeouts. After the break, the Bulldogs regained communication and became more aggressive, but the Knights kept control with continuous kills from Del Carmen and Peters. St. John’s closed out the set 25–21.

Set 5
With the match tied at two sets each, both teams battled for the win. At the net, Okkodo’s Taurehn Arjona and Samantha Primero each contributed two kills, while Estoy added three more. From the service line, Primero delivered two aces to keep the Bulldogs in the lead. Knight Peters targeted her attacks to the back row, but Estoy defended each one, helping Okkodo hold firm and secure the decisive set 15–10 to claim the match.

“The ultimate goal is to be up there with all the other schools and show that even though we don’t look like a big team, we can play like one,” said Estoy.

JV GAME
On the junior varsity side, the Bulldogs defeated the Knights; 23-25, 25-17, 25-18. The Academy Cougars finished the JV season undefeated.

TUESDAY SCORES

Academy def. Sanchez 17-25, 25-18, 25-17, 23-25, 15-11
Guam High def. GAA 17-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-22, 15-9
Harvest def. GACS 25-15, 25-7, 25-9
GW def. JFK 22-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-9
St. Paul def. Tiyan 25-23, 18-25, 26-24, 25-13
Notre Dame def. Southern 25-21, 25-21, 25-14
Okkodo def. St. John’s 21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 21-25, 15-10

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