KNIGHTS TOO STRONG FOR ANGELS, STROLL IN STRAIGHT SETS

By Paradis Jolie Fejerang

Tiyan High hosted Tuesday’s ISA/IIAAG Boys Volleyball League match where the St. John’s Knights took on the Guam Adventist Academy Angels and won in three sets. The Knights seemed to start off playful as they toyed with the Angels on the other side of the court, but as the first set came to an end, GAA’s athletes upped their communication and honed in on simplicity to start the second set with a rattling of their opponents.

After a timeout from Coach Arvin Flores, the Knights stepped back onto the court with cleaner movement and stronger hits to even out the score in the second set before eventually taking the win and moving onto a swift victory in the third to end the match. Set scores: 25-18, 25-19, 25-19.

Although St. John’s boys started off strong, it was clear before the end of the first set that the Angels were not going to let a difference in points dictate how they played the game. With Wyatt Oh leading the Angels, he picked up his communication and kept morale high as the Knights drew closer to their final point of the set.

Into the second, GAA looked as though they entered with a clearer mind and went back to basics. Meanwhile, the Knights were faltering with little mistakes that kept the ball falling onto their side of the court. As the energy on the blue side of the court rose and St. John’s calling for a timeout, the Knights locked in to bring themselves up from a five-point deficit to evening the score at 16-16. It was clear that the Angels became comfortable with their lead all too quickly as the Knights had a sudden wave of powerful hits and sharp precision that were unmatched on the other side of the court.

As the teams switched sides for what became the final set of the evening, St. John’s knew not to let their guard down for the Angels. Despite multiple impressive plays by GAA in setting up Joshua Jung and earning impressive kills, the boys in blue were unable to combat the growing forces on the other side of the net. Each individual Knight only seemed more eager to prove themselves. Juniors Knathan Davis, Harry Vitale and Alex Puangco stood out with each next swing being more impressive in their respective positions.

Player of the Game, Davis shares that the team has been practicing being able to reset themselves and adjust themselves with each different team they face. “Ever since the preseason [tournament], we just wanted to go back to the fundamentals,” says Davis. “This year, all the teams are competitive and it’s pretty much anyone’s game.”

Last year, the Knights were a team to watch as their talent stood out for being both a small and young team composed mainly sophomores. Returning this season with his peers, Davis acknowledges that the eyes on his team are still present. “There is definitely more weight on our shoulders. We were seen as a ‘rebuilding’ team and this year we’re more mature, we’re much stronger and people are expecting a lot more from us. We’re not only going to try to meet those expectations, but go beyond them.”

Up next for the Knights are the reigning champions FD Friars this Friday. “I’m excited. I’m looking forward to every game,” shares Davis. “[FD] is a tough team, they’ve won the past how many years and this year they’re stronger and there is still so much experience with big players.”

TUESDAY GAMES
St. John’s def. GAA 25-18, 25-19, 25-19

Notre Dame def. GACS 25- 13, 25-15, 25-14

Tiyan def. GW 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23

JFK def. Sanchez 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 25-12, 15-9

Okkodo def. Southern 26-28, 25-22, 26-24, 25-22

FD def. St. Paul 25-17, 25-20, 25-18