Back-to-back for Lady Dolphins in v-ball

The Marianas High School Lady Dolphins swam their way to a repeat title of the PSS-NMIVA Girls High School Volleyball League after they beat Grace Christian Academy Lady Eagles in straight sets this 2026-2027 season, 21-14, 21-18, in front of their home crowd on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Climbing through the ranks in the playoffs, the Lady Dolphins came out unscathed despite a rocky regular season. On the last day of the playoffs, they first defeated MCS, 21-18, 21-8; then beat Saipan International School, 21-7, 21-11; and finally, after a break, they faced off against GCA in the finals.

GCA, who defeated MHS in the regular season, came out strong with well placed hits and strong serves. But, the Lady Dolphins created less errors and moved as one, having more chemistry than they did in the beginning of the season. The first set was a quick one in favor of MHS, 21-14.

The second set had more battles at the net and it was a tight one in the beginning. MHS’ defense at the back stood their ground though, digging and bumping as much as they could. GCA was their own worst enemy, with errors on the returns, until eventually MHS sealed the deal, 21-18.

The MHS team included Erika Zandueta, Ella Hall, Lina Tsukagoshi, Hiromi Sasamoto, Rhodalyn Zandueta, Jana Agbuya, Emma Sablan, Genicia Agulto, Mia Guerrero, Dana Munar, Kylie Leomo, Mary Joyce Anover, Czarina Valdez, Maya Taga, and Mailee Santos.

GCA’s roster consisted of Anne Arriola, Venice Camaisa, Maria Sofia Gomez, Liyanna Libut, Breanna Lopez, Misako Ota, Eliane Pagaduan, Princess Siapno, Joanella Yarofalir, and Yu Xuan (Breanna) Zheng.

Zandueta and Hall, who are both seniors, were happy that they got to repeat as champions. Hall, a middle hitter, said, “Before we started our streak, another school had a very long streak, so it feels good that we get to keep it.” MHS defeated SSHS in last season’s finals, while GCA had an 8-year championship streak before that.

For Zandueta, an outside hitter, she said, “Considering all the circumstances that were happening in Agape [Gym], we had a chance to build our way up in the playoffs this season. Having the championships in our home court felt easier than playing at Agape in my opinion.”

Hall added, “I feel like also because of the losses in the past games, we pinpointed what was wrong, and we worked on it together as a team and I feel like it made the difference.”

When asked if there was a doubt that they could retain their title, Hall said, “I had a little bit of doubt, but I still had confidence in my team. I knew that we were going to do good.” Meanwhile, Zandueta said, “I didn’t have doubts. I knew we were going to win this. I wanted this so bad like as a senior—our last year playing, I wanted this so bad.”

They then gave shoutouts to their family, teammates, coaches, and principals that came out to support them throughout the season.

Third place went to Mount Carmel School Lady Knights after defeating Saipan Southern High School in three tough sets, 15-21, 22-20, 15-12.