Bomba, Lady Starz, Angry Penne are 4 Starz Fall Fest champs

The volleyball scene was buzzing on championship day of the 2nd Annual 4 Starz Fall Fest Volleyball Tournament at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Saturday, and it didn’t disappoint as every final went down to the wire. Athletes, dripping with sweat and fueled by passion for the sport, pushed through late into the night as every bump, set, spike, and block carried the three championship games to their very last sets—each one close enough to go either way.

The men’s division champions were Bomba, who closed out the tourney late into the night with a five-set thriller over Hammahz, 25-22, 26-28, 20-25, 25-21, 15-11. Despite the late start and even later finish, the energy and intensity hit a boiling point—with loyal fans staying until midnight to catch every second of the action, their cheers becoming the soundtrack to the final showdown.

The reason the men’s final wrapped up so late was because the two prior finals were also nail-biters that stretched to the very last set. The women’s division championship was decided by a soft tip over the net, sealing the fifth set and the trophy for Lady Starz with a 23-25, 25-22, 27-25, 23-25, 15-13 victory over rival Kiss My Ace.

Lady Starz captain Aiko Rasiang said, “Winning this tourney was good. It felt good.” Most of the Lady Starz squad are also part of the national indoor volleyball team that debuted in the Pacific Mini Games in Palau, and they’re no strangers to success—having also won the Agape Christmas Volleyball Tourney last year, where they again defeated Kiss My Ace.

Asked how the team played this time with more experience under their belt, Rasiang said, “I definitely saw a lot of progress, especially in our hitting and defense. Other than that, I think we’ve learned to just adjust a lot more and that’s what really helped us.” On the tournament itself, she added, “It was fun. We had more teams, more audience, a lot more visuals and MCs so yeah, it made it fun.”

And in the brand-new co-ed division, Angry Penne served up the title in three sets over 4Starz, 18-25, 25-19, 15-13.

Angry Penne captain Kevin Calibo said, “The championship was good. A lot of nerves. Competition was pretty difficult especially with the co-ed. A lot of the guys were a lot older on our team, but eventually, we got the win. The team was happy… we just wanted to see how far we’d get and the fact that we got that far and ended up winning against a very formidable opponent, we were just happy to win in the end.”

For organizer Nak Nakashima, he said that it was fun to see athletes come out to the tourney and enjoy themselves. He said he was surprised at the skill level of the players this time around. “The youth, the veterans and older players, came out to play. In the co-ed division it motivates the younger ones to play. We look forward to the older divisions to come out and play so that their kids get to see them play and would want to play also. It’s always good to start somewhere. You’ll grow when you start playing in a competitive way.”

An additional award was then given to team Bikini Bangers who had the most “Good Merit Points”. 4 Starz implemented and added “Green Card” as positive sportsmanship on top of the “Yellow and Red Card” flagrant sportsmanship (unsportsmanlike).

In the tourney, a green card is given when a player is honest or has done something commendable that is deemed respectable and honorable.

4 Starz then thanked individuals and organizations that supported the tournament. “Amid the challenges we all face as a community, we are extremely grateful for these individuals and organizations that supported the indoor volleyball athletes:

Northern Marianas Sports Association, Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium faculty and staffs, Saipan International School, The Angry Penne, Honorable Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Joeten Motors Company, Hagu Real Clothing, MARPAC, Northern Marianas Volleyball Association, Golds Gym Saipan, The Athletes Foot, Borderline, Honorable Lieutenant Governor, Honorable Representative Marissa Flores, Honorable Representative Denita Yaitamai, Pizza Hut, Pacific Islands Club, Coca Cola Saipan, Latte Built Saipan, D&Q Distributors, RNV Construction, Primera Visions, Hafa Adai Photography, Hyacinth Creations, Marianas Variety, Marianas Press, Dial Rent to Own, Herman’s Modern Bakery and last but not the least our incredible volunteers that helped make this tournament run smoothly.”