MHS are “Summer Strong” v-ball champs in season of recovery and storms

After a shortened SY25-26 school year due to Super Typhoon Sinlaku, five high school teams from across the three islands came together for a sense of normalcy during the three-day PSS "Summer Strong" Boys High School Volleyball Tournament held from Tuesday, June 30, to Thursday, July 2, at the Agape Christian School Gymnasium—just before another typhoon is expected to move through the region again.

When the dust settled on the final day, the undefeated Marianas High School Dolphins emerged champions as they defeated Saipan Southern High School in straight sets, 21-19, 21-14.

Third place went to Kagman High School after they beat Tinian High School, 21-7, 21-17. Meanwhile, Rota's Dr. Rita H. Inos High School finished the tournament with four losses.

Ron Apostol, an MHS Class of 2026 graduate said that the tournament was about more than winning a championship. He said the team was disappointed that Sinlaku pushed so many events back, but was grateful they still had the opportunity to compete.

"We thank NMI Volleyball and PSS for creating this tournament for us because we put our heart and soul and blood—and everything. We did a lot of stuff just to be at the level we're at."

After falling short of the title last year, Apostol said the team came into this year's tournament determined to reclaim the championship and honor the former seniors who had previously held a three-peat.

The three-day tournament was organized by PSS Athletic Programs and the NMI Volleyball Association to give student-athletes—especially graduating seniors—one final opportunity to compete after the regular season and almost the whole fourth quarter of the school year was canceled.

PSS Athletic Programs director Nick Gross said the tournament was an effort to help student-athletes recover from a difficult school year and remind them they had not been forgotten.

"This was our attempt at some recovery and to let these guys know that we certainly did not forget about them. We wanted to be able to pull something off," he said.

"We hope that everyone appreciates it. On behalf of the PSS Athletic Programs and our partner, the NMI Volleyball Association, it was really just a great kind of cherry on top to be able to get through a really tough time and finish with a bang, playing some volleyball. Great job to everyone and thanks to the community for supporting."

Gross added that there is optimism heading into the 2026-2027 school year. "We do hope to really kick off things in early September again once school gets going with our activities—we've got everything ready to go," he said.

However, he said there are still uncertainties surrounding venue availability, especially after storms, and whether additional short tournaments can be organized because of the logistical challenges of bringing in teams from Tinian and Rota.

"But we've figured out how to work through tricky situations, and I trust we'll be able to do it again. We look forward to welcoming everybody back for the 2026-2027 school year and hopefully kicking it off with a bang with our athletic programs," he said.

Meanwhile, the girls softball recovery tournament, originally scheduled for July 8-10, has been postponed for a second time until further notice because of the approaching storm.