THE IIAAG High School Boys Volleyball playoffs are heating up as teams try to survive the double-elimination format. On Friday night, the Guam Adventist Academy Angels strolled over to Talofofo to take on their nearby neighbors, the Notre Dame Royals. Both teams were battling out of the losers’ bracket and hoping to keep their playoff drive alive. At the end of a hard-fought battle, it was the Angels who defeated their opponents 25-23, 25-23 to advance to the next round.

Notre Dame was tough early in the opening set as they refused to relinquish their lead early on. However, midway through the set, errors proved costly for the Royals, as Guam Adventist would equalize the score at 11-11. From that point on, it became a dogfight. With good attack hitting from both sides, it boiled down to the team with the least amount of errors.

Down 22-20, the Angels remained composed and turned to their big weapon Dorian Peele, who recorded three monstrous kills to give his team a one-point (23-22) edge over Notre Dame.

An unforced error by GAA knotted the game once more at 23-23. On the ensuing play, the Angels got some help from an ND error that put them at set point. Moments later, Lawrence Kasperbauer found an opening in the Royals’ defense and recorded the set-ending kill.

Second set

In the second set, Notre Dame came out looking a bit more focused and regrouped as they quickly opened up a 6-2 lead. However, the Angels knew they were one set away from advancing in the playoffs and went right back to work. The duo of Peele and Jared Jano-Edward led a mini-surge by the Angels that eventually tied the game at six.

The two teams ran into some serious trouble from both their hitting as well as serving. Neither was able to consistently make runs to build a respectable lead. Later in the set, ND’s Jared Meno and Kyle Cruz helped get their team back into the match and knotted the game at 19-19.

Key unforced errors by Notre Dame gave the Angels a 22-19 lead. However, Meno and Cruz reignited a small run once again to come even with GAA at 22-22. However, communication became a huge factor and the Angels were able to put away the match on a 3-1 run that gave them the victory and the right to advance to the next round.

JFK Islanders vs. Father Duenas Friars

On Saturday night, the JFK Islanders picked up a victory against the Father Duenas Friars at the Guam Sports Complex. The Islanders notched a 20-25, 25-23, 25-23 win and eliminated the Friars from the playoffs. With the victory, the Islanders move on to face the Guam Adventist Academy Angels tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the FD Phoenix Center.

The winner’s bracket match between the top-seeded George Washington Geckos and second-seeded Okkodo Bulldogs is scheduled for tomorrow, 6 p.m. at the FD Phoenix Center.