• Prev
• 1 of 3
• Next

WHILE the George Washington Geckos were sitting and waiting to find out who their opponents will be in the 2012 IIAAG High School Boys Volleyball League championship match, the Okkodo Bulldogs and Guam Adventist Academy Angels took on one another last night with hopes of claiming that last spot. Playing out of the loser’s bracket, the winner would take on the defending champions for the title, while the loser gets eliminated and finishes the season in third place.

When the night was over, the Bulldogs propelled into the finals as they took out the Angels in a 25-15, 25-22 straight set victory.

“We had to come out playing tough and that helped us earn a win and advance to the championship,” said Okkodo’s Maks Kepwe. “GAA is a very tough team; they fought each and every time and they played well.”

In the opening moments of the game, both teams looked jittery and tried to find ways to settle down. Both teams started things out with several ties and lead changes as points were traded courtesy of unforced errors.

With the score knotted at 7-7, the Bulldogs finally found a groove and went on a 6-1 run that opened up a decent 13-8 lead. The Bulldogs duo of Aaron Blaz and league co-MVP Maks Kepwe led the surge combining for five kills.

Guam Adventist tried to get back into the game as a huge block by Lawrence Kasperbauer combined with Okkodo mishaps narrowed the gap to 13-11.

However, after returning from a timeout, Okkodo widened their lead to 20-13 backed by two kills from Jeddou Antonio. The Angels tried to fight their way back into the game as Kasperbauer served up two straight aces. However, that was all the Angels could muster before the Bulldogs closed out the first set.

Second set

The intensity and excitement was turned up a notch in the second set as both teams came out playing tough on each side of the net. Okkodo jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after an ace and two kills by Vyrone Escalona and Kepwe respectively.

GAA responded immediately and knotted the game at 3-3, courtesy of Bulldog errors and a kill by Kasperbauer. Midway through the set, the Angels looked to even things up as they took an 18-15 lead. However, some uncharacteristic mistakes several plays later equalized the game at 20-20. The Bulldogs and Angels traded blows as Okkodo’s Antonio and GAA’s Dorien Peele tallied two kills apiece to tie the game at 22-22.

With the co-MVP on the frontline, the Bulldogs turned to Kepwe who tooled a hit off the Angels’ blockers to give his team a 23-22 lead. Back-to-back errors by the Angels “sealed the deal” for the Bulldogs, giving them the victory.

“Just like us, Okkodo wanted to win this game. Both teams played with tons of heart and in the end it just went in their favor,” Kasperbauer said. “We are very proud of our team, it’s the highest GAA has ever finished.”