Fagalii, Loabay victors at Teuila vollyeball

By Gutu Faasau • 02 September 2023, 5:48PM

Fagalii and Loabay were crowned men's and women's champions at the 2023 Teuila Festival Volleyball Tournament which concluded on Saturday at the Tuanaimato Gym.

There was a good turnout for the tournament with teams from American Samoa also participating. Fagalii had a pulsating and heated match against Lona Youth but the experience the Fagalii outfit had them cruise through.

Leading the team to victory was Fagalii’s captain, Vaoita Togafau who played a vital role in ensuring the team kept their cool under the constant battery from Lona Youth.

“We entered the game aiming to win after all the preparations we put in for the tournament. Like everything else, we had our challenges and praise God we delivered and achieved it without any injuries,” he said.

“We are very happy and we give God all the glory for today’s achievement.”

Loabay's 17-year-old Anita Iona Folau was voted the most valuable player of the women’s division. She said it was a team effort that got her team an overwhelming victory against the visiting team from American Samoa.

“We just tried hard and hustled hard, especially seeing that we are a very young team. We hope that we can be an example for other young girls that they can do it as well,” she said.

Anita and two other girls in her team were also named in the national women’s team and will be representing Samoa in the Pacific Games later this year.

The captain of the women’s team from American Samoa, Titiula Manuma said everyone was gunning for the win and for the experience.

“We came in short but I thank God that no one was injured. This tournament has helped us a lot as a team and we have seen things that we need to work on,” she said.

“We were happy that we got to attend this tournament so it gives a lesson and identifies things that we need to work on.”