Beach volleyball: Rondina, Gervacio march on to quarterfinals of Manila World Tour

MANILA - Filipina sand heroes Sisi Rondina and Dzi Gervacio engineered a historic first as the duo advanced to the quarterfinals after hurdling a taller and more experienced Canadian duo in an impressive 21-17, 21-17, Round of 12 win at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Manila Open at the Sands SM By The Bay Saturday morning.

The Pinay tandem outdueled Megan Nagy and Caleigh Cruickshank in the second match of the day following the sorry loss of another Philippine pair Lot Catubag and Karen Quilario in three sets against the young Thai pair of Singchuea Thatsarida and Chanthawichai Pawarun, 36-34, 23-25, 15-17.

“From the beginning, ganun talaga 'yung mindset namin. Siyempre ayaw din namin mapahiya 'yung bandera natin, siyempre bigay-todo kami. Hindi man siya kailangan, pero sa sarili namin kinakailangan para siyempre worth it naman 'yung pagpunta nila at paggising nila nang maaga,” said Rondina, a three-time UAAP beach volleyball champion and member of the national team that participated in the 29th Southeast Asian Games beach volleyball tournament in Singapore. 

(That was our mindset. Of course, we don't want to shame our flag so we gave it our all. It may not have been necessary, but for us, it was needed so that their (opponents') trip here would be worth it, waking up early would be worth it for them.] 

“Siyempre sa sarili din namin magiging worth it din 'yung mga pagod namin.”

(And of course, for us, all our hardwork will be worth it.)

Rondina and Gervacio, who finished the pool play with a 1-1 win-loss record, will take on seeded Japanese pair Shinako Tanaka and Sakurako Fuji in the quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The duo got off to a great start as they built an early 9-3 lead with great ball placements and heady shots that kept the Canadians scrambling on defense. The Canadian pair tied the frame at 14 before the Philippines fired a 6-2 blast with the visiting pair committing crucial errors including a long hit by Cruickshank that put the Filipinas at set point, 20-16.

Canada saved a set point but Nagy threw away the frame with a service error.

The Canadians held an 11-10 advantage in the second frame before the Filipinas created a sizeable 18-14 lead. Canada cut their deficit to three, 19-16, before Gervacio scored to put the Filipinas at match point. Nagy saved a match point but Cruickshank surrendered the duel with a long service.

“Ako hindi ko inexpect na malalayo 'yung mararating namin, na aabot kami ng Day 2. Kasi ako personally I haven’t played internationally and I know for a fact na matatangkad 'yung mga kalaban namin,” said Gervacio.

(I did not expect to get this far, that we would reach Day 2. I haven't played internationally and I know for a fact that our opponents are tall.)

Two-time BVR national champions Quilario and Catubag, both police officers based in Davao, gave their Thai opponents, who were members of Thailand’s junior national team, a match to remember before bowing down.

The duo got the crowd on their feet in an incredible display of endurance and will in the opening set.

Quilario pushed the Philippines at match point, 23-22, after saving three set points but the Thais took the next three points to force a deciding set. 

Catubag delivered a huge kill in the tight third set that gave the Philippines another chance to wrap the match, 14-13. The Thais tied it at 14 before Pawarun committed a service error that knotted the score at 15.

The Thai duo moved at match point as Catubag went down with a cramping right leg that forced the Philippines to call a medical timeout.

Catubag returned to action but the exhausted Filipinas were slow to recover as the Thais capitalized to steal the win.



Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles

This story was originally published on the ABS-CBN Sports website.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

UST, FEU continue to roll in UAAP beach volley

MANILA, Philippines – Defending champion University of Santo Tomas and top challenger Far Eastern University continued their unbeaten run in the UAAP Season 80 women's beach volleyball tournament on Saturday evening at the Sands SM By the Bay.

The UST pair of Cherry Rondina and Caitlyn Viray overwhelmed University of the Philippines' Diana Carlos and Ayel Estrañero, 21-7, 21-15, and Adamson's Bern Flora and Chrislyn Uy, 21-9, 21-14, to give the Tigresses a 5-0 record.


The Lady Tamaraws also improved to 5-0, as Bernadeth Pons and Kyla Atienza rolled past Adamson, 21-12, 21-14, and University of the East's Judith Abil and Angelica Dacaymat, 21-10, 21-7.

Both FEU and UST are now assured of spots in the women's beach volleyball Final 4.

Meanwhile, the De La Salle Lady Spikers and the UP Lady Maroons also inched closer to a semis spot after ending Day 3 with identical 3-2 win-loss records.

La Salle's Tin Tiamzon and May Luna turned back UE, 21-17, 21-16, and needed three sets to overcome National University's Roma Doromal and Audrey Paran, 17-21, 21-19, 20-18.

Estrañero and Carlos rebounded from an earlier loss to UST to beat Ateneo's Bea de Leon and Jules Samonte, 21-17, 21-11, allowing UP to move closer to its first semis appearance since the pair of Aia del Mundo and Pau Genido made it to the post-season in 2012.

In the men's division, the Bulldogs' Bryan Bagunas and James Natividad upended the Falcons' Paolo Pablico and JP Yulde, 21-13, 21-18, to stay perfect in four contests.

The Growling Tigers' KR Guzman and Anthony Arbasto prevailed over the Blue Eagles' Marck Espejo and Karl Baysa, 21-14, 21-13, while the Tamaraws' Jude Garcia and Richard Solis topped the Green Spikers' Carlo Sendo and Wayne Marco, 21-12, 21-16, to raise their records at 3-1.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

 

UAAP women's volleyball: La Salle rallies past Ateneo to win championship

MANILA, Philippines — For the second straight season, the De La Salle University Lady Spikers are the queens of UAAP women's volleyball.

In a thrilling showdown against their archrivals, the Lady Spikers showed their championship poise in hacking out a 19-25, 25-14, 18-25, 25-18, 15-10 victory over the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles in Game 2 of the Season 79 Finals at Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.

The hard-fought win allowed the Lady Spikers to sweep their best-of-three series over the Lady Eagles, and secure their second consecutive title. It was also their 10th overall championship, all of which came under the guidance of coach Ramil de Jesus.

"Siguro, sa lahat ng na-form ko na team, ito 'yung medyo roller-coaster [Of all the teams I've formed, this is the one that performed like a roller-coaster]," said De Jesus, referring to La Salle's relatively shaky elimination round campaign wherein they went 11-3, losing twice to Ateneo. "I'm very, very happy right now."

It was a balanced effort by the Lady Spikers, with last season's finals MVP Kianna Dy scoring 19 points, Tin Tiamzon 16 points, and eventual finals MVP Desiree Cheng contributing 12. Season 79 MVP Majoy Baron had 10 points.

It was not an easy victory for the Lady Spikers. Like Game 1, the Lady Eagles seized the first frame, though La Salle bounced back in the second set on the strength of graduating setter Kim Fajardo's spectacular service game.

Ateneo seized control of the match anew in the third, with Bea de Leon anchoring a 5-0 run through her serve that allowed the Lady Eagles to pull away, 13-10. They completely distanced themselves later, this time with Kim Gequillana coming through with an ace to spark a 4-0 attack, turning a slim 18-16 lead into a 22-16 advantage.

With Ateneo fans chanting "Game 3, Game 3" ahead of the fourth set, the Lady Spikers buckled down to work. The two squads traded points early, but La Salle took control midway, thanks to a series of errors by the Lady Eagles and an ace by Tiamzon.

Ateneo came as close as three points, 21-18, but La Salle ended the frame with four unanswered points capped by a resounding block by Dy on Michelle Morente.

"Sabi ko lang, ayaw kong umabot ng Game 3," said De Jesus of his message to the players ahead of the fourth set. "So sabi ko sa kanila, tatapusin natin ngayon. Maniwala lang kayo na tatapusin natin ngayon."

[I told them that I didn't want it to reach a Game 3. I told them that we will end it today, they just need to believe that they can end it today.]

The Lady Spikers raced out to a quick 6-1 lead in the fifth and deciding frame, forcing Ateneo to play catchup the rest of the way. The Lady Eagles had no answer for Tiamzon and Dy, who conspired to punch attacks through Ateneo's porous defense.

De Leon's net defense and Kim Gequillana's ace allowed the Lady Eagles to come to within two points, 10-8, but La Salle restored order immediately through Cheng and Tiamzon.

A swipe by Jhoana Maraguinot proved to be Ateneo's last stand, 10-14, before Baron's quick kill and an attack error by Maraguinot wrapped up the victory for the Lady Spikers.

It was a fitting ending to the UAAP career of Fajardo, who returned to the Lady Spikers for her final year and served as the inspiration of the team all throughout their title defense. The captain had six points on four aces, along with 43 excellent sets, in her final game for La Salle.

"She was my main inspiration for today's game," said Dy of the graduating Fajardo. "I'm happy that we were able to give her the exit that she deserves."

"Sobrang saya ko talaga," said Fajardo. "Hindi ko naramdaman na ako 'yung pinakamatanda sa amin. Hindi ko naramdaman na ako 'yung mag-isa, na ako lang 'yung lumalaban. Never ko na-feel 'yun."

[I'm so happy. I never once felt that I was the oldest person in the team, that I was alone in the fight. They never made me feel like that.]

Morente had 16 points for Ateneo, while De Leon and Maraguinot each tallied 14, and Kat Tolentino scored 10. Morado also had six points and 53 excellent sets to her credit.

However, for the second straight game, the Lady Eagles were unusually error-prone. They gave away 33 free points to La Salle due to their errors, and their spotty reception allowed the Lady Spikers to score 12 points off aces.

La Salle has now beaten Ateneo in four of their six Finals meetings dating back to Season 74.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

CSB coach: 'We did the impossible'

MANILA, Philippines – De La Salle-College of St. Benilde (CSB) head coach Michael Cariño could not hide his delight after his Lady Blazers completed an upset of San Sebastian College in the NCAA Season 91 women's volleyball Finals.

The Lady Blazers were the underdogs in the series as the Lady Stags entered the Finals with a 9-0 record and a thrice-to-beat advantage, a bonus given to them after their elimination round sweep. They had two-time NCAA MVP Grethcel Soltones, who was determined to win her first NCAA crown after two failed tries.

Yet the Lady Blazers, using every inch of their height advantage and following their game plan to the letter, bucked the odds as they took the first two games of the series, recovered quickly from a four-set loss in the third game, and completed their mission with a four-set win in the do-or-die game.

"Finally, finally," Cariño told reporters after the game.


It was CSB's first indoor volleyball championship since entering the NCAA in 1998, having lost in the Finals in 2008 and 2009 – to San Sebastian.

Cariño said his team had to go through the so-called "eye of the needle" just to get to the Finals. As the fourth-seeded team in the semis, they had to beat University of Perpetual Help and defending champion Arellano University to set up a clash against San Sebastian.

"Sabi ko sa mga players ko kanina, maraming pwedeng mangyari sa araw na ito. Either uuwi tayo na luhaan, or gagawa tayo ng pinakamagandang history sa larangan ng volleyball sa NCAA at sa CSB," he said.

"Nagawa ng mga players ko. Sobrang tiyaga nila, sobrang lahat binigay ng mga players ko. Sobrang happy ako sa kanila."

It was not an easy win as San Sebastian battled hard even with Soltones having an off game. The Lady Blazers hacked out a 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22 win, but not before going through some nervous moments in the fourth set when the Lady Stags took a 20-18 lead.

"Sobrang tiwala ako, kasi first two sets pa lang, alam na namin na kaya namin ang kalaban," Cariño said. "Medyo nag-relax lang kami ng third set."

"After nag-timeout ni Coach Roger (Gorayeb late in the fourth set), nasabihan ko sila. Maganda ang pagkaka-deliver ko ng advice ko, na kailangan ma-control natin ang game para manalo tayo, at nagawa naman ng mga players ko," he added.

With San Sebastian threatening at 22-23, the Lady Blazers remained composed. San Sebastian's Jonah Corpuz committed a crucial service error, and off a scramble in the next play, it was CSB's Ranya Musa who had the presence of mind to take care of an over-received ball that dropped right between two San Sebastian players.

Cariño has made no secret of the fact that his team was inspired by the achievement of the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles in the 2014 UAAP season, which saw them overcome De La Salle University in the Finals for their first title. Like San Sebastian, La Salle had a thrice-to-beat advantage after sweeping the eliminations.

Now, they have emulated Ateneo's feat and Cariño could not be happier.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why Rachel Anne Daquis reigns as volleyball's hottest player

During her UAAP years, Rachel Anne Daquis was dubbed by volleyball fans as the "Queen Tamaraw," as she helped the Far Easter University Lady Tamaraws bag the 2008 UAAP women's championship over the Adamson Lady Falcons.

But the 27-year-old Daquis was able to maintain her popularity -- and intensity -- as one of the country's top volleyball players even after she graduated from college, having won V-League Season 7 Best Server and V-League Season 8 Finals MVP.

At a statuesque 5-foot-10, she also became a household name for her off-court activities, like modeling for magazines. She appeared on the cover of FHM's October 2014 issue and just recently became the lone athlete to make it to the Top 10 of FHM's annual poll of the country's sexiest women.

Here are 15 good reasons why Daquis deserves the honor.

Mobile users can view the desktop version of the slideshow here.

 

 Photo: @rachdaquis13 on Instagram

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

La Salle's Gumabao undecided about next season

MANILA, Philippines - Two-time UAAP women's volleyball Most Valuable Player Abigail Marano will return to La Salle for her final playing season, while Season 75 Finals MVP Michele Gumabao remains undecided about her future.

Marano and Gumabao teamed up to lead the Lady Spikers to their third straight crown when they defeated rivals Ateneo in Game 2 Wednesday, allowing them to sweep the best-of-three finals.

"I still have one year," Marano told reporters following their victory.

When asked if she will return for her final season with the Lady Spikers, Marano confirmed, "I will, I will."

Meanwhile, Gumabao, who anchored the Lady Spikers' intimidating net defense during the finals, said she has yet to decide.

"(I'm) not sure about next year... I haven't decided," Gumabao said.





Both Marano and Gumabao are still basking in the glow of victory, as they were the leaders of the team that gave La Salle its eighth women's volleyball championship.

"I'm very thankful for what I've got, the three-peat. It was a team effort kasi. Nobody stood out, nobody really took all the responsibility so lahat kami pantay-pantay," said Gumabao. "Everybody worked as a leader, everybody worked as a team."

Marano, who won her second league MVP award as well as the Best Blocker trophy, said their sacrifices during the season have paid off.

"This season was really tough, and really extreme in a way na sobrang daming challenge na dumating sa team namin," she revealed.

"Habang tumatagal, lalong dumadami ang challenges mo, pero lalo kang naggo-grow as a matured person and as a matured player," she added.

With Marano deciding to stay for one last year, the Lady Spikers will still likely be among the favorites in the Season 76 tournament.

If Gumabao ends up leaving, that means the Lady Spikers will lose three members of their core. Libero Melissa Gohing and Wensch Tiu both played their final games for the Lady Spikers yesterday, having used up their eligibility.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

NU rallies for Game 1 win over FEU

The National University Bulldogs (NU) rallied from a two-set deficit to beat the defending champions Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 75 men's volleyball finals Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.

After dropping the first two sets, the Bulldogs relied on their blocking and defense to pull out a five-set win, 16-25, 18-25, 25-13, 25-17 and 15-8.

Peter Den Mar Torres bucked a slow start and finished with 18 points on 13 attacks, four blocks and one ace to lead the Bulldogs' charge.

The Tamaraws, playing without injured star setter Pitrus de Ocampo, got off to a bright start thanks to veterans Ian Dela Calzada and Arvin Avila.

But the Bulldogs forced an extension after dominating the third set, 25-13.





"Simple lang naman po ginawa namin, kasi down nga po kami ng two sets," said Reyson Fuentes.

"Kailangan lang namin i-motivate ang sarili namin, kasi wala namang tutulong sa amin kundi sarili namin at 'yung mga coaches na nagbigay na payo," he added.

A 25-17 victory in Set 4 allowed NU to force a do-or-die fifth set.

In the fifth set, the Bulldogs took advantage of FEU's unforced errors to take an early 5-2 lead and never looked back.

The Bulldogs can claim the UAAP Season 75 title in Game 2 on March 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

"Mas magpo-focus kami kung saan kami nag-error," said Torres when asked how they can avoid another slow start.

Ben Inaudito added 16 points for National U.

John Depamaylo led the Tamaraws with 19 points, while Avila finished with 17 and Dela Calzada had 12.

source: abs-cbnnews.com