3 Cebu teams gain outright entry into national finals

CEBU, Philippines - Three Cebu teams gained automatic berths into the 14th Nestea Fit Beach Volley Champions Cup, which is now dubbed as “Battle of the Champions” set this April in Boracay Island.

Reigning men’s champion Ariel Carumba and Loujei Tipgos of the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) and their women counterparts Erika Camille Verano and Apple Eve Saraum from the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) are back to defend their respective titles.

The USPF men’s squad of Edward Ybañez and Jhonrey Opone also secured a ticket into the national finals after lording it over in the University Games last October in Iloilo City.

Unlike in the past stagings, there will no longer be regional eliminations this year as the champion in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), State, Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) and other regional crown-holders earn outright entry into of the grand finale of the country’s most prestigious beach volley event.

Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) secretary-general Rustico “Ottie” Camangian said that only the champions in the 2009-2010 tournaments will be catered upon.

Because of the indoor volleyball fiasco, the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) beach volley competition has been put on hold this year. In this case, defending women’s champion Danika Yolanda Gendrauli and Lorie May Layno of Southwestern University (SWU) have been deprived of such privilege since they won in 2008.

However, there is still a chance that SWU or perhaps another team from Cebu will advance into Boracay after Camangian told Cebu Sports Hall of Famer and current RP women’s team coach Thelma Barina to advise the other Cebu hopefuls to join a qualifying tournament in Dumaguete.

“Since there was no CESAFI competition this year, he (Camangian) told me that for them (Cebu teams) to get the chance to qualify for the Nestea event, they have an option of joining the Dumaguete qualifying. It’s an open competition and the champion will be included in the national finals,” Barina said. - THE FREEMAN