RP, Thailand in beach volley collision course

BACOLOD CITY – The Philippines’ Fil-Am tandem of Diane Pascua and Heidi Ilustre takes on favored Thailand 1 in a women’s beach volleyball semifinal showdown of unbeaten pairs at the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on the University of St. La Salle sand pitch here this morning.

Pascua and Ilustre were merciless in ousting the other Philippine entry of Cecille Tabuena and Michelle Laborte, 21-13, 21-15, in the quarterfinals yesterday. Thailand 1 claimed a slot in the semis by crushing Malaysia 2, 21-13, 21-10.

The other semifinal match pits Indonesia 1 against a second Thai squad composed of Yupa Phokongploy and Usa Tenpaksee.

The semifinal winners will dispute the gold this afternoon. The losers will play for the bronze.

Tabuena and Laborte failed to win a single match in the competitions that started last Wednesday.

In indoor volleyball, Thailand plays Indonesia for the men’s gold while Vietnam faces Thailand for the women’s gold here tomorrow. Vietnam has clinched the men’s bronze and the Philippines, the women’s bronze.

Philippine women’s coach Ramil de Jesus of La Salle piloted the team to a 2-2 record with wins over Singapore and Indonesia and losses to Vietnam and Thailand.

The Philippine men’s team, coached by Nestor Pamilar of Letran, was winless in four outings.

Pascua, 28, campaigns in the US professional beach volleyball circuit and played indoor volleyball at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. The 5-10 high school teacher’s father Rodney, a full-blooded Filipino who traces his roots to Ilocos Sur, is a retired US Air Force officer. Her mother Lynn Marie Grossklaus is an American of German, French, Swiss and English descent. It is her first visit to the country.

Ilustre, 27, was born in the US and hasn’t traveled to the Philippines since she was two. Her parents Hermie and Linda are both University of Santo Tomas graduates who migrated to the US in 1973. The 5-10 charmer started playing beach volleyball three years ago in Hawaii where she was a varsity star in indoor volleyball.

Both Pascua and Ilustre were recruited by Los Angeles-based Jim Apelar who discovers Fil-Am sports talents in the US and brings them here.

Pascua and Ilustre said they’re hoping to compete for the Philippines at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, next year.

Meanwhile, Negrense spikers Parley Tupas and Rhovyl Verayo of Philippines-1 barged into the semifinals of the men’s side of the event by winning their quarterfinal match beating Thawip Thongkamnerd and Apichart Bualuang of Thailand-2 to forge a semifinal encounter with Indonesians Andy Ardiyansah and Supriadi today.

Tupas and Verayo fashioned out a come-from-behind win over the Thai duo, losing the first set, 14-21 but coming back in the second, 21-16, and the deciding set, 15-10. — With report from Antonieta Lopez