PCU enters Petron Beach Volley final

DASMARIÑAS — The Philippine Christian University’s pair of Kat Villaluz and Arlene Bernardo needed an extra match to finally put away the tandem of Ateneo rookies yesterday in the semifinals of the 2006 Petron Ladies Beach Volleyball Battle Champions.

Villaluz and Bernardo forced Misha Quimpo and Bea Pascual into a series of errors at the net in the deciding match before hacking out a 21-8 victory in the fight for the last finals berth at the sandcourt of the KidzWorld Edutainment and Adventure Resort.

The win sent the PCU bets into a best-of-three title showdown with sisters Sheryl and Michelle Laborte, who is gunning for her fifth crown without regular partner Cecille Tabuena.

Michelle and Sheryl easily reached the finals after quickly disposing of Diane Distajo and Jennifer Halos of the Unibersidad de Manila, 21-9.

"Hindi namin expected na pumasok sa finals dahil hindi namin kabisado ang galaw ng kalaban," said Villaluz, a management senior.

Quimpo and Pascual, who held the twice-to beat edge in the semis, failed to advance outright after Bernardo and Villaluz eked out a 21-18 win in their first encounter of this two-day spikefest supported by Speedo, Mikasa, 7-11 and Asian College of Science and Technology.

The Laborte sisters, meanwhile,  reached the semis toting an unbeaten 4-0 record in Group A. They beat Villaluz and Bernardo, 26-24, in a closely-fought Contest in the elims.

Villaluz and Bernardo still made it to the semis with a 3-1 slate despite the loss to the Labortes, capped by the semis-clinching win from Asian College of Science and Technology’s pairs of Dafnee de Borja and Lourdes Patilano, and  Charizza Castro and Lorna de la Cruz.

Quimpo and Pascual, on the other hand, barged into the semis with Diane Distajo and Jennifer Halos after emerging with a  better quotient.

The five-foot-seven Pascual used her height advantage in their final elimination round sortie as she and Pascual scraped past Distajo and Halos, 21-16, for a win which forced a triple tie in the fight for the two semis slots in Group B at 3-1.

Polytechnic University of the Philippines bets Kristia Ricana and Pamela Ignacio also got entangled in the tiebreak for the last Group B, but were eased out after Pascual and Quimpo, and the team of Distajo and Halos emerged with the better record.

The Labortes finished off their opponents with the younger Sheryl dishing out a  sharply-angled placement shot from the center and the elder Michelle scoring with a powerful smash at the net that secured them the win after shattering a 24-all deadlock.

Pascual and Quimpo kept Halos and Distajo at bay throughout the match, taking charge early with a 10-2.