Adamson pair grabs Petron volley lead

PUERTO Princesa – Title favorites Hannah Suarez and Angela Benting stamped their class as they outplayed their foes at the start of the 2008 Petron Ladies’ Beach Volleyball Battle of Champions at the Baywalk sand courts here.

The pair from Adamson University watched University of the Philippines’ Danielle Michiko Castaneda and Lea Acepcion fall into a maze of errors twice in the net en route to a 25-23 triumph, their first in the grand finale of this series backed by Petron, with support from Mikasa, Speedo and the City of Puerto Princesa.

They then turned back Philippine School of Business Administration’s Roxanne Naral and Dyrene Rose Benecio, 21-5, to bolt into the solo lead in Group A with De La Salle University-Dasmariñas standouts Jeusel Wensh Tiu and Regina Tungol.

Suarez, 22, said they felt challenged by Castaneda and Acepcion, who won the second leg in Puerto Princesa last April.

Castaneda and Acepcion later bounced back by subduing the Puerto Princesa bets –12-year-old Ganilyn Clarianes and 15-year-old Claudine Tabastabas, 21-10.

Lady Patriots Tiu and Tungol also asserted themselves in Group A, pulling off a 21-14 beating of Clarianes and Tabastabas, who were playing out of Palawan National School.

Another La Salle-Dasma pair in April Almaden and Precious Abano made their presence felt in Group B by turning back Emilio Aguinaldo College spikers Donna Mae Factor and Christine Levanza, 21-11.

Levanza and Factor later made up for their setback with their 21-19 stopping of Palawan B’s Jinky Garaez and Matet Geruela. 

UP bets Carmela Lopez and Ivory Joy Rivera got off to a good start in Group B when they also won over Garaez and Geruela, 21-14.