Eagles cop Petron title

DASMARIÑAS, Cavite , Philippines  – Ateneo standout Asia Urquico finally ended a long search when she and new partner Jessica Morado clinched first-leg honors of the 2010 Petron Ladies’ Beach Volleyball Tournament here.

The 5-7 Urquico and Morado took charge in the latter part of the third set, putting away Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas hotshots Ana Alicia Adolfo and Alyanna Marie Gorospe, 21-10, 19-21, 15-7, at the sandcourts of the De La Salle-Health Sciences Institute.

It was a memorable win for Urquico, a biology junior who started joining the spikefest three years ago, when she placed third on her first outing.

“This win is memorable. After several tries, now I know what it feels to be champion in this circuit,” said Urquico, who just recovered from a hamstring injury she sustained during the Battle of Champions last year and had been training with the varsity athletics team with her partner ever since.

Morado and Urquico, who had to shift to hammer-throwing from middle-distance running because of her injury, put power in their game after Gorospe began showing signs of exhaustion with the score at 9-5.

The 5-3 Gorospe had to take a break after falling down hard on the sand while trying to retrieve Morado’s service. The Lady Eagles then took the last six points of the contest on Urquico’s frontline killers.

Urquico and Morado needed to get past schoolmates Sharah So and Khryzette Onishi in the semifinals with a 21-15 triumph to arrange a championship clash with Adolfo and Gorospe in this volleyball extravaganza backed by Petron, with support from Mikasa and Speedo.

Adolfo and Gorospe, who are among the most fearsome contenders here following their title conquest in a collegiate tournament in the south of Luzon, reached the finals after they turned back University of the East spikers Mary Ann Balmaceda and Jessica Paron, 21-16.

They forced a decisive third set following a 19-all deadlock in the second off Morado’s net error. The PCU-Dasmariñas duo then gained a chance to go for another set after Urquico’s smash to the back went long, and Gorospe slammed a placement shot to the backline in the next play.

Winners and their runners-up automatically got berths in the Petron Ladies Beach Volleyball Battle of the Champions at year’s end.