CPU, UV retain beach volley crowns

BORACAY, Philippines – Central Philippine University of Iloilo and University of Visayas of Cebu survived their respective rivals’ spirited charge and kept their domination in the 16th Nestea Beach Volley national finals under overcast skies at the Crystal Sands here yesterday.

CPU’s Jovelyn Gonzaga and Fiola Mae Ceballos fended off UST’s Maruja Banaticla and Judy Caballejo as they hacked out a gripping 22-20, 21-18 victory to complete a rare three-peat in the women’s division.

The long-limbed and pretty Gonzaga, a 21-year-old education senior seeking to join the Phl Army after graduation, thus claimed her third straight championship after piloting the same Lady Golden Eagles side that reigned two years ago before teaming up with the younger Ceballos in their title repeat last year.

But it was Ceballos, an 18-year-old Tourism sophomore, who delivered the deciding point, a vicious spike that split the middle that the UST belles failed to return, cutting short the Tigresses fightback from five points down.

University of Visayas’ Jade Becaldo and Mike Abria, for their part, weathered University of San Jose Recoletos pair of Jade Illut and Jason Uy’s tough stand in the first set before coasting to a 28-26, 21-12 victory to clinch the men’s title for the second straight year.

Becaldo and Abria, both 22 years old, also beat Illut and Uy, 21-16, 21-19, for the crown last year.

CPU and UV thus took the top purse of P100,000 each plus the bragging rights as the best collegiate beach volley teams in the land. UST and USJR settled for P65,000 each.

The six-foot Abria said it was a little tougher winning this year than the last time out.

“It’s harder because of the pressure of defending our title,” said Abria, a graduating civil engineering student, in Filipino. “Thankfully, we didn’t allow ourselves to succumb to pressure.”

For CPU, a Christian school six-and-a-half-hour bus ride away from this paradise island, winning is sweeter the third time around.

“It’s the best feeling, winning it for the third straight year,” said Gonzaga. “I think it is because of our belief that we can win this with hard work and determination and trusting each other that got us here.”

UST, meanwhile, improved from its last year’s third place finish although it would have been a lot different had it won.

“It would have been nice to go home with the win but it’s also not bad that we made the finals compared to last year when we wound up third,” said UST coach Emil Lontoc.

La Salle’s Jeushl Wensh Tiu and Kim Fajardo shocked last year’s runners-up University of Mindanao-Tagum’s Lourdilyn Catubag and Karen Kay Quilario, 21-19, 25-23, and University of Southern Phl Foundation’s Edmar Bonono and Edward Ybanez trounced Arellano U’s John Carlo Lozada and John Nunez, 21-14, 21-13, to clinch third place honors.