Pangasinan spikers take 2nd leg of Petron volley

LINGAYEN, Philippines  â€“ Pangasinense spikers Melanie Carrera and Cassandra Lleda weathered the strong breeze blowing northwards as they got past University of the East spikers Leuseth Dawis and Pia Sarmiento, 21-18, 22-20, to win the second leg of the 2013 Petron Ladies’ Beach Volleyball tournament at the beachfront of the provincial capitol grounds.

Wary of an afternoon breeze which ruined most of their high-flying shots, the former University of Luzon standouts played a cautious game en route to the win that clinched them a seat in the Petron Volleyball Battle of Champions in Boracay in October.

With the match tied at 20-all, the Pangasinense bets moved ahead after Dawis smashed a long volley out of bounds.

They then clinched the championship when Lleda hit an ace, launching the ball towards Dawis’ direction. They went into celebration as the ball hit the back of a crouching Dawis, before quickly bouncing off Sarmiento’s front and went out of range.

“Sobrang lakas ng hangin, kaya kailangan may control kami sa bola namin,” said the 24-year-old Carrera, who claimed her first crown with Lleda in the event held as part of the province’s celebration of the Pistay Dayat festival.

Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil (second district) and provincial executive assistant Modesto Operana awarded the trophies to the winners in this Petron event, also supported by Mikasa Balls and the provincial government of Pangasinan through Gov. Amado Espino.

The duo, who represented the provincial engineering office, arranged a showdown with Dawis and Sarmiento after they eased out identical twins, Nieza and Jeziela Viray, 21-12, 21-5, in the semifinals.

Dawis, a hotel and restaurant management senior, and Sarmiento prevailed in a closely fought semis contest with Far Eastern University bets Maritoni Basas and Fil-Australian Samantha Dawson, 21-12, 17-21, 15-13.