Pinoys vie in SEA beach volley tilt

MANILA, Philippines - After six years of absence, the Philippines will send a team abroad to compete in the Southeast Asian Beach Volleyball Championship from July 16-21 in Ratchaburi, Thailand.

Tapped to don the country’s colors in the event, organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation in the wake of Myanmar’s decision to scrap beach volleyball in the coming Southeast Asian Games, are men’s pair Jonrey Sasing and Edward Ybañez and women’s bets Jusabelle Brillo and Apple Saraum.

All Cebuanos, the four earned their spots after ruling last summer’s POC-PSC National Games.

“This will be our first international tournament since we last competed in the SEA Games beach volley in 2007,” said coach Eric Lecain. “We have a strong team but we don’t know yet how far our neighbor countries have improved over the last six years.” 

Filipino beach volleyball players went home empty-handed the last time it took part in the 2007 SEAG in Thailand. But two years before, Phl snared a bronze through Fil-Am ladies Heidi Ilustre and Dianne Pascua in the Bacolod edition of the meet.

The team’s trip to Thailand is made possible by an agreement between the new leadership of the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) and the PSC making the latter’s existing beach volleyball program under consultant Lecain the primary program for the sport.