RTU spikers stun Cagayan in Petron beach volleyball

STA. ANA, Cagayan, Philippines – Rizal Technological University-2’s Priscilla Catacutan and Jessa Aranda came up with a hard-earned 22-20 upset of Cagayan Valley-1’s Angeli Tabaquero and Janine Marciano on the second day of the 2014 Petron Ladies’ Beach Volleyball Tournament’s first leg.

They rallied from six points down and relied on solid frontline defensive moves to get past their rivals and make it to the semifinals when action ended at the pine tree-lined, wind-swept Anguib beachfront here.

“Sobrang kaba kami. Naabutan pa rin namin sila kahit naunahan kami,” said Catacutan, a 19-year old political science student.

Aranda’s placement shot at the net followed by Catacutan’s drop smash allowed the RTU-2 spikers to shatter the game’s final tie at 22-all.

They became the last pair to make it to the semis in Group A after they finished with a 3-1 win-loss record in this spikefest supported by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, the provincial government of Cagayan and Mikasa balls.

They got locked in a three-way tie for the lead with Air Force-2’s Genalyn Andaya and Ana Abanto, Perpetual Help-2’s Abigail Nuval and Hyrize Macabuhay.

But Catacutan and Aranda, and the pair of Andaya and Abanto made it to the semis on a better tiebreak record.

They joined in the semis Philippine Air Force-1’s Iari Yongco and Judy Caballejo, who swept their four-game assignment in Group B.

Cagayan Valley-2’s Paulina Soriano and Leuseth Dawis also made it to the semis due to a better tiebreak card over fellow 2-2 record holders RTU-1’s Jonafer San Pedro and Cielo Palahang,  teammates Alyanna Gorospe and Justine Tadeo of the Philippine National Police.

In their opening game last Thursday, Catacutan and Aranda  fell to a 15-21 loss to Andaya and Abanto. They then recovered with a 21-17 beating of Perpetual Help-1’s Elaine Kasilag and Ariana de Leon, before coming away with a 21-12 stopping of Letran’s Monique Joy Pablo and Ethel Evangelista.

Yongco and Caballejo, who will meet Catacutan and Aranda in the semifinals, began Day 1 by edging Tadeo and Gorospe, 21-17, followed by a 21-6 swamping of Perpetual Help-Laguna 2’s Hyrize Macabuhay and Abigail Nuval, a 21-10 verdict over San Pedro and Palahang, before taking down Dawis and Soriano, 21-17.