TCS beach volley draws big field

BEACH volleyball teams coming from seven schools will formally see action March 24 as they vie for honors in the 1st TrueColors BBEAL Panagbenga Women's Beach Volleyball.

Saint Louis University is expected as the target as two former champion teams will go for the necks of the Lady Navigators in the two day tournament backed by the City Government and Chadrock Mineral Resources.

"We are at the final days of preparation," said Gabby Bautista of the organizing TrueColors Media Works, publisher of the only sports magazine, TCS, in Northern Luzon.

The Navigators from SLU are expected to get the center of attention in the event supported by Globe after winning the regular volleyball games October last year in the Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League.

Rookies Colleen Rossi and EJ Daniel have to contend with top notch veteran players from last year's deposed champion the University of Baguio who they eliminated in the semis last year.

UB's Joan Lunday and Mei Mei Madulid are the biggest blocks to the bid of the two rookies even as they fend off the Roxanne Almonte and Maureen Agudia tandem from the University of the Cordilleras, another tough duo in the offering which has the Hotel Restaurant Association of Baguio and the Baguio Country Club as sponsors.

"This is their first and they have a long year of association, but we expect UB and UC to have the upper hand," said SLU's long time coach and now athletic director Henry Fuentes.

Lunday was the top spiker during the TCS BBEAL awards in November last year, while Almonte was named best server. UC lost to SLU in the finals of the BBEAL volleyball after winning a hard fought first set in the third game but lost a morale dampening set two after needing just a point to get it and allowing SLU to rally from eight points down, 16-24, for a 26-24 reversal.

The three duos lead the cast in the tougher Group A where University of the Philippines enters a team also.

Group sees teams from the Big Three as well as UP Baguio, Cordillera Career Development College, Benguet State University and the Pines City College.

In a special event, the men's three-peat champion SLU faces losing finalist CCDC in a g-stringed competition backed also by Baguio City Police director PSSupt. Jesus Cambay. (Roderick Osis)