Thursday, April 12, 2007 Cebu eyes Nestea sweep By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Staff Reporter
CEBU is setting its sights not only on one national title but a sweep.
This year, the Cebuanos are so highly-favored that Manila teams are watching their moves before the national championships of the Nestea Beach Volleyball hits the Boracay beaches next week.
“Thelma Barina (Cebuana Hall of Famer coach of the University of St. Benilde) told me that every Manila team is scouting the Cebu teams. They are preparing for the Cebuanos,” said University of the Visayas head coach Raffy Briones.
The Cebu teams are not going to leave their opponents shortchanged. They are gearing up hard for the National finals as their weeklong marathon of intense training gets back on the roll at the Inayagan beach in Naga.
Since 2002, Cebu beach volleyball teams have been coming home with at least one title in the national finals. It last completed a sweep in 2004. It was put to a halt last year as the Cebuanos came home empty-handed.
This year, as Nestea Beach Volley marks its 11th year, Cebu has a better chance to end the dry spell after five squads made it to the national finals; three women pairs from UV, Southwestern University (SWU) and the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) and two male teams from the University of San Carlos (USC) and the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF).
USC’s target
Being a finalist for six summers and a national titlist in 2002 alongside Jerome Capada, a lot of pressure has been placed on the USC men’s team of coach Norvy Labuga, whose team topped the Visayas elimination last month.
“We just hope we could improve the best finish USC made. But I’m not putting much pressure on my wards. It is good enough that we made it to Boracay after losing our first game (during elimination),” said Labuga, who bagged the national crown for USJ-R.
The USC men’s team posted its best finish in 1998, when Ian Vallejo and Adel Sevilla placed third. This year, USC will be bannered by reigning Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. MVP Roderick Arenasa and crowd favorite Carlo Tecson. Second chance for USP
On coach Cecil Jotojot’s second time in the nationals, his preparation is mostly on endurance after Ronald Melencion suffered muscle cramps in their Visayas finals against USC.
“I had them jog around and I also got them used to the heat,” said Jotojot.
Content at making it into the Boracay stage, Jotojot is confident Melencion and James Rivera will put up a decent fight in Boracay.
“They are veterans, having played five and four years, respectively, indoors. Now I’m building them up for beach competitions,” Jotojot said.
UV prays
For Briones, on the other hand, the strict coach had turned to prayers as he hopes for his team to finally snag that most elusive title.
The M. Lhuillier Sports Development Foundation-backed UV duo of Jusabelle Brillo and Janez Mae Igot not only have the powerful kills to bank on, but brains to boot.
“My players play intelligently. I hope we could continue this till the end,” said Briones.
USJ-R’s women
Grace Antigua, meanwhile, has not held a title in two years. She almost had it in last year only to lose it after her team finished runner-up.
After steering the USJ-R men’s team to two national titles, Antigua will try to shake off last year’s bridesmaid finish and is now hoping to get her first women’s national title, behind Julette Marikit and Genie Sabas.
Experience and size will be the major factors Antigua is pinning her hopes on.
“This is Julette’s third nationals. And Genie has the height,” said Antigua. “We, however, need a lot of polishing still. Genie still needs to unleash more roughness,” said Antigua of Sabas, who is a former RP youth team member.
SWU adjusts
SWU, the lone team to have won a grand slam in the Nestea Beach Volley, hopes to recover its lost authority in Janelle Tabio and Maritess Natad.
“We have not been practicing with the same intensity as we have during our grand slam. We need to work on our adjustment to the heat for us to win,” said SWU head coach Thelma Datig.
