Friday, October 19, 2007 UV rules Vis-Min beach volleyball tilt
THE RAFFY Briones-mentored University of the Visyas beach volleyball tandem asserted its dominance in the sandy courts when it ruled the 1st Globe Visayas-Mindanao Women’s Beach Volley Challenge recently at the Tagum City Beach Volleydrome the other weekend.
Jusabelle Brillo and Janez Armie Igot, the champions of this summer’s Nestea Beach Volleyball championships, flaunted their winning form in their conquest over home team University of Mindanao-Tagum in just two sets, 22-20, 21-18.
It was almost a mismatch since UM-Tagum’s Liezel Manatad and the towering Mylene Que only finished fifth in the Nestea tiff.
Manatad and Que, egged on by a partisan crowd, were able to put up a fight against their Cebuano foes in the first set.
They were able to tie the game 20-all to force a slide two. However, Brillo and Igot showed the power that brought them the national crown, and swept the next two points to win the set.
“It was hard playing against a team which the whole crowd cheers for. It was a good thing that the ladies were able to compose themselves,” said Briones.
In the second, the crowd was silenced for good when UV sailed on to take the set, the match, the crown and the P30,000 top purse.
Briones, who was reduced to tears during their win in Boracay, admitted that he was confident that his girls will win in this competition.
“We had an edge morally considering that we beat them in Nestea. It is a great gift that we could offer sir Eddie (Gullas, UV president),” Briones added. Gullas celebrated his 77th birthday early this month.
For their exceptional skills, Brillo was named Best Digger, while Igot was the tournament Most Valuable Player.
The competition attracted 12 teams from all over the south, including Kidney Care of Florian Gutierrez and Maritess Natad, who once steered Southwestern University to a back-to-back national titles of the Nestea two years back. (MCB)
