Friday, April 25, 2008
SWU beats Adamson in Nestea opener
BORACAY—Tuning the body and skills with the same amount of sun and sand is a big help, but beach volleyball still comes down to wit.
Coach Janeth Ponte of the Southwestern University (SWU) women’s team believes so.
“You may need stamina, but in the end, it requires intelligence,” she said.
Her team jammed one point after another through sheer strategy and in most times they didn’t even used too much force, just tipping the ball in the right places to leave the enemy squinting at high noon.
The Cebu teams showed just that at the start of the final leg of the Nestea Beach Volleyball Natonal Finals at the country’s premier summer destination.
Slower
Former women’s champion SWU beat Adamson University, 21-11, 21-16, while the University of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USPF) Men’s Team trampled University of St. La Salle- Bacolod, 18-21, 21-12, 25-13.
SWU’s duo, comprised of the battle-tested Florian Gutierrez and Janelle Tabio, proved peerless, leaving Adamson University’s Rizza Jane Laguilles and Angela Benting off-guard at most turns in their straight sets match.
While Adamson opted for speed, SWU opted for wit, said Ponte, with the ball finding the unguarded spots of Adamson ‘s side of the court.
The pre-game raffle pitted two Cebu teams against each other. The women’s teams of the University of the Visayas, last year’s winner, played USPF, with the defending champion, under coach Raffy Briones, scoring an easy 21-11, 21-18 win.
The USPF men’s squad, heeding coach Cecile Jotojot’s call, fell a wee slower in the first set, but seethed with a steamier play in the next two sets.
Jonrey Sasing, the erstwhile University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) main man, proved invariably sturdy in a comeback with USPF, sending a deluge of lethal trajectories, while partner James Ryan Rivera stalled enemy attempts with telling blocks at the crucial high points of the noon match.
Not to be denied, USLS played tough, equalizing the games at various points in the sets and proved tenacious down the beach. But the heat simply took its toll in the second set, with USPF ruthlessly tipping the balance at 12-21.
Bacolod grasped for a slim margin in the third set, but efforts fell flat on sand. (JEY)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 25, 2008 issue)
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