THEY may be out of the Higalaay Festival Volleyball Open’s moneyed circle, but the Cagayan de Oro volleybelles certainly made a mark among the local fans and their more illustrious counterparts from other places taking part in the cash-rich event fully-supported by City Mayor Oscar Moreno.
For one, Team CDO made a respectable finish in the elimination round with two wins against a single defeat.
Anchored by Manila-based coach Roger Gorayeb and former San Sebastian Lady Stag and 3-time NCAA Most Valuable Player Grethcel Soltones in the equally-talented Jorelle Singh, the CDO spikers fought tooth and nail with reigning champion Philippine Airforce in quarterfinals on Sunday at Corpus Christi gym.
Unable to scale greater heights against the taller and experienced Air Force side, Team CDO yielded in two-straight sets, but not after giving the top guns in the league some tough times across the net.
“At least, kombate gihapon kaayo maskin high school pa kasagaran sa atong team. Mo-iskor moguba gihapon sa Air Force defense,” said lawyer Rex Jose Raagas, the proud father of the Raagas siblings—Rea Maritela, Martha Andre and Ela Marjanna—who did well against the powerhouse Air Force team.
Also playing for Team CDO were Hannah Hilary Ababon, Athena Sophia Abbu, Charity Rockwell Jubileea Cabingas, Mayla Casinao and Jan Francheska Variacion.
“I really saw talent in them (Oro ladies) very promising kelangan lang i-polish `yong skills nila saka makapag-adjust sa kani-kanilang weaknesses,” said the legendary Gorayeb.
The only all-high school team participating in the pre-fiesta tourney that guarantees P50,000 cash to the champion team is Corpus Christi of coach Alex Adeva.
“We’re now also out of contention pero ang importante ang exposure sa mga bata. Dako ilang ma-learn sa level ani nga competition,” Adeva told SunStar Cagayan de Oro.
Gunning for their second-straight women’s crown in the City of Golden Friendship, the Philippine Air Force tossers were still playing with the Philippine Army, as of press time, at the Xavier University gym.
PAF’s Team B and Philippine Navy were battling for third place.
In men’s division, the Army men were taking the challenge of Ateneo de Manila. While LVG Amaya of Zamboanga faced Oro’s Good Health of Dr. Dave Tobias for third prize honor.
In an exhibition game on Saturday at XU gym, pitting the good-looking volleybelles of the University of Santo Tomas against Far Eastern University, the former prevailed.
“Dako among pasalamat kang mayor (Moreno) nga iyang gisuportahan atong mga programa sa volleyball hinaut nga magpadyon pa kini,” said coach Adeva, who organized the Higalaay Festival Volleyball Open that also attracted the top teams from Davao and Cebu, among others.