Niños outlast Davao in boys volleyball
THE Cebu City Niños got off its title aspiration bid in style, beating their tormentor and defending champion Davao del Norte in a three-set thriller, 26-24, 24-26, 15-13, in the Batang Pinoy National Championship volleyball tournament boys’ division in the Recoletos Gym, Baguio City yesterday.
The Niños avenged their stinging loss to the same team in the championship round of the 2016 Batang Pinoy Nationals, which was at the University of Mindanao in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
Cebu City’s head coach Jonrey Sasing said it was a morale-boosting win for them but there’s no room to be complacent as it is still a long way to go for the medal match.
“We travelled far for this, and we did not come here to lose. Hopefully we can give a medal to our delegation,” Sasing told SunStar Cebu. He added that every team will play three games in the elimination round and the top two will advance to the semifinals.
The Niños were the boys’ volleyball champion in 2015 before Davao del Norte stole the crown in 2016. Only the regional legs were held in 2017 and the regional winners are now competing for medals in Baguio City.
One of the players who was there during Cebu City’s straight sets loss to Davao del Norte about two years ago is team captain June Wilfil Yungco of University of San Carlos Basic Education (USC-Bed).
“We hope to get a gold medal this time, the win against Davao del Norte is a good start for us,” said Yungco, the ace spiker for Cebu City, which is also represented by students from Abellana National School and the University of Cebu.
Cebu City took the first set with a narrow two-point lead but blew 24-20 edge in the second set, forcing a decider. Cebu City led as much by four points in the decider but Davao del Norte came close before the former escaped with a two-point win.
“Both teams were still adjusting to the weather; it’s just happened we got the lucky breaks of the game. We are happy that we won against them this time,” said Sasing.
Mandaue City, meanwhile, also made its presence felt in the team event led by the 13-Under futsal girls’ team, which scored a double-win in the St. Louise University.
Mandaue City’s futsal first defeated Pasig, 3-1, before pulling off a dominating 7-0 routing over Pangasinan.
Mandaue City also scored a win in the basketball event with a 75-57 win over Olongapo City at the SLU Burgos Gym.
Meanwhile, Cebu Province made it to the medal tally after Asha Blanchie Pacia won a gold medal in the girls’ taekwondo at the University of Baguio gym. Jins Fiona Sedullo and Christine Villasor each added a silver medal while Kristine Joy Villacarlos handed bronze medal.
Krystelle Me Leyson bagged a silver medal in the girls’ U-15 100-meter hurdles after clocking 17.4 seconds at the Baguio City Athletic Bowl for Cebu City’s first medal. Bacolod City’s Ara Rahbea Delotavo (17.04) snagged the gold medal and Trishia Mei (17.11) of South Cotabato settled for the bronze medal.