THE Cebuano-led Philippine team scored a major upset and beat Indonesia in three thrilling sets, 21-13,13-21,16-14 in Pool G and in the 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket,Thailand.
The tournament is usually dominated by teams from Indonesia, Thailand, China, Malaysia and the shock win by Cebuanos Jade Becaldo and Louijie Tipgos over the 2008 champion team was a major upset.
It also got them a spot in the quarterfinal round.
“Everyone is talking about team Philippines. We beat Indonesia for the first time in history and I still couldn’t believe it. They are much bigger and hit so hard,” said Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) beach volleyball consultant Eric LeCain.
The Indonesian players stood at 6’7 and 6’4 tall, while Tipgos and Becaldo are only 5’11.
“Height doesn’t matter in beach volleyball. It’s all about playing smart,” said Tipgos, who added he couldn’t believe it himself that they were able to beat Indonesia.
The win against Indonesia came after Tipgos and Becaldo defeated Oman, 16-21, 21-17 and 15-11 and Turkmenistan, 16-21, 21-17, 15-11. On the other hand, Nestea National Beach Volleyball men’s champion Edmar Bonono and Edward Ybañez defeated Maldives, 21-8, 21-12, last Sunday.
“The win was truly unexpected. Winning against these players especially Indonesia, which is considered among the best team in this tournament, was unbelievable. We never expect we can beat them. I believe it was teamwork that led us in winning. You really need to be tough and face our fears to survive,” said Tipgos.
Becaldo said they never showed they were intimidated during the the game.
“They are really strong but we didn’t give up. We fought back until the end and lucky for us, the Lord gave us the win. I just kept my composure until the end. We didn’t let our nerves take over, said Becaldo, who also won back-to-back Nestea national beach volleyball titles.
LeCain added their strategy was to serve just as hard as they could and jump as high as they could to block.
rMeanwhile, Bonono and Ybañez lost to Hong Kong and now need to beat Pakistan to advance to the quarterfinals.