All eyes will be on the standouts of the visiting Academy of Our Lady of Guam girls team when the Beach Volleyball Republic Nuvali Open begins on Saturday at Nuvali Sand Courts in the City of Santa Rosa, Laguna.
The Hagatna, Guam-based school, will parade four pairs in the U18 girls category, which will be played in the BVR for the first time, as they will be tested by local squads led by the reigning UAAP high school champion, University of Santo Tomas.
The Cougars will be headlined by Landen DeVera and Carmen Eugenia, who ruled the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam tournament last year.
Lea Aromin and Jaedyn Punongbayan, runner-ups to DeVera and Eugenia in the Guam high school athletic meet, will also compete for the Cougars together with Maegan Camacho and Summer Pinaula, and Alexia Delfin and Christiana Pangelinan.
Cheng Dadang and Eliza Israel will banner the Junior Tiger Sands, together with schoolmates Nic Delicana and Karyn Progella, as they brace for a Guam challenge. Ateneo's Jelena Dait, Ainsly Santiago, and Unity's Navarro and Lucena are also competing in the U18 category.
The biggest field in the 10-year-old BVR on Tour will be unveiled as a total of 40 teams, 16 in women, 16 men, and eight in the U18 girls category, which will be played in the BVR for the first time, will vie for the title.
The champions in each division will qualify directly to the BVR Sipalay Open slated from May 9 to 10 at Sipalay City's Poblacion Beach.
The BVR will also celebrate the historic feat of the Alas Pilipinas women's team, which gave the country its first-ever beach volleyball gold medal in the Thailand Southeast Asian Games last year, with a special meet and greet session with the champions on Sunday.
Sunny Villapando and Gen Eslapor, who were part of the Alas SEA Games gold medal-winning squad, will headline the participants in the women's open division. Also entered are national pool members Alexa Polidario and Jenny Gaviola, Sofiah Pagara and Khy Progella, and Gry Matibag and Khy Orillaneda.
Other participants are University of Santo Tomas pairs of Lorien Gamboa and Cameron Villaluz, and Jheliane Auxtero and Francine Osis, National University's Vilmarie Toos and Honey Grace Cordero, Far Eastern University's Frenchie Premaylon and Patricia Leanne Arciaga, University of the Philippines duos of Kryssia Ornos and Jelainne Camia, Janella Guarino and Sym Ildefonso, La Salle's Abigail Sinson and Sandrina Sajnani, Ateneo's Ten Quimpo and Julienne Mindanao, San Beda tandems of Marielle Teves and Bea Udarbe, and Rea Hadlocon and Alexandra Mordize, Team Fillieppines' Fille Cayetano and Kizil Quijote, and Guam's Euri Eslapor and Kendra Byrd.
Alas, Ronniel Rosales and Ranran Abdilla, Edwin Tolentino and Lerry Francisco, and Aidam Adam and Alihfaisal Gampong, will banner the men's open side.
Also competing are UST collegiate pairs of Smael Salon and Dominique Gabito, JM Lagaran and Lance Malinao, Karl Escobal and Aldwin Gupiteo, UST high school tandems of Mark Ian Bihag and JP Apdian, Jhon Vincent Degutierez and Wensjuban Cadayona, Far Eastern University's Kyle Retiza and Jeremiah Barrica, Amigos' Wayne Dionela and Rancel Varga, UP duos of Sean Archer Noel Codeniera and John Luis Immanuel Toroto, Jonathan Delos Santos and Zedrick Calimlim, La Salle's Andraie Falsis and Miguel Uy, Emilio Aguinaldo College's Jan Abor and Frelwin Taculog, Lyceum of the Philippines University's Kent Veronilla and Rhian Erguiza, and Abs for Days' Chris Shepherd and Shintaro Okada.
The pool matches for women, men, and U18 girls are set from 8 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. across four competition courts on Saturday, while Sunday is for the final pool matches for the three categories, the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final for women and men, and the semifinal and final for U18 girls. PR