BACOLOD Tay Tung High School Thunderbolts kept their title in the 38th NOPSSCEA girls volleyball on Sunday at the University of St. La Salle gym in Bacolod City.
In the boys’ category, Living Stones International School bucked the home team crowd as they dethroned University of St. La Salle Stingers in the finals behind the strong showing of Laurence Alaban.
Armed with a twice-to-beat incentive heading into the finals, the Thunderbolts needed just one game to stave off the University of St. La Salle Lady Stingers 25-15, 25-14, 25-9 for their third straight title.
Led by veterans Alyssa Bertolano, Shane Carmona, Kiesha Bedonia, and Joan Monares, the Thunderbolts jumped to an early double-digit lead in each sets before staving off the Lady Stingers’ comeback attempt to finish the match in straight sets.
Aside from solidifying their NOPSSCEA dominance, the tournament was a good preparation for them in the Rebisco National Finals next week in Manila, said Tay Tung vice president for sports Jose Montalbo.
“NOPSSCEA is one of the prestigious tournaments in Negros. It is like the UAAP in Manila. So the girls really prepared for this at the start of the year,” Montalbo told Panay News.
“This also helped us prepare the players and build chemistry among them as we represent Western Visayas in the Rebisco National Finals in Pasig City,” he added.
Also part of the team under coach Ian Macariola are Erika Deloria, Aurea Alvero, Annika Cabasac, Rhean Almendralejo, Kathleen Tan, Katherine Cortez, Dya Mejos, and Beatrice Decena.
Meanwhile Living Stones settled for bronze after losing to the Lady Stingers in the semifinal round on Saturday afternoon./PN
