SIPALAY City — Alas Pilipinas men’s beach volleyball team standouts Ranran Abdilla and AJ Pareja will rely on their international experience as they compete in the Beach Volleyball Republic on Tour Sipalay leg this weekend at the Poblacion Beach here.
Abdilla and Pareja are coming off a stint in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures in Spiez, Switzerland recently, where they gained a lot of learnings from top-caliber teams.
Abdilla will personally aim for his second straight Sipalay leg championship after ruling last year’s edition with Rancel Varga as his partner for Harbor Pilot.
Alas Pilipinas Women’s Gen Eslapor, who teamed up with Kly Orillaneda in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures, will banner the women’s division with her younger sister Euri for the Strong Group Athletics squad.
Australians Luca Rocker-Graham and Killian Donovan will add spice to the men’s competition, which also has UST’s Aldwin Gupiteo and Dom Gabito, Far Eastern University’s Kyle Retiza and Mikko Espartero, and La Salle’s Andre Espejo and Chris Hernandez.
Other competing teams in the men’s side are Air Force’s Pol Salvador and Edwin Tolentino, Cebu’s Samlet Booc and Michael Marabe, and two Sipalay pairs, Ivan Sanao and John Lloyd Guntan, and Johnrel Talita and John Joseph Mirasol.
Also gunning for a second straight women’s title in Sipalay is Negrense Honey Grace Cordero, who won the 2023 BVR on Tour Sipalay leg championship with Ilongga Roma Joy Doromal.
Cordero, who will be suiting up for National University Lady Bulldogs in UAAP Season 87 women’s beach volleyball tournament, will go for back-to-back with Kat Epa as her partner.
Challenging the Lady Bulldogs are UAAP-based beach volleyball teams FEU of Negrense Melody Pons and Gerzel Petallo and UST of Sofiah Pagara and Khy Progella.
Other squads on the distaff side are Pontevedra’s Perper Cosas and Erjane Magdato, Negros’ Bea Tan and Bianca Lizares, UNO-R’s Edrilyn Garbajosa and Kyla Gallego and two teams from Sipalay, the pairs of Kimberly Babe Deuyan and Trisha Gene Geneblaza, and Japttia Rose Arquiro and Princess Kyle Judilla./PN
