MANILA – Negrense Honey Grace Cordero and Ilongga Roma Joy Doromal of Grass to Bone emerged as champions in the women’s division of the Beach Volleyball Republic on Tour Sipalay leg on Sunday at the Poblacion Beach.
The Western Visayas-based tandem clinched the crown after scoring a 21-15, 21-17 straight set victory over Bea Tan and Jennifer Cosas of Abanse Negrense squad in the finals.
This was the first-ever BVR on Tour leg championship for Doromal and Cordero, who was hailed as the UAAP Season 85 women’s beach volleyball Rookie of the Year for National University Lady Bulldogs.
On their way to the finals, the Cordero-Doromal pair turned back Negrenses Matet Espina and Maicah Larroza of DLSU in the quarterfinals, 21-16, 21-16, before eliminating UNO-R’s Gelimae Villanueva and Kyla Gallego, 16-21, 21-15, 15-5, in the semifinals.
Villanueva and Gallego, meanwhile, salvaged a bronze medal finish after prevailing over the Preska team of Bianca Lizares and MJ Ebro, which suffered a 21-17, 21-23, 15-8 semifinals loss to Tan and Cosas.
Meanwhile, Harbor Pilot’s Ranran Abdilla and Rancel Varga ran away with their second straight BVR on Tour leg championship after sweeping the men’s division of the Sipalay City leg.
Abdilla and Varga, who also ruled the Candon City leg last week, topped Abanse Negrense pair of Toto de Pedro and Eljhay Ronquillo, 21-15, 21-11, to log an untouchable 5-0 record without dropping a set.
Abdilla and Varga first defeated Allaine Tejares and John Carl Araneta of D’Prints, in the quarterfinals, 21-10, 21-6, before ousting Negrense Jian Salarzon and Amil Pacinio of Ateneo, 21-12, 21-10, in the semifinals.
The 6-foot-4 Abdilla, a former standout of De La Salle University-Dasmarinas, now has six BVR on Tour championships on his belt, while Varga took home his fourth leg championship.
Pacinio and Salarzon took home the bronze medal in the men’s division as they prevailed over Beach Volleyball Manila’s AJ Pareja and Vincent Nadera, who were defeated by De Pedro-Ronquillo pair in the semis./PN
