MANILA – University of Santo Tomas Tiger Sands’ Sofiah Pagara and Khy Progella ruled the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Beach Volleyball Invitational held recently at Nuvali Sand Courts in the city of Santa Rosa, Laguna.
The tandem of Pagara and Progella claimed the tournament championship after a 21-19, 21-19 straight set victory over the National University Lady Bulldogs’ Honey Grace Cordero and Kizil Doren Quijote in the finals.
The Tiger Sands pair showed resiliency in both sets to prevail over newly-minted UAAP Season 87 MVP Cordero and Quijote, who was the Lady Bulldogs’ third player during their recent UAAP title run at the expense of Pagara and Progella last month.
On their way to the championship match, Pagara and Progella made quick work Grithney Dadang and Angelica del Mar, 21-10, 21-10, in an all-Tiger Sands semifinal round.
Pagara and Progella are Alas Pilipinas mainstays who played in several international tournaments in Nuvali this year, including in the Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championships last month.
Team Negrense’s Bea Tan and Alexa Polidario, meanwhile, captured the bronze medal with a 21-17, 21-8 romp of the Tiger Sands’ second team of Dadang and Del Mar in the battle-for-third place game.
Philippine Air Force’s Ranran Abdilla and James Buytrago, on the other hand, topped the men’s division, besting NU’s Sky Gemarino and Wayne Dionela, 21-19, 21-13, in the final.
Abdilla and Buytrago, who are also members of Alas Pilipinas squad, emerged triumphant over Emilio Aguinaldo College’s Paul Justine Say and John Ruther Abor, 21-11, 21-10, in the semifinal.
Say and Abor, meanwhile, complete the podium finishers in the men’s division./PN
