By Adrian Stewart Co
Negrense Bernadeth Pons and Cherry Rondina of Creamline 1 showed that they are still the queen of sand court after ruling the Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR) on Tour first leg on Monday in Santa Ana, Cagayan.
Pons and Rondina clinched the women’s division crown after a dominant 21-10, 21-16 victory over Good Health-CDO’s Babylove Barbon and Gen Eslapor in the championship match.
For Rondina, this was her fourth BVR championship overall and second with her enduring partnership with the Talisay City, Negros Occidental-native Pons.
Rondina and Pons reached the finals after defeating Ilongga Roma Joy Doromal and Heather Guino-o of Biogenic, 21-8, 21-8, while Barbon and Eslapor ousted Creamline 2’s Dij Rodriguez and Dzi Gervacio, 16-21, 21-17, 15-9.
Gervacio and Rodriguez managed to salvage a bronze medal finish in the BVR on Tour first leg following a 21-18, 21-14 straight set decision over Guino-o and Doromal.
Creamline actually had a golden double as Krung Arbasto and Jude Garcia outlasted PLDT’s Rancel Varga and Efraem Dimaculangan, 21-19, 19-21, 15-12, in the men’s division finals.
Arbasto, who copped his second BVR gold, took over as the Cool Smashers pulled away from a 12-12 stalemate in the deciding set to prevail in the intense match.
Arbasto and Garcia overcame EVI Construction’s Kris Roy Guzman and Doy Barrica, 21-13, 21-14, to reach the finals, while Varga and Dimaculangan tripped Creamline 1’s Ranran Abdilla and Jaron Requinton, 22-20, 21-15, in the other semis pairing.
Abdilla and Requinton, meanwhile, achieved a podium finish in the men’s beach volleyball event following a 21-13, 21-17 romp of Guzman and Barrica.
It will be a short rest for all the competitors as the second and final leg of the BVR on Tour Santa Ana is set on Thursday until October 31 at the same venue./ASC, WDJ