By Adrian Stewart Co
Negrense Bernadeth Pons and Cherry Rondina of Creamline 1 displayed their sandcourt dominance anew after ruling the second leg of the Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR) on Tour on Sunday at Santa Ana, Cagayan.
Pons and Rondina completed a sweep of the two-leg BVR Cagayan bubble after defeating the pair of Angelique Gervacio and Dij Rodriguez of Creamline 2, 21-13, 21-11.
This was Pons’ third BVR crown while it was Rondina’s fifth. The pair went perfect in 13 matches in Cagayan and had actually won 19 consecutive games dating back to the 2019 BVR Lianga leg.
“Sobrang grateful sa pagkakaroon ng opportunity na makapaglaro dito. Tuloy kami sa goal namin,” said the Talisay City-native Pons, who along with Rondina will compete in Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championship in Phuket, Thailand.
On their way to the finals, Pons and Rondina edged PLDT’s Ella and Iza Viray, 21-17, 21-12, while Rodriguez and Gervacio scraped past Ilonggas Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño of Sta. Lucia 1, 21-13, 17-21, 18-16.
The Viray twins, however, salvaged a bronze medal finish in the second leg as they turned back the seasoned tandem of Estoquia and Demontaño, 21-17, 21-19, in the third place match.
Just like Pons and Rondina, Krung Arbasto and Jude Garcia of Creamline 1 also pulled off a championship double in the BVR on Tour men’s division by defeating Tuguegarao’s James Pecaña and AJ Pareja, 21-17, 21-16, in the finals.
The championship was seventh for Arbasto in BVR, while Garcia captured his second straight as the duo are looking forward to performing well in international competitions next year.
Arbasto and Garcia reached the finals via injury forfeit after Negros Occidental Beach Volleyball Club’s Eljhay Ronquillo was not able to complete the game, while Pecaña and Pareja defeated EVI Construction’s Doy Barrica and KR Guzman, 21-17, 21-14.
Barrica and Guzman, for their part, achieved a podium finish in the men’s division as they manhandled Negrenses Ronquillo and Deanne Neil de Pedro, 21-16, 23-21, in the bronze medal match./ASC, WDJ