By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Bacolod pair Bianca Lizares and Honey Grace Cordero fell short of their championship bid in the Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR) on Tour-Candon City leg after losing in the finals in Ilocos Norte’s Candon City over the weekend.
The Bacolod City duo sustained a heartbreaking 21-17, 17-21, 15-11 defeat at the hands of National University’s (NU) Kly Orillaneda and Kathrina Epa in the finals at Darapidap Beach.
After suffering a close defeat in the opening set, Lizares and Cordero surged Bacolod to a 14-7 second set advantage against Orillaneda and Epa and never looked back to force a decider.
Bacolod looked headed to completing a come-from-behind stunner as they took a 9-6 third set advantage after a Cordero kill, but Orillaneda and Epa stormed back and grabbed an 11-10 lead.
Lizares’ hit forced the match’s last deadlock at 11-11 before Epa scored back-to-back points to give NU a 13-11 advantage before Orillaneda’s loop shot put her team at match point and Epa delivered the championship-sealing kill.
Despite the loss, the second place was the best finish for the 5-foot-7 Lizares since she started competing in the BVR on Tour in Santa Fe’s Bantayan Island in March 2018 with Jennifer Cosas as her partner.
On the part of Orillaneda, her previous best finish was in the 2018 December Open when she and Ilongga Roma Joy Doromal placed second behind Dzi Gervacio and Bea Tan. This was also Epa’s best BVR on Tour finish since making her debut in 2019.
On their way to the championship, Lizares and Cordero prevailed over West V’s Bea Tan and Jennifer Cosas, 21-11, 17-21, 15-10, while Orillaneda and Epa turned back Bacolodnon Beautiliza Lomocso and Jana Cane of Ateneo 2, 21-17, 21-13.
Meanwhile, Negrenses Tan and Cosas salvaged a bronze medal finish in the two-day event following a 21-14, 21-19 triumph over Lomocso and Cane of Ateneo 2 in the battle-for-third place game.
In the men’s division, Harbor Pilot’s Ranran Abdilla and Rancel Varga downed NU’s Pol Salvador and Alex Iraya, 21-13, 21-10, to clinch the crown and complete a perfect 5-0 campaign./ASC, WDJ