By ADRIAN STEWART CO
The Western Visayas pair of Honey Grace Cordero and Roma Joy Doromal, playing for the Grass to Bone team, has emerged as champions in the Sipalay leg of the Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR) on Tour women’s division at the Poblacion Beach on Sunday, June 25.
Negrense Cordero and Ilongga Doromal captured the title following their 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 were 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 De La Salle University (DLSU) in the quarterfinals, 21-16, 21-16, before eliminating University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos’ Gelimae Villanueva and Kyla Gallego, 16-21, 21-15, 15-5, in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Villanueva and Gallego 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.
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 DLSU-Dasmariñas, 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 the De Pedro-Ronquillo pair in the semis./ASC, WDJ