By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The Bacolod Tay Tung High School Thunderbolts finished runner-up in the 2024 Rebisco Volleyball League (RVL) Invitational Tournament at the Gameville Ball Park in Mandaluyong City over the weekend.

The Western Visayas representatives were unable to secure their second title in a week after a 25-20, 20-25, 25-12, 25-16 defeat to the Nakornnonthaburi Volleyball Club of Thailand in the finals.

Even with the loss, Thunderbolts players still received individual citations, with Rhose Vianne Almendralejo being named MVP and Best Outside Hitter, Jan Rose Bulak as Best Setter and Dona Mae de Leon as 2nd Best Middle Blocker.

Also part of the team are Camila Amor Bartolome, Joenil Ramos, Rhea Tomas, Ana Francessca Hermosura, Alexa Bertolano, Brianna Nikola Ang, Czarina Dosayla, Ana Ysabelle Hermosura, and Abigael Labajo.

Serving as head coach for the Thunderbolts is Ian Macariola, with Rommel Tabinas as his assistant coach and Jose Montalbo as the team manager.

The Thunderbolts finished the preliminaries with a 3-2 record, winning against the Northern California Volleyball Association of the USA, University of Batangas and University of San Jose-Recoletos, and losing to Kings Montessori School and Nakornnonthaburi.

In the semifinals round, Bacolod Tay Tung got their revenge against Kings Montessori School to secure a championship clash with the visiting Nakornnonthaburi.

“Obviously, this is not the result that we wanted, but I am happy with our team’s performance against an experienced team like the Nakornnonthaburi Volleyball Club,” Montalbo said.

“The experience and learning that we gained from this tournament are good enough to toughen our squad, as well [as] compete in our tournaments in Bacolod City and possibly in Palarong Pambansa,” he added.

The Thunderbolts retained their championship in the RVL national finals after defeating University of Batangas in the finals, 25-16, 25-20, 25-13, on November 25./ASC, WDJ