Filipino tandems set to make an impact at Asian Beach Volleyball Championships

coming in November

Local representation matters, and Alas Pilipinas seeks to make that count in the upcoming Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championships this week in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Ramon "Tats" Suzara, who is concurrently president of both the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, shares, "Again, the Philippines and Nuvali become the epicenter of beach volleyball with some of the continent’s, if not the world’s best showcasing their elite skills before Filipino fans."

Leading the cast of locals showcasing their talents at the Nuvali Sand Courts is the duo of Ran Abdilla and James Buytrago. The bronze medalists of last year's Southeast Asian Games have reunited in a quest to fend off top regional spikers in this event backed by Nuvali, Ayala Land, Rebisco, Smart, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, City of Santa Rosa, Mikasa, Senoh, Asics, Akari, Sip, Cignal, One Sports, One Sports Plus, Pilipinas Live, AVC and the PNVF.

The Persian duo of Abbas Pourasgari and Alireza Aghajanighasab make a return after topping the AVC Beach Tour Nuvali Open back in April, with pairs from Australia and New Zealand also posing as potential foreign threats in the 24-team field.

Two-time UAAP Beach Volleyball Most Valuable Player Rancel Varga will have a new partner to take on the opposition in the form of Lerry John Francisco of the Philippine Coast Guard. Fresh from being partners with both Buytrago and Abdilla in the Futures action in the last few months, Varga will hope that experience will prove helpful with his new spiker in tow.

A third tandem will also be involved, but the duo of Ronniel Rosales and Edwin Tolentino will have to go through qualifying to earn their spot in the main draw.

On the women's side, Khylem Progella and Sofiah Pagara lead the charge, with the tandem making it to the quarterfinals of the Qingdao leg of the Beach Pro Tour Futures.

En route to the knockout rounds, they managed to dispatch the duo of Gen Eslapor and Kly Orillaneda, who are also part of the upcoming field.

A third local tandem is also present in the form of Alexa Polidario and Jenny Gaviola, but like the Rosales-Tolentino duo, they will earn their way through qualification.

Asami Shiba managed to beat Progella and Pagara on her way to the bronze medal of the competition, but for this coming tournament in Nuvali, she will have a different partner, as Saki Maruyama steps in for Chika Nakagawa.

Along with the Nuvali Open champions in the Aussie tandem of Stefanie Fejes and Jana Milutinovic, they lead the foreign cast on the distaff side.