FIVB Manila Open champions crowned

Your women's champions

The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Manila Open concluded last night at the Sands SM By The Bay, with the organizers honoring the top three finishers in men's and women's divisions.

The day kicked off with the semifinals, with Ayumi Kusano and Takemi Nishibori topping their fellow Japanese compatriots, Shinako Tanaka and Sakurako Fujii, 21-13 21-16, while Spanish duo of Paula Soria and Maria Belen Carro bested the Paraguayan pair of Erika Bobadilla and Michelle Amarilla, 21-16 21-15.

The men then took to the sands for their semifinal encounters, with the Russian duo of Petr Bakhnar and Taras Myskiv ousted the Spanish Huerta brothers, Alejandro and Javier, 21-18, 17-21, 20-18, while the German pair of Max-Jonas Karpa and Milan Sievers outlasted their Swiss counterparts Michiel Zandbergen and Gabriel Kissling, 21-17 21-16.

In the bronze medal game, Bobadilla and Amarilla made history by securing the first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour medal for Paraguay, defeating Shinako and Sakurako, 21-17 21-16. They had the chance to do this a week earlier in Langkawi, but fell short in the quarterfinals.

Bobadilla shares, "Well, we finished fifth (in Langkawi) so this was a lot better because we made it to the semifinals. Playing the last game I think is one of the best things for every player. You are so prepared mentally coming to a tournament. Playing in three days, four days or five days." She adds after witnessing how Filipinos took in to the tournament, "We loved Manila. We were so easily adjusted here. Having people being supportive for us is really, really great for us."

The gold medal game then saw Kusano and Nishibori impress against Soria and Carro, claiming the title, 21-14 21-18.

Nishibori would clinch the title with a kill off a feed from Kusano to cap their Manila campaign with six straight victories. They would use their speed and superb sand court coverage to neutralize their height disadvantage.

Kusano, who won the Spike for Peace invitational championship three years ago, shares that they used their brains in securing the championship.

On the men's side, Kissling and Zandbergen beat the Huerta brothers, 22-20 19-21 15-13 for the bronze, while Karpa and Sievers claimed the title with a 15-21 23-21 15-9 win over Bakhnar and Myskiv, capping off the tournament in the evening heat.

One Filipino left standing in FIVB Manila Open play

At the conclusion of the Round-of-12 play at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Manila Open, there is just one Filipina team standing.

Sisi Rondina and Dzi Gervacio secured a quarterfinal berth with a 21-17 21-17 victory over the Canadian duo of Caleigh Cruickshank and Megan Nagy.

Gervacio was satisfied with her maiden partnership with Rondina, considering how short-notice it was in preparing for this tournament. She shares, "Ako, hindi ko talaga inii-expect na malayo ang mararating namin. Na aabot kami ng Day 2. Kasi, ako personally, I haven't trained internationally. And I know for a fact na matatangkad ang kalaban natin. But from the get-go, noong nakalaban namin ang USA, alam ko may pag-asa tayo."

In their win this morning as well as their 21-12 21-16 win over the American duo of Lindsay Fuller and Kaley Melville last Friday, the Pinays managed to compensate for their size disadvantage with some solid sand defense and smart play.

The other remaining Filipina squad in the Manila Open bowed out in heartbreaking fashion earlier this morning.

Lot Catubag and Karen Quilario kicked off Day 3 action at the Sands SM By the Bay, ending up on the short end of the stick against the Thai duo of Thatsarida Singchuea and Pawarun Chanthawichai, 36-34 23-25 15-17.

The duo from the PNP managed to secure a chance at a victory at least twice, once during the second set and twice in the third set, but the Asian U19 beach volleyball champions were up to the challenge and successfully pulled off the victory.

Quilario shared that they need "more teamwork and more practice" afterwards. She hopes that they are able to participate in future FIVB World Tour events to be able to net additional exposure.

Catubag adds, "Kung bibigyan kami ng pagkakataon, iga-grab namin ang opportunity na maglaro ng ganitong level. Maraming gustong maglaro pero bihira lang ang magbigyan ng pagkakataon sa ganitong competition."

Completing the Round of 12 matches in the FIVB World Tour Manila Open are the following results:

Lisa-Sophie Kotzan and Leonie Klinke (Germany) beat Katja Stam and Lisa Wouters (Netherlands), 21-11 21-19
Lindsay Fuller and Kaley Melville (United States) beat Janne Pedersen and Hanne Zylstra (Norway), 21-15 21-17
Javier and Alejandro Huerta (Spain) beat Martin Appelgren and Simon Boman (Sweden), 24-22 21-15
Felix Friedl and Maximillian Trummer (Austria) beat Jorg Wutzl and Simon Fruhbauer (Austria), 23-21 21-19
Petr Bakhnar and Taras Myskiv (Russia) beat Wang Chin-Ju and Hsieh Ya-Jen (Chinese-Taipei), 21-14 21-8
Marcus Ferguson and Tom Dickson (Australia) beat Kevin Lau Tsz Ho and Wong Pui Lam (Hong Kong), 21-15 21-15

Filipinas struggle in Manila Open

#DziSi loses, but still keeps hopes alive

Hopes for continued Filipino participation in the FIVB Beach Volleyball Manila Open are dimming, with the completion of pool play in the women's draw this afternoon at the Sands in SM By The Bay.

The duo of DM Demontano and Jackie Estoquia bowed to their German counterparts in Klinke Leonie and Lisa-Sophie Kotzan, 16-21 12-21, while Charo Soriano and Bea Tan exits after losing to the Canadian tandem of Megan Nagy and Caleigh Cruickshank, 12-21 15-21. Both suffered their second loss in as many matches.

Meanwhile, Cherry Rondina and Dzi Gervacio were unable to follow-up their victory earlier this morning, gallantly losing to the Spanish duo of Paula Soria and Maria Belen Carro, 20-22 21-23.

Saving the afternoon for the Philippines is Karen Quilario and Lot Catubag, as they beat the Hong Kong squad of Yuen Ting Chi and Au Yeung Wai Yan, 21-13 18-21 15-11. The win allows them to join Rondina and Gervacio into the Round of 12 set to take place tomorrow morning. A draw slated to take place after the completion of the matches tonight will determine the matchups, with the winner entering the quarterfinals later that day.

DziSi lone bright spot in early FIVB Beach Volley action

#DziSi with the lone Filipino win in early FIVB Beach play

The duo of Sisi Rondina and Dzi Gervacio served as the lone bright spot early on for the Philippine contingent in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Manila Open.

Rondina and Gervacio combined for the only win by a Filipino side so far in the competition, as they beat the American duo of Lindsey Fuller and Kaley Melville, 21-12 21-16.

Although adept with experience in beach volleyball independently, this is the first time that the two joined forces in this partnership. They used a combination of smart plays, solid attacking, and sharp service to beat their taller opposition.

According to Rondina, "We just played. We didn’t look at their perceived advantage over us and we didn’t think of how much bigger and taller they were." The three-time UAAP Beach Volleyball MVP adds, "What we did was just showcase what we were capable of, what we could be proud of as Filipinos in front of the crowd rooting for us."

As for the rest of the Filipino contingent, all the other duos lost their opening matches.

In the women's draw, DM Demontano and Jackie Estoquia lost to the Paraguayan duo of Michelle Amarilla and Erika Bobadilla, 19-21 13-21. Charo Soriano and Bea Tan bowed to the Japanese tandem of Ayumi Kusano and Takemi Nishibori, 10-21 9-21, while Karen Quilario and Lot Catubag lost to the Dutch tandem of Katja Stam and Julia Wouters, 13-21 11-21.

Kusano praised the tandem of Soriano and Tan, referring to them as "very good." She also thought the conditions were "very difficult" and the outside court set up as "very different."

The men's draw had a couple of close calls, with Calvin Sarte and Jade Becaldo narrowly losing to the Swedish duo of Martin Appelgren and Simon Boman, 24-26 23-21 13-15, while Ranran Abdilla and Edwin Tolentino dropped their match against the Hong Kong tandem of Kevin Lao Tsz Ho and Wong Pui Lam, 18-21 22-20 10-15.

The remaining two teams lost in straight sets. Kevin Juban and Raphy Abanto bowed to the Austrian tandem of Florian Schnetzer and Daniel Mullner, 10-21 14-21, while KR Guzman and James Pecana lost to Chinese-Taipei's Wang Chin-Ju and Hsieh Ya-Jen, 20-22 14-21.

Depending on the remaining matches still on tap, the Filipino teams could still make it to the knockout rounds tomorrow via the Round of 12. The winners from that round will advance to the quarterfinals to be played later that day.

The Manila Open is a one-star beach volleyball event organized by Beach Volleyball Republic, with E-Plus Global Sdn Bhd promoting the tournament.

Season 3 of Beach Volleyball Republic to commence today

BVR kicks off today!

Beach Volleyball Republic heads north to start off its third season, as the BVR On Tour hunkers down at the Ichthus Beach Resort in Magsingal, Ilocos Sur starting today.

Twenty-five pairs are participating in this leg of the tour, with the winners of both the Men's and Women's divisions receiving PhP 50,000 each. PhP 30,000 and PhP 20,000 awaits the second and third place finishers, respectively.

The women's division is composed of the following duos:

Dzi Gervacio and Charo Soriano (Perlas 1)
Bea Tan and Amanda Villanueva (Perlas 2)
Amy Ahomiro and Gizelle Tan (Perlas 3)
Judy Caballejo and Coyah Abanto (Air Force 1)
Jossa Calbasa and Jen Manzano (Air Force 2)
Dhamae Demontano and Jackie Estoquia (Iloilo)
Louann Latigay and Maru Banaticla (PLDT)
Jem Gutierrez and Nene Bautista (Army 1)
Tin Agno and Jeanine delos Reyes (Army 2)
Rapril Aguilar and Danika Gendrauli (Cebu)
Ivana Agudo and MJ Ebro (FEU)
Babylove Barbon and Genesa Eslapor (UST)

The men's division is composed of the following duos:

Ranran Abdilla and Jessie Lopez (Air Force 1)
Pol Salvador and James Buytrago (NU)
Joel Villonson and Jayson Uy (Army)
Henry Pacana and KR Guzman (UST Thunders)
Brian Nordberg and Giovanni Maria Musillo (Hong Kong)
Jayson and EJ Ramos (Team Ramos)
Raffy Mosuela and Jeffrey Malabanan (Air Force 2)
Chris Macasaet and Renz Casanova (DLSUAAi)
Jade Bacaldo and Fort Libres (Cebu 1)
Kevin Juban and Raphy Abanto (Cebu 2)
Pemie Bagalay and Alfred Valbuena (Manila)
Jaron Requinton and Efraim Dimaculangan (UST)
Gilbert Longavela and Calvin Sarte (Perlas)

The men's division has a team from Hong Kong participating, which is one of the major developments that will be introduced for the upcoming BVR on Tour season. Fille Cainglet-Cayetano shares, "With all the experiences we've had bringing it around the Philippines, we feel nothing but excitement for what's to come. With our mission of growing the sport and building our community of athletes, we are making our making BVR On Tour open to international teams this year."

The other major development is that BVR will be inviting a group of fans to join the BVR contingent on one of its legs to watch the action. Details will be made available through the BVR social media accounts.

For this particular leg, ABS-CBN Sports will be streaming the action via its YouTube page.

BVR on Tour National Championship set this weekend

From L-R: Joey Alvaro (Delimondo), Jimmy Escano (CGAL), Kristen Enrile (Delimondo), Bea Tan (BVR), Charo Soriano (BVR), Tony Boy Liao (#BVROnTour National Championship Tourney Director)

The beach volleyball scene moves up a notch, with the formal announcement of the Beach Volleyball Republic (#BVROnTour) National Championship last week.

Anguib Beach in Sta. Ana, Cagayan will be hosting the National Championship on July 28-30, with 32 teams slugging out in the men's and women's divisions. Some of these teams took part in the seven different #BVROnTour legs that were spread all across the country.

The tournament has been sanctioned by the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc., and the top 3 teams from both divisions will be integrated into the national training pool for potential selection as the Philippines' representatives for the upcoming Southeast Asian Beach Volleyball Games to be held in Singapore later this year. The BVR contingent will compete with the PSL contingent to see which players will get the chance to represent the country in international competition.

BVR founder Bea Tan says, "We are really excited not only for BVR but for the direction of beach volleyball. We go to international tournaments without practice and still win some games. We're excited about what we can achieve with preparation." She adds, "very competitive teams from the provinces will come to Anguib to compete."

Among the participants for the National Championship include: FEU, Dipolog, Philippine Coast Guard, NU, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, RTU, USLS, Ateneo, and the Philippine Navy in the men's division, and RTU, Ateneo, Iloilo, Cebu, Bacolod, Tagum, Philippine National Police, and Perlas Spikers in the women's division.

Claiming the title in this tournament rewards the winning tandem PhP 50,000. The losing finalists net PhP 30,000. The third-placed duo gets PhP 15,000.

ABS-CBN Sports will have delayed telecast coverage of the #BVROnTour National Championship.