Philippines secure historic Asiad bronze in beach volleyball

Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara turned heartbreak into history, rallying from a set down to capture a historic bronze medal in the Asian Games women’s beach volleyball on Thursday at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court.

The young Alas Pilipinas tandem battled back from a slow start to stun China’s Cao Shuting and Dong Jie, 13-21, 23-21, 15-13, securing the Philippines’ first-ever Asian Games podium finish in beach volleyball.

“Sobrang nakaka-overwhelmed po ‘yung nangyari, trinabaho po namin kung ano ‘yung deserve namin,” said Pagara.

Progella and Pagara refused to fold despite being dominated in the opening set and facing a match point in the second, with the Chinese pair moving ahead, 20-19.

The pair from University of Santo Tomas erased the deficit and forced a deciding set, where the match remained tight until the crucial stretch. Locked at 10-all, Progella and Pagara surged ahead, 14-12, putting themselves within one point of the bronze.

China saved one match point, but the Filipinas remained composed.

Dong then sent an over pass long, triggering a celebration from the Philippine side as Progella and Pagara secured their place in Asian Games history.

“Actually noong first set andoon ‘yung kaba and ‘yung pressure na hindi madala ‘yung sarili but at the end of first set, na-overcome namin ‘yung pressure,” said Progella.

The team, supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission, celebrated the country's best finish in the event since beach volleyball was introduced at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.

The bronze came less than 24 hours after Progella and Pagara saw their gold-medal hopes dashed in the semifinals.

Early exits haunt Filipino judokas at Asiad

c/o POC/PSC Media

Three Filipino judokas fell one after the other on Friday in the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games with two-time Olympian Kiyomi Watanabe suffering an early exit after falling to Ekaterina Tokareva of Kazakhstan in the women's -78kgs round of 16  the Aichi International Arena.

Moving up to a heavier division, Watanabe engaged in a tight grip battle early on, with both athletes receiving a Shido penalty at the 0:46 mark.

But the Kazakh capitalized on an opening shortly after, executing a decisive throw to score an Ippon and advance to the quarterfinals.

Chino Sy Tancontian suffered a similar fate, succumbing to Japan’s Ryotaro Masuchi in the men's -100kg round of 16 action.

Going up against a formidable Japanese rival, Sy was put on the defensive early after Masuchi registered a Yuko just 12 seconds into the bout.

The Filipino judoka continued to battle for grip and positioning, but the Japanese athlete secured back-to-back Waza-ari scores to seal the victory via Ippon in 2 minutes and 1 second.

Also out of contention is Eskelen Kedo, who bowed to the UAE’s Magomedomar Magomedomarov via Ippon in the men’s +100kg round of 16, ending the Filipino judokas' bid in the quadrennial games.

Adamson back at .500, Zobel keeps Ateneo winless

UAAP Season 89 High School Boys' Volleyball Standings
FEU-D 4-0
UST 4-0
NUNS 2-2
UE 2-2
AdU 2-2
UPIS 1-3
DLSZ 1-3
Ateneo 0-4

Games on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym
Girls
9 a.m. – ADU vs. UE
11 a.m. – UPIS vs. NUNS
1 p.m. – UST vs. DLSZ
3 p.m. – Ateneo vs. FEU-D

Boys
9 a.m. – FEU-D vs. ADU
11 a.m. – DLSZ vs. UST
1 p.m. – UE vs. UPIS
3 p.m. – Ateneo vs. NUNS

Adamson University rediscovered its winning ways, while De La Salle Zobel picked up its first victory of UAAP Season 89 after defeating University of the Philippines Integrated School and Ateneo de Manila University, respectively, on Friday at the Paco Arena Events and Sports Center in Manila.

Adamson leaned on a balanced offensive effort to sweep UPIS, 25-15, 25-17, 25-19, moving the Baby Falcons to 2-2 and into a tie for third to fifth place.

The Baby Falcons came out firing in the third set, stringing together eight straight points to take a 10-1 lead, with back-to-back blocks and an attack from Ian Dayao highlighting the run.

UPIS continued to struggle with errors late in the set, as a service error handed Adamson match point.

The Junior Fighting Maroons staved off three match points, but a service error on their fourth attempt gave the Baby Falcons the victory and allowed them to split their back-to-back games. Adamson had lost to University of Santo Tomas in four sets on Thursday.

“Hopefully mahigitan nga namin ‘yung performance last season. Siguro paghahandaan lang din talaga sa araw-araw na ensayo namin tsaka ‘yung composure ng mga bata during game, importante kasi ‘yun mentally tsaka ‘yung body nila kailangan prepared talaga palagi. Siguro sa ensayo rin talaga namin dadaanin,’yun ang pambawi namin,” said Adamson head coach Marvin Ramoso. “And sabi ko nga sa mga bata, hindi lang naman Final Four lang ang target natin dapat eh, kundi final two talaga kagad.”

Dayao led Adamson with 11 points, converting seven attacks and four blocks. Lance Babon added 10 points on nine attacks and an ace, while James Bernabe chipped in nine points in the 57-minute match.

Janjalani Rebualos directed Adamson’s offense with 12 excellent sets, while Johnlee Macam anchored the team’s defense with 10 digs. Macam also contributed five points on four attacks and a block.

Prince Jimenez led UPIS with eight points on five attacks and three blocks, while also collecting six digs.

Meanwhile, the Junior Spikers turned to Brett Urriquia in dispatching Ateneo, 25-14, 25-14, 25-20, to improve to 1-3 and join the Fighting Maroons in sixth place.

DLSZ came out firing in the third set, opening with a 7-1 run as the Junior Spikers capitalized on Ateneo’s miscues and leaned on Urriquia and Kooper Arguelles to keep the pressure on.

The Blue Eagles mounted a late rally behind Dominic Franco Tolentino, cutting the deficit to 22-19.

The Junior Spikers, however, quickly halted the comeback, with Arguelles delivering a block and Renell Sabaldica following with an attack to bring DLSZ to match point. After a net touch briefly kept Ateneo alive, Arguelles put the finishing touch on DLSZ’s victory.

Urriquia led all scorers with 17 points, built on 14 attacks, two aces, and a block, while Arguelles and John Angelo Ronquillo contributed eight points apiece for DLSZ in the 61-minute encounter.

Ranzlee Buco facilitated DLSZ’s offense with 12 excellent sets, while Luis Papa chipped in 10 excellent digs and eight excellent receptions on the defensive end.

Antonio Avendano and Jaden Lee emerged as Ateneo’s top scorers with five points each, as the Blue Eagles remained winless after four matches.

FEU-Diliman snaps two-match skid in Girls Volleyball

UAAP Season 89 High School Girls' Volleyball Standings
NUNS 3-0
UST 2-1
ADU 2-1
DLSZ 2-1
FEU-D 1-2
Ateneo 1-2
UPIS 1-2
UE 0-3

Games on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym
Girls'
9 a.m. – ADU vs. UE
11 a.m. – UPIS vs. NUNS
1 p.m. – UST vs. DLSZ
3:00 p.m. – Ateneo vs. FEU-D

Boys'
9 a.m. – FEU-D vs. ADU
11 a.m. – DLSZ vs. UST
1 p.m. – UE vs. UPIS
3 p.m. – Ateneo vs. NUNS

Far Eastern University-Diliman finally broke into the win column, snapping its two-game skid with a 25-14, 25-15, 25-19 sweep of University of the Philippines Integrated School in the UAAP Season 89 High School Girls’ Volleyball Tournament on Friday at the Paco Arena Events and Sports Center in Manila.

It was a challenging start for the Baby Tamaraws, who finished as runners-up last season, but the straight-set victory over the Fighting Maroons should provide a much-needed boost in confidence as they continue to work on the finer details of their game.

“Kailangan lang namin siguro mag-focus dun sa mga ginagawa namin kasi masyadong marami kaming ine-error. Siguro yun yung kailangan naming mas i-improve pa. Maganda naman ‘yung ginalaw ngayon ng mga bata pero sana, kung ano man ‘yung kulang pa namin, sana ma-improve pa,” said FEU-D head coach Joanne Bunag.

“Sana magtuloy-tuloy na kasi galing kami ng dalawang talo. Sana itong unang panalo namin, magtuloy-tuloy na hanggang sa madala namin doon sa second round. Maraming games pa, malayo pa, mahaba pa ang season.”

The Baby Tamaraws quickly built a 16-6 advantage in the third set, their biggest lead of the frame, after a three-point run capped by back-to-back kills from Joeyana Bongo.

FEU-D remained in control from there, with Nigerian standout MJ Udeagbala sending the Baby Tamaraws to match point at 24-15.

UPIS, however, fended off four match points, capitalizing on two FEU-D attack errors and a pair of attacks from Anya Callo to stay alive. Udeagbala finally broke through on the fifth attempt, drilling the match-winning kill.

Udeagbala powered FEU-D with 14 points, tallying 10 attacks and four blocks in the 67-minute affair. Diosa Perez chipped in nine points, while Bongo added eight.

Portia Asistio kept the Baby Tamaraws’ offense in rhythm with nine excellent sets, while Querstine Paragas anchored the backcourt with 14 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions on 11 attempts.

“Syempre ang una munang goal namin pumasok muna kami dun sa Final Four. Parang last season, ganun din naman ginawa namin, tinrabaho lang namin. Sabi ko nga dun sa mga bata, ang goal muna natin, pumasok sa top four. Ngayon, after ng top four, tsaka na namin tatrabahuhin makuha ‘yung pinaka-goal namin. Alam naman natin, lahat naman siguro ng teams gusto talaga mag-champion,” said Bunag, as FEU-D looks to build on its silver-medal finish from last season.

Niña Abad paced the Junior Fighting Maroons with 10 points, including eight attacks and two aces.

With the victory, FEU-D improved to 1-2 and joined the three-way tie for fifth through seventh place.

UPIS, meanwhile, dropped to 1-2 after suffering its second straight loss following a season-opening victory over University of the East.

Pinoy wrestlers get shutout in Asiad wrestling

Filipino wrestlers Joe Fer Callado and Jason Baucas suffered defeats in their respective bouts Thursday at the 20th Asian Games at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.

Callado was defeated by Uzbekistan’s Alisher Ganiev, 9-0, in the Men’s Greco-Roman 60kg.

While Baucas fell to Indonesia’s Andika Sulaeman by the same score in Men’s Greco-Roman 77kg.

Neither Filipino was able to put a point on the board, allowing their respective opponents to secure victories by technical superiority.

Callado and Baucas are supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Yape doubles medal haul for Philippine taekwondo

Candelaria and Yape via POC/PSC Media

One more medal for poomsae.

Jeus Yape captured the bronze medal in the men’s individual poomsae competition Thursday at Toyohashi Gymnasium, adding another medal to the Philippines’ haul in the event.

Just hours after Juliana Candelaria claimed silver in the women’s individual event, Yape delivered a score of 9.0900 to secure third place.

“I’m happy po with my performance. Ginawa ko po ‘yung best ko, ginawa ko po lahat ng makakaya ko,” Yape said in an interview with One Sports.

South Korea’s Yun Kyusung topped the field with a score of 9.3800, while Thailand’s Navin Pinthasute took silver with 9.2800.

Coach Jeordan Domingez credited Yape for overcoming the pressure that comes with competing on the Asian stage.

“I’m so happy for him. I know the feeling because we also competed in this competition before, and I’m very happy and proud of Jeus, together with Mika, because they conquered that fear [of pressure],” Domingez said.

Yape, meanwhile, vowed to build on his performance as he looks ahead to his upcoming competitions.

“Right now I’m happy sa journey ko po, and I’ll just keep moving forward,” he said.

Yape will switch to VR mode as he sees action in virtual taekwondo round of 16 on Friday, 10am (Manila time).

Taekwondo, supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission, now has two medals courtesy of poomsae.

UST, FEU extend HS Boys Volleyball winning streak to four

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 89 High School Boys' Volleyball Standings
FEU-D 4–0
UST 4–0
NUNS 2–2
UE 2–2
AdU 1–2
UPIS 1–2
DLSZ 0–3
Ateneo 0–3

Games Friday at the Paco Arena
9 a.m. – UPIS vs FEU-D (Girls’)
11 a.m. – AdU vs UPIS (Boys’)
1 p.m. – DLSZ vs Ateneo (Boys’)

University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University–Diliman continued their unbeaten runs in the UAAP Season 89 High School Boys' Volleyball Tournament, taking care of Adamson University and Ateneo de Manila University, respectively, on Thursday at the Paco Arena Sports and Events Center in Manila.

The Junior Golden Spikers remained unscathed after four matches, adding the Baby Falcons to their list of victims with a 19–25, 25–21, 25–23, 29–27 victory.

After falling behind 10–13 early in the fourth set, Karl Escobal and Jeff Abalos helped UST regain one-point leads, with Abalos giving the Junior Golden Spikers their first match point through another successful 1–2 play.

Lance Babon tried to keep Adamson in the match and forced the final deadlock at 27-all, but Escobal responded with back-to-back kills to finally close out the contest.

“Yun nga, nahirapan kami; medyo nawala kami sa sistema namin. Nag-lie low ‘yung galaw ng mga players namin. Siguro, may factor din na may exam ‘yung ibang mga bata. Pero hindi ‘yun reason para hindi maganda laro namin,” said seasoned head coach Aying Esteban.

“Factor rin siguro na ‘yung katawan nila, ‘yung utak nila, pagod. At least ginawan nila ng paraan manalo nitong araw na ‘to,” he added.

Escobal finished with 22 points on 19 spikes and three blocks, along with five digs and 18 excellent receptions. Thirdy Domingo chipped in 21 markers on 18-of-35 attacking, while Bernard Capuno added six points and 11 excellent sets.

Abalos, a member of UST's UAAP Season 87 championship team, proved to be the game changer, coming off the bench to finish with 10 excellent sets and several clutch plays in the fourth set.

On the other hand, buoyed by its win over National University Nazareth School last Sunday, FEU-D had little trouble dominating Ateneo, 25–8, 25–15, 25–8, to keep pace with UST.

"Pinakamalaking impact talaga dito is 'yung previous game namin, talagang parang binaon namin. That's why talagang dominated namin today," said second-year head coach Rene Dulay.

"Pero mahaba pa, three games pa until ng first round. Pero we're coping pa right now sa mga kakulangan namin. Mina-mindset namin is on recovery muna, then we have to prepare sa mga upcoming games natin," he added.

FEU-D fielded all its active players, with every spiker scoring at least one point. Outside hitter Kenneth Maliwanag led the way with nine points in two sets. The UAAP Season 87 Rookie of the Year also had two digs and one excellent set.

Jude Abes added seven points from the middle, while Ahmad Korooshavi chipped in six markers and two digs. Sam Hopkins finished with five spikes and two digs.

Meanwhile, the Bullpups had to fend off a tough University of the Philippines Integrated School Fighting Maroons side, 25–17, 26–24, 25–17, earlier in the day to improve to an even 2–2 record and secure a bounce-back win.

With its defense fueling its offense, UPIS leveled the second set at 24-all, but NU Nazareth's experience prevailed as the Bullpups scored the final two points to take a 2–0 lead.

"Binigyan ko sila ng chance na mag-isip, kaya kanina pinabayaan ko lang sila. Kasi noong mga nakaraang laro, kailangan pa talaga silang bigyan ng instructions. Meron naman kaming napag-uusapan, pero pagdating sa laro, nawawala. So, kanina binigyan ko sila ng chance na mag-isip para ma-improve pa namin 'yung mga dapat gawin sa loob," said long-time head coach Edgar Barroga.

Vince Panilawon led the Bullpups with nine points, five coming from blocks and four from attacks.

Ronnie Millan, Ivan Dayrit, and Al-Raquib Dais added seven markers apiece, while Clarenz Altoveros finished with 17 excellent receptions for an 81 percent clip.

The Season 88 Rookies of the Year duo of Justin Jusayan and Prince Jimenez paced the Fighting Maroons with 18 and 11 points, respectively. Jusayan added 10 digs and six excellent receptions, while Jimenez contributed four digs, two positive receptions, and one excellent set.

University of the East also secured a bounce-back victory, sweeping De La Salle Santiago Zobel School, 25–13, 26–24, 25–15.

“Yung service-receive, do'n talaga kami natatalo. Kasi ‘pag may receive naman, nakaka-atake kami nang maayos. And kasi hanggang ngayon inu-unti pa rin naming binubuo ‘yung team,” said coach Jolas Lopez.

The Junior Warriors still struggled with their passing, finishing at 27 percent, but setter Mharl Dullete delivered 19 excellent sets that translated into 39 kills.

Jack Prade finished 13 of those attacks and added a block for 14 total points. Dullete also peppered DLSZ's defense with seven aces on his way to 11 points.

The Baby Falcons and Fighting Maroons, both at 1–2, will try to return to the win column at the other's expense on Friday at 11 a.m.

The Junior Green Spikers and Blue Eagles, both at 0–3, will dispute their first win later that day.

The four teams will cap their back-to-back set of matches.