MANILA — National University’s Honey Grace Cordero and Vilmarie Toos stamped their dominance on the sand anew, completing an unbeaten title run and outlasting Alas 1’s Sunnie Villapando and Gen Eslapor, 21-13, 21-23, 15-11, to capture the women’s crown in the Beach Volleyball Republic Nuvali Open at the Nuvali Sand Courts in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
The Lady Bulldogs pair showcased championship poise in the deciding set, pulling away early and never looking back to seal a perfect 6-0 campaign, including a repeat victory over the same Alas tandem they had beaten on opening day.
Villapando and Eslapor, members of last year’s Southeast Asian Games gold medal team and playing together for the first time, forced a third set after recovering from attack errors, with Villapando delivering a crucial kill to extend the match.
But Cordero and Toos, fresh from their UAAP triumph, asserted control in the decider, racing to commanding 8-3 and 13-8 leads before Toos delivered the championship-clinching hit.
In the men’s division, Alas Pilipinas’ Ronniel Rosales and Ranran Abdilla mirrored the women’s champions’ dominance, capping their own flawless 6-0 run with a 21-13, 21-19 victory over Amigo’s Wayne Dionela and Rancel Varga to secure the title.
Alas 2’s Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara, the UAAP women’s beach volleyball champions from University of Santo Tomas, claimed third place after dismantling Fille Cayetano and Kizil Quijote, 21-7, 21-11.
On the men’s side podium race, Emilio Aguinaldo College’s NCAA champions Jan Abor and Frelwin Taculong secured bronze after edging UST 2’s JM Lagaran and Lance Malinao, 21-19, 26-24.
Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas’ Cheng Dadang and Eliza Israel made history as the inaugural BVR Under-18 girls champions, defeating Academy Our Lady of Guam’s Landen DeVera and Carmen Eugenia, 21-10, 21-14.
Guam’s Lea Aromin and Jaedyn Punongbayan captured the U18 bronze after turning back UST 2’s Nic Delicana and Karlyn Progella, 22-20, 21-15. /PN
