Veteran Janelle Cabahug of SWU-Phinma keeps the ball alive in the Cesafi women’s beach volleyball finals against USJ-R at the Fort San Pedro sand court. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
On her final year, Cabahug leads SWU-Phinma to record fifth straight beach volley title
For the past four years, Janelle Cabahug served as a substitute player for Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma’s women’s beach volleyball team
This year, the 21-year-old veteran on her final playing year was named team captain for the first time.
The decision paid off as the Mandaue City volleybelle led the Lady Cobras to a record fifth straight Cesafi beach volleyball crown following a 23-21, 21-16 victory over arch rival University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) yesterday at the Fort San Pedro sand court.
“It’s like my birthday today,” said Cabahug, who was also named Most Valuable Player (MVP). “Today (yesterday) is a very special day for me. Me and my teammates stepped up. I know that there’s a lot of pressure on my side as the team captain for the first time and it’s my final year with the Cobras but I trusted my teammates and we trained very hard for this.”
Cabahug has exhausted her playing years in the Cesafi as she will be finishing her course in Education next year.
Cabahug said she considers this year as her breakout year.
“I am already having my practicum for my course so it’s very tough to juggle my time in studies and in training,” she said. “But we persevered.”
SWU-Phinma’s head coach Lemuel “Dave”Ariza said he is amazed with how Cabahug stood up to the challenge of being team captain.
“I am speechless right now,” said Ariza. “Janelle is the only experienced player left in my team and I was kind of hesitant to believe that we can win the title because we were not able to prepare for this season really well, considering that they had to focus on their studies. But I saw them manage their time well.”
What worried Ariza was the fact that USJ-R’s duo of Paula Maninang and Lyn-lyn Torado are more experienced players compared to SWU-Phinma’s pair.
Cabahug, thus, had to tough task of guiding her rookie teammates Ivie Bautista and Dyan Darantinao all the way to the title.
“Janelle (Cabahug) guide her teammates very well. She really lived up to her role as the team captain,” Ariza said.
It was a successful year for SWU-Phinma’s women’s volleyball program as its indoor volleyball team also won a fifth straight title last month.
Meanwhile, the University of the Visayas (UV) successfully defended their men’s title by edging USJ-R, 24-22, 14-21, 15-12.
Boholano Raphy Abanto of UV was named MVP. He was paired with John Kevin Juban in yesterday’s three-set finals thriller.
USJ-R did not go home empty handed as its girls high school team defeated University of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USP-F), 21-19, 21-10, to bag the crown.
USJ-R’s Krizzia Caasi took home the MVP plum.
USP-F managed to win the boys’ title by dethroning defending champions University of Cebu, 21-17, 21-13, with Menchelle Remulta winning MVP honors.