Air Force bets Ranran Abdilla and Jessie Lopez will vie for their second straight title this year in the Beach Volleyball Republic On Tour Santa Fe Open, which starts Saturday, March 23, 2019. | photo from BVR
Cebu City, Philippines — The beaches of Santa Fe on Bantayan Island will get even hotter this weekend as the Beach Volleyball Republic On Tour Santa Fe Open reels off on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at the Beach Placid Resort.
The pairs of Bea Tan and Dij Rodriguez, and Ranran Abdilla and Jessie Lopez vie for their second straight title this year after claiming titles in the Puerto Galera leg two weeks ago.
Tan and Rodriguez, will represent Negros, while Abdilla and Lopez will carry the banner of Air Force.
The 24 teams – 12 from the women’s and men’s division – arrived on Friday afternoon in the scenic resort town, which will play host for the third year in a row.
Rounding out the competition are teams from PetroGazz, Cebu, Visayas, National University, Cebu, Bacolod, University of San Carlos, Southwestern University and Russia.
Cebu Provincial Sports Commission commissioner Nimrod Quiñones hopes that the two-day BVR on Tour Santa Fe Open will have an huge impact in the community.
“BVR on Tour is a sports tourism activity, thus it also spurs the economy of the place where it is being played. Aside from that it also promotes sports and an active lifestyle to the people in the community, which is good as it will result to an improved well-being of the people. Third, it is a big event that brings focus on Cebu and the specific LGU where the games are played and this is a very good way to do promotion,” said Quiñones.
Last year, the Visayan-based squads ruled the Santa Fe leg, with UNO-R’s Alexa Polidario and Erjane Magdato topping the women’s side, while Cebu’s Jade Becaldo and Calvin Sarte emerging triumphant in the men’s section.
Tournament format calls for 12 teams divided into four brackets battling it out in a single round-robin affair. The top two teams per group will advance to the quarterfinals, where the winners will progress to the semifinals. /bmjo