The University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USP-F) Panthers duo of Edward Ybañez and Edmar Bonono raised the Cebuanos’ flag high after they bagged the men’s division championship title of the 17th Nestea Beach Volleyball yesterday in Boracay.
Bonono and Ybañez blasted their University of Mindanao-Tagum rivals, 21-14, 21-12.
The Bonono-Ybañez tandem zoomed into the championship round in the tilt dubbed “Battle of Champions” after blasting fellow Cebu team Southwestern University (SWU) of Rommel Pepito and Relan Taneo in the semifinals.
The University of Mindanao-Tagum team eliminated men’s division defending champions University of the Visayas (UV) bannered by Jade Becaldo and Mark Anthony Fernandez in the other semis match up.
Later in the day, UV bagged the third place after booting out SWU, 21-19, 21-15.
In the distaff side, De La Salle University came out as the queens of the women’s division after the tandem of Kim Fajardo and Victoria Galang conquered the dou of Adamson
University’s Shiela Pineda and Amanda Villanueva in a nail-biting, three-set thriller.
The UAAP women’s beach volleyball champion Adamson started strong in the championship match as Pineda and Villanueva showed their power with an emphatic 21-15 opening set victory.
But Galang and Fajardo bounced back with a 21-14, 16-14 win in the next two sets to secure the crown and the P100,000 cash prize.