TO FURTHER raise the level of of their games.
This is the mantra of 2014 UAAP season women’s beach volleyball champion and 2015 Nestea beach volleyball queens University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers.
In an interview with Cebu Daily News yesterday, UST head coach Emil Lontoc said that he has high expectation of his two Cebuana players Cherry Rondina and Rica Rivera, who towed the Growling Tigers to a championship finish in the latest season of the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s beach volleyball in their rookie year.
“Mataas ang expectation ko sa dalawang ito, especially this coming UAAP season kasi nga nag champion kami kaagad sa UAAP in their rookie year at pati na rin sa Nestea beach voleyball 2015,” Lontoc said.
The 17-year-old Cebu City-native and ex-University of San Jose-Recoletos high school varsity Rivera bagged the Rookie of the Year award in the UAAP, while the Compostela-native Rondina was named Most Valuable Player.
Lontoc said he’s doing his best to further raise the level of their skills.
“Syempre dapat umangat pa yung level of skill nila at alam ko talaga na aangat pa yan kasi rookies pa nga sila eh, nag champion na kami kaagad.”
He also said joining the Rider Beach Volleyball Tournament, which starts today at the Green Lagoon Park in Compostela town, northern Cebu, will benefit the team.
“Sumali kami dito sa Rider beach volleyball para exposure nila.” Lontoc said.
Exposure is also the reason why the Adamson Falcons are joining the tournament that features some of Cebu’s best beach volleyball teams.
“For exposure talaga dahil parehong bago yang dalawang players ko,” Adamson head coach Sherwin Meneses said of her players Jessica Margarett Galanza and Mylene Paat.
The tournament starts with UST Team B of Mandaue City’s Mary Dominique Pacres and Jem Nicole Gutierrez facing the pair of Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) women’s beach volleyball reigning queens Therese Rae Ramas and Floremel Rodriguez of the Southwestern University (SWU) Lady Cobras.