FORMER national team members Jusabelle Brillo and Apple Saraum of White Sand Resorts team used their veteran smarts to prevail over highly touted opponents and bag the inaugural crown of the Rider Sandals Beach Volleyball Tournament yesterday at the Green Lagoon Park in Compostela town, northern Cebu.
The duo edged out Therese Rae Ramas and Floremel Rodriguez of the Southwestern University (SWU) Lady Cobras, 21-11, 23-25, 15-12, to bring home the crown.
Ramas and Rodriguez are 2014 Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) collegiate women’s beach volleyball champions.
Brillo and Saraum, who entered the final round via a 21-6, 27-25 victory over the J and J pair of Janelle Cabahug and Gerra Pacinio, got off to a fast start and imposed their will on their younger rivals.
Rodriguez and Ramas got their acts together in the second set where they recovered from a 3-9 deficit to tie the count at 15-all.
The two squads figured in several lead changes before a Ramas attack made it 23-all.
A defensive gem from Ramas gave SWU a 24-23 advantage and another Ramas attack gave the set to SWU.
The Lady Cobras surged ahead, 4-2, early in the deciding set but Brillo and Saraum recovered to move in front, 10-8.
SWU refused to back down, forging several ties before Saraum took over, scoring several service aces as White Sands never looked back after taking a 14-11 lead.
The J-and-J tandem of Cabahug and Pacinio grabbed the third place via default over Luzon’s reigning beach volleyball titlists Cherry Rondina of Compostela town and Cebu City’s Rica Rivera.
Rondina and Rivera begged off from playing after the latter sustained a knee injury in a semifinals loss to the SWU Lady Cobras.
Rivera had to be carried out on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital.