Bantayan beach v’ball: Santa Fe Hawod’s Felerca, Arsolon win gold

The top three pairs of the SANTA FE 2025: Volleyball Friends Beach Volleyball Tournament pose for a group photo during the awarding ceremony. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Santa Fe Hawod’s beach volleyball duo, Mark Alfred Felerca and Brigz Niño Arsolon, clinched the gold medal at the SANTA FE 2025: Volleyball Friends Beach Volleyball Tournament after a dominant performance in the finals held on Easter Sunday, April 20, at The Hungry Beach Co.’s beachfront court in Santa Fe, Bantayan Island.

Felerca and Arsolon defeated Atty. Esgana’s Ahron Pacinio and John Lloyd Veliganio in straight sets, 21-13, 21-19, to grab the gold medal.

Ranked No. 1 in their pool, the Santa Fe Hawod pair swept all of their four matches in the Bantayan beach v’ball pool stage with ease.

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They capped off a perfect 7-0 sweep, breezing through the elimination rounds, taking down Kuya Kons (Louie Michael Ilustrisimo and Remmie Jun Echavez) in the quarterfinals, and stopping Beach Bouncers’ Yhannick Geairain and Omar Saludar in the semis to advance to the finals.

Arsolon, who recently won a gold medal with Geairain for Central Visayas in the National PRISAA Games beach volleyball, was named the tournament’s ‘Most Valuable Player’.

“We both knew how much we wanted this,” said Arsolon.

“Everything just clicked for us. We’re still trying to process how it all happened, but it feels amazing.”

Tournament director Calvin Cempron said the Bantayan beach v’ball event was organized to bring more excitement to Santa Fe’s vibrant beach community, drawing fans and volleyball enthusiasts to the island.

“There’s so much support now for beach volleyball teams, and the level of play is incredibly high,” Cempron said.

Meanwhile, Beach Bouncers took home the bronze medal in the Bantayan beach v’ball event after defeating Lowkey’s Justine Dave Manzano and Ian Landao in the third-place match.

The other teams that vied in the tournament were Sugbo Yumsky Pension House’s Franz Fajardo and John Bensi; 4 VJs Apartelle’s Carl Krismark Felerca and Val James Esgana; Beyond Bohol’s Jade Haiku Daro and Errich Apale; Bantayan Islanders’ Terence Ompad and Jorren Ducay; and Cebu PRISAA’s Cleto Gabriel Matutes and Earl Zandrie Valle.