CEBUANA volleybelle Cyd Demecillo teamed up with Kim Fajardo to help the La Salle Lady Spikers reclaim the beach volleyball title in the UAAP with a sweep of the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws yesterday at the Sands SM by the Bay.
The Lady Spikers needed three sets to repulse the Lady Tamaraws in the Finals opener, 21-17, 16-21, 15-12, before returning in the afternoon with a 21-16, 25-23 victory in Game 2 to cap an improbable run for the crown.
In the Final Four decider, La Salle ended Alyssa Valdez’s hopes of winning a beach volleyball title in her final year as it ousted Ateneo, 20-22, 21-14, 16-14.
It was sweet victory for the Lady Spikers, who won nine of their last 10 matches to capture the women’s tiara.
In Game 2, the Lady Tamaraws were on the verge of extending the match to a third set but the Lady Spikers got into the groove with Demecillo and Fajardo delivering the key kills to frustrate Pons and Atienza. La Salle finally made it to the pedestal after several near misses in the last couple of seasons.
“We did not expect this. Dinaan namin sa tiyaga para makuha ang championship,” said Demecillo, a former standout of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation.
FEU became the favorites after topping the single round elimination with a 6-1 record before bundling out fourth-ranked Adamson University in the Final Four.
Demecillo and Fajardo pounced on Valdez and Bea Tan’s error-filled game to give the Lady Spikers the right to face the top-ranked Lady Tamaraws in the best-of-three title series.