Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation Incorporated (Cesafi) title-holders Southwestern University Cobras (SWU) unleashed their full spiking venom on the final day as they captured the men’s and women’s beach volleyball crowns yesterday, in the 20th Philippine University Games (UniGames) at the Bantayan Park in Bago City, Bacolod.
In the men’s division, the SWU Spiking Cobras put up a scintillating performance in the gold medal match as they manhandled the Negros Oriental State University (NorSu) Tigers in straight sets, 21-14, 21-12.
The triumph was indeed sweeter for the Spiking Cobras who exacted revenge on the same Tigers squad who handed them their lone loss in the elimination round, 21-17.
Not to be outdone are the reigning Cesafi women’s champions SWU Lady Cobras who were just as dominant as their male counterparts in crushing the University of Mindanao-Tagum (UM-T), 21-17, 21-15.
The Lady Cobras’ win was highly expected as they also dominated the same UM-T volleybelles, 21-15 in the elimination round.
SWU Head Coach Dave Arreza said that their mental focus played a key role in their victory.
“I just told them to focus and enjoy the game. Give your best lang gyud,” said the multi-titled Arreza.
Meanwhile, the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars (USJ-R) beach volleyball squad failed to advance to the morning semifinals after they suffered a devastating loss in their last elimination round game.
After starting their campaign with three straight victories, the Spiking Jaguars went pear-shaped in their last qualifying match losing to the unheralded University of Mindanao-Davao (UM-D), 19-21.
That solitary loss stalled the Spiking Jaguars’s bid to advance after losing via quotient system.
The Lady Jaguars on the other hand, ended their campaign on a high note following a masterful, 21-15 conquest of Foundation University (FU).
The win however, wasn’t enough to carry them into the next stage as they fall flat in the group stages with a 2-1 (win-loss) record.