Tormis and Villaflor of USPF try to save the ball against USJ-R duo of Jason Owen and Kent Jay in their CESAFI 2015 beach volleyball semifinal round match at the SWU sand courts. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
SWU, USJ-R face each other in three of four finals games
A hundred games have been played, and 16 teams have already left the tourney. Now, the Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation Inc.(Cesafi) beach volleyball tournament enters its final playdate with only two teams in four divisions duking it our for the crown and the bragging rights.
The Aznar Sand Courts will host today’s bruising battles as the Cesafi beach volleyball wars closes its curtains but not after the expected do-or-die wars for all the marbles.
In yesterday’s men’s semifinal action, the reigning title-holders Southwestern University Cobras (SWU) unleashed their full-spiking venom as they made a return trip to the finals after castigating the 2013 title holders, University of the Visayas Green Lancers (UV) in dominant fashion, 21-12, 21-16.
The Spiking Cobras arranged a titular battle against the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars (USJ-R) which flirted with disaster before escaping the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) 21-16, 14-21, 15-7 in the other semifinal duel.
USPF and UV will look to salvage their season as they go toe-to-toe today in their bronze medal match.
In the distaff side, the USJ-R Lady Jaguars did quick work of the University of Cebu Webmasters (UC) 21-7, 21-7 while the SWU Lady Cobras rallied from a close first set before putting away the relentless USPF Lady Panthers in two sets, 21-19, 21-10.
USJ-R and SWU will fight for the championship trophy while UC and USPF battle for third place honors.
CONTRASTING FATES
In the secondary action, the University of San Carlos Warriors (USC) beach volleyball squads suffered contrasting semifinal fates.
The USC boys Baby Warriors lived up to their monicker as they hung tough against the USJ-R Baby Jaguars, 21-17, 21-18 to set up a finals duel with the USPF Baby Panthers who earlier crushed the Don Bosco Technological Center Baby Greywolves (DBTC), 21-13, 21-6.
But that wasn’t the case for the USC girls, who suffered their first loss of the year against the SWU Cobras in three grueling sets, 17-21, 21-17, 6-15.
The USC girls barged into the semifinals as the heavy odds-on favorites after sweeping their five elimination round games for a 5-0 (win-loss) card and the top seed. But things went south yesterday as the SWU girls asserted their offensive dominance in front of their home crowd to steal the win.
SWU though, is expected to have its hands full in the finals against the offense-minded duo USJ-R duo of sisters Chriszelle Anne and Anne Krizzia Caasi who held off the USPF Panthers in the semis, 21-13, 21-19.
USPF and USC will go against each other today for the third place trophy.