Reigning Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) champions University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) put up a gallant stand but still lost to the University of Sto. Tomas Tigers (UST), 21-11, 21-18, in the finals of the 19th NESTEA men’s beach volleyball in Boracay on Saturday.
Coming off a tiring 32-34, 21-17, 16-14 win over fellow Cebuano team Southwestern University (SWU) in the semis round, the Jaguars pair of Kent Jay Verbosidad and Alastair Ian Gairanod seemed to have lost steam in the finals, failing to recover from a slow start en route to a straight-set loss.
USJ-R played better in the second as it trailed by just three, 15-18, late in the set but the Tigers managed to finish off the Jaguars with crucial hits down the stretch.