HEAVY rains and strong winds were not enough to douse the UST Tiger Spikers’ fire, en route to rewriting another tournament sweep in the ongoing UAAP Season 72 Beach Volleyball sand wars.
The perennial duo of Henry Pecaña and Jayson Ramos started crossing out rival schools in their title defense, with University of the East (UE) as their latest victim. Pecaña and Ramos dealt their UE opponents a 21-10, 21-8 whitewashing last Sept. 13 at the UE- Caloocan sand courts.
“We are hoping to have another sweep,” Tiger Spiker head coach Emil Lontoc said. “The toughest team we will be facing is FEU (Far Eastern University) because they are beach volleyball veterans already.”
Lontoc said that Ramos and Pecaña’s high ceiling and service skills will be their most trusted allies as they face their last two opponents in the elimination round – Ateneo de Manila University and Far Eastern University (FEU).
True enough, Ramos’ high leaping ability allowed him to tip the ball off the blocker and drop it in an uncovered zone, 13-7, outwitting the defense of UE brothers Mark and Nicasio Dalag.
Season 71’s Most Valuable Player Pecana, unleashed several service aces that distanced them from UE, 15-7.
A Nicasio drop inched UE within seven but Ramos answered back with a spiking frenzy, complemented by UE’s flurry of errors. Pecana sealed the set with a cross court spike, 21-10.
Teamed up for the second straight year, Pecana and Ramos had minimal miscommunication errors in the second set but redeemed themselves through drop balls that did the job, 21-8.
The University of the Philippines(UP) also suffered a similar fate under the virtuoso teamwork of Pecana and Ramos last Sept. 12. UP duo Mico Lucindo and Justin Sagad were dealt with a 21-11, 21-18 heartbreaker.
Even the tall wards of the De La Salle University were no match for the Spikers’ onslaught, who carved a flawless finish, 21-11, 21-16, last Sept. 6.
Pecana and Ramos struggled to pull away from La Salle as the Taft-based squad dominated early on the first set. But UST was able to match its opponent’s intensity during the dying minutes of the set to end it at 21-11. De La Salle tried for comeback in the second set which saw several lead changes but UST still triumphed, 21-16.
Meanwhile, UST stopped Hendrix Competente and Jose De Asis of Adamson University, 21-16, 21-16, to register their first win of the season.
Lone defeat to FEU
In the distaff side, the Lady Spikers’ dream of an unblemished record was ruined by a lone defeat to FEU, settling for a 4-1 win-loss card as of this writing. Nonetheless, the Lady Spikers’ performance on the sand was dominating in all aspects, despite their rookie jitters.
UST’s twin bets were 2009 Shakey’s Girls’ V-league MVP Maruja Banaticla, who teamed up with Sorsogon’s pride Jennifer Fortuna to subdue National University in straight sets, 21-19, 21-15 last Sept. 13.
NU’s Mervic Mangui and Jennilyn Reyes fielded good court coverage, making it hard for Banaticla and Fortuna to find an opening. But the Lady Spikers looked on to coach Vilet de Leon’s advice of using their wits in the court, to fire a variety of unexpected shots and push forward in the game.
But the Lady Spiker’s service errors allowed Reyes and Mangui to threaten their lead, 20-19, moments before UST’s young duo iced the first set at 21-19.
Banaticla combined deceiving drops and cross-court kills to shatter her opponent’s hopes of extending the game into a decision set. The 2009 Shakey’s MVP fired a decisive cross-court kill that caught the NU pair unguarded, ending the match at 21-15. In earlier games, UST fashioned a come-from-behind victory against UP’s Amanda Isada and Pauline Genido, 21-19, 21-15 last Sept. 12. UST also repulsed Ateneo’s Asia Urquico and Jessica Morado, 21-18, 24-22, after their hard luck opening game setback against FEU’s Anna Camille Abanto and Marigail Tolentino last Sept. 5.
“We were not able to move well during the first game because the court here [in UE] has more sand so it is softer than the (sand) court in UST,” Fortuna said. “But eventually, we were able to adjust.” Mary Athena D. de Paz
