SANTA ROSA, Laguna — Alas Pilipinas’ Sofiah Pagara and Khylem Progella put up a gallant stand but came up short, falling to Hungary’s Lilla Villam and Stefania Kun, 21-19, 21-18, in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge on Wednesday night at the Nuvali Sands Courts here.
As the lone Filipino pair to advance to the second round of the qualification tournament, Pagara and Progella proved they belonged, pushing the Hungarian duo to the limit and staying within striking distance from start to finish.
Trailing 12-16 in the second set, Pagara spearheaded a spirited fightback for Alas Pilipinas, firing two aces and adding two well-placed attacks in a personal 4-0 run that erased the deficit and forced a 16-all deadlock.
However, Kun and Villam, last year’s Balıkesir Futures champions, leaned on their experience down the stretch. They strung together a 3-0 run to pull ahead, 19-16, before fending off a late charge from the hard-hitting Pagara to secure their place in the main draw of the tournament backed by Rebisco, Akari, Ayala Land, and PLDT.
“It was very overwhelming. We learned a lot. They are experienced players from abroad, so we are very grateful that even though we fell short, we showed what we are capable of,” said Pagara, who finished with 19 points in the loss.
“I just really wanted to win, so I told myself I would give my best,” she added.
Pagara and Progella, who earlier outlasted Germany’s Mareet Maidhof and Tabea Schwarz, 21-19, 28-26, controlled most of the opening set before Kun and Villam broke an 18-all deadlock and closed strong with a 3-1 finishing run to take the first set in the tightly contested match.
Villam led Hungary with 14 points, while Kun added 10 markers.
Wies Bekhuis and Desy Poiesz, Nigella Negenman and Floor Hogenhout of the Netherlands; Kaiyue Jiang and Jie Dong of China; Andressa Ramalho and Taina Bigi of Brazil; Sofia Bisgaard and Cirkeline Høg of Denmark; Marie-Alex Bélanger and Amy Ozee of Canada; and Daniele Kvedaraite and Jekaterina Saule of Lithuania completed the women’s main draw of the first Pro Tour hosted by the new administration of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation under Anthony “Tonyboy” Liao.
(C) PNVF
On the men’s side, the Philippines’ hopes of breaking through in the qualification round were quickly dashed as both pairs suffered straight-set defeats.
Alex Iraya and Alihfaisal Gampong were outclassed by Australia’s Oliver Merritt and Jed Walker, 21-7, 21-13, exiting the qualification round of the tournament powered by the City of Santa Rosa, Medical City South Luzon, and Jersey Haven.
(C) PNVF
Edwin Tolentino and Lerry Francisco met the same fate, succumbing to a 21-12, 21-11 defeat against Brazil’s Gabriel Santiago and Johann Dohmann.
The Philippines, however, still has formidable contenders waiting in the main draw, with Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons leading the charge in the women’s division, while Ranran Abdilla and Ronniel Rosales carry the country’s hopes in the men’s side.
