San Beda-Rizal reigned supreme in the first-ever Echelon U16 Club Invitational, defeating Kaito Volleyball Academy, 25-13, in the championship game to complete a tournament sweep on Saturday at the SM Southmall Events Hall in Las Piñas City.
The Baby Red Spikers went unbeaten in 11 games, including four in the first round, five in the second round, a semifinal victory over PLDT (25-12), and the title match.
It was total domination for San Beda, which posted an average winning margin of 12.0 points in the tournament presented by Everyday Volleyball and supported by the City of Parañaque, Milo, Immuni+, McDonald’s, Rexona, Magnus Sports, Toby’s Sports, AveoWorks Solutions Inc., and Mama Lou’s.
“I’m just very happy with the girls. Again, they showed discipline, they showed grit, and their willingness to win. Still a lot of things to be done, but this is a great start,” said Baby Red Spikers head coach Ray Rosales.
Holding just a five-point lead midway through the gold medal match, eventual Finals MVP Louise Pinaroc and Aaliyah Victorino took control as San Beda closed out the game with an 11-4 finishing run to claim the inaugural Echelon U16 crown, along with ₱40,000 and other prizes from sponsors.
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KAVA, which finished third after the eliminations, settled for the silver medal but still delivered a strong campaign, highlighted by a 26-24 upset over second seed Parañaque Volleyball Team in the semifinals.
The Lady Green Berets forced a 24-all deadlock after a five-point run, but Julia Tan’s crosscourt hit followed by Sheilla Yeung’s down-the-line hammer sealed KAVA’s place in the championship match.
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PLDT upstart Shaniah Rubio stood out among the nine-team field, emerging as the first-ever Echelon U16 Most Valuable Player.
Victorino and KAVA’s Niña Abad were named Best Spikers, while Parañaque’s Georgina Declaro and PLDT’s PJ Blanza were hailed as Best Liberos. San Beda’s Pinaroc was also recognized as Best Setter.
“Sobrang thankful lang po dahil nabigyan ako ng opportunity na makapasok po sa ganitong klase ng liga. Very thankful din po ako sa teammates ko kasi ang bilis namin magkaroon ng connection sa isa’t isa kahit na nine days pa lang nabuo ang team. Ang mindset lang po namin makapasok ng Day 2, nabigyan pa po kami ng third place saka itong MVP,” said Rubio, the inaugural Echelon U16 MVP.
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Meanwhile, fourth-ranked PLDT secured the bronze medal after a dramatic 25-23 come-from-behind win over Parañaque.
The Junior High Speed Hitters, formed just nine days prior to the tournament, trailed 15-20 but showed composure down the stretch as Rubio, Elaiza Olor, and a string of errors from their opponents helped them tie the game at 23.
From there, an unlikely hero emerged as libero Blanza’s soft over hit dropped in the middle of the Lady Green Berets’ court for match point, 24-23, before Rubio’s jump serve ace sealed the bronze.
KAVA pocketed ₱20,000 for second place, while third-placers PLDT earned ₱15,000, and fourth-placers Parañaque took home ₱5,000 worth of Mama Lou’s gift certificates. All winners also received additional prizes from sponsors.
Tournament operations head Brian Dacanay, in his closing remarks, said this would only be the first of many age-group tournaments that Agencia de Echelon plans to organize. The long-term goal is to build a grassroots circuit for aspiring players on their path to Philippine volleyball stardom.
