For the second straight year, the Philippines will host the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 1-star event on May 23-26, this time in the scenic Boracay Island.
Organized by Beach Volleyball Republic, the four-day, double-gender tournament has attracted a total of 20 women’s and 28 men’s teams from 17 countries.
The Philippines will have four women’s teams in the main draw – Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons; Dij Rodriguez and Bea Tan; Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño; and Fiola Ceballos and Patty Orendain. A fifth pair – Babylove Barbon and Gen Eslapor – will go through the qualifiers.
Air Force’s Ranran Abdilla and Jessie Lopez will spearhead the country’s men’s campaign, which also includes collegiate standouts James Buytrago and Krung Arbasto, and Cebu’s Mike Abria and Jade Becaldo.
Tan and Rodriguez have won three BVR on Tour legs this year, while Barbon and Eslapor ruled the Dumaguete leg last month. Abdilla and Lopez won the first three legs this season before Abria and Becaldo topped the recently-concluded Lingayen edition.
In its efforts to promote sustainable sports tourism, BVR has partnered with the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force, the municipality of Malay, and White House Beach Resort for this prestigious event.
The country’s premier beach volleyball circuit is coming off successful legs in Puerto Galera, Santa Fe, Bantayan Island in Cebu, Dumaguete City, and Lingayen, Pangasinan.
Last year, the Philippines made its way onto the international beach volleyball map by hosting the prestigious Beach World Tour held at Sands SM By The Bay. Rondina and Dzi Gervacio gave the country the highest finish in the women’s competition in fifth place.
Rondina, a Compostela, Cebu native, along with Iloilo’s Estoquia and Demontaño are making their second tour of duty for the Philippines in the Beach World Tour. Also making back-to-back stints in the men’s side are Abdilla and Becaldo.
In the Manila edition last year, Japan’s Ayumi Kusano and Takemi Nishibori topped the women’s division. Meanwhile, Germany’s Max-Jonas Karpa and Milan Sievers of Germany ruled the men’s side.
The main draw for women and men is set on May 24. The quarterfinals are scheduled on May 25, while the semifinals and finals will be played on May 26.
The qualifiers will be held on May 23.
