RP spikers wiped out of contention

Team Philippines was wiped out right after the first day of the first Nestea Asian Beach Volleyball Women's Invitational, bowing out to more experienced rivals to the disappointment of the hometown crowd at the CCP Complex in Pasay City yesterday.

The RP Team I, composed of Gina Miguel and Sheryl Tumayao, and the RP Team II, made up of Jennifer Bohawi and Rosalyn Labay, both absorbed a 5-15 defeat at the hands of the Indon and Thai bets, respectively.

The Filipino lasses proved no match to their power-hitting rivals and fell to the consolation round right away.

The fancied Japanese and Australian entries as expected showed up their opponents, pulling off emphatic victories in the initial rounds of the three-day event sponsored by Nestle Philippines Inc., Honda Cars Phils., Elf Lubricants, Bayview Hotel, Speedo and Mikasa.

But at the end of the day, it was the Japanese who lived up to expectation as the top-ranked pair of Teruko Nakano and Kaori Tsushiya ripped Aussies Emma Prowse and Cindy Godwin, 15-8, under gathering dusk.

The other Australian pair of Summer Lochowicz and Sue Himbeck ousted the Indon tandem of Timmy Rahayo and Yohana Elizabeth, 15-4, to arrange a third-round duel with Nakano and Tsushiya today.