Summer sizzler: Asian beach volley on today

Asian beach volleyball takes centerstage beginning today as the second Nestea Beach Volleyball Asian Women’s Championships, featuring 16 teams from nine countries, gets underway at the CCP Complex in Pasay City.

Thailand and Japan, which won the gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, are fancied to slug it out for the championship in the three-day event serving as the kickoff leg of the Asian Beach Volleyball Circuit.

But out to foil their bids are the equally-talented teams from Australia, New Zealand and China, considered a superpower in indoor volleyball whose beach volley team also won in the recent Asian championships.

The hosts will be fielding in two teams, the Philippine Navy tandem of Johanna Botor and Helen Dosodos, who won the National Open, and the San Sebastian College pair of Sheryl Tumayao and Jennifer Buhawi, who captured the collegiate crown.

Japan will be bannered by Yoko Tokuno and Seiki Kusuhara, who are trying to retain the crown won last year by Teruko Nakano and Kaori Taschiya, while Summer Lochowicz and Kylie Gerlick will lead New Zealand’s bid.

Thailand will be headed by Arawan Tongkam and Rataporn Larsaiku, the Asian Games gold medal pair.

Others seeing action in the event, sponsored by Nestea, are Indonesia, India, and Hong Kong.

The event is part of Nestea Ice Tea’s "Nestea Loves the Beach" program this year, launched by February’s Nestea Beach Volleyball University Challenge and the first Nestea Beach Volleyball National Open early this month. — Joey Villar