Letran, San Sebastian sparkle in the sun, sand

Under the blazing sun, amid a hip, trendy environment, and before a small but beautiful crowd, the seventh Nestea Beach Volley University Championships got off to a good start yesterday.

Twenty-three matches were lined up on opening day of the event signaling the start of summer, with a couple of former champions nailing early victories at the makeshift sand court fronting the Power Plant Mall of the Rockwell Center in Makati City.

Letran, the 2000 champion, showed the way in the men’s side while San Sebastian Manila, the 2001 winner, dictated the early tempo in the women’s side as they whipped their respective rivals, and declared their readiness to go all the way this year.

Letran, composed of Virgilio Castillo Jr. and Vincent Bartolo, needed an extra push to beat 1997 winner and reigning UAAP champion Santo Tomas in a long contest, 30-28, while SSC Manila, behind Jennifer Bohawe and Leilani Altovar, shook off University of Asia and the Pacific, 21-13 in just 18 minutes.

The one-set, race-to-21 matches are extended in case of a 20-20 tie with the team winning two straight points declared the winner.

"Nahirapan din dahil natagalan kami ma-determine kung sino sa kanilang dalawa ang mas-mahina at dapat bigyan ng bola," said Bohawe, 24, a former national player taking up hotel and restaurant management, of their opponents from the nearby university.

Bohawe teamed up with Sherryl Tumayao for the SSC Manila team that won the title two years ago but was forced to watch from the sidelines last year.

"Hindi kami nakalaro last year dahil may problema with the sponsor na may hawak sa amin. Sayang nga dahil defending champion kami noon," said Bohawe, actually eyeing a second straight crown with Altovar following their victory in the 2002 NCAA season.

The men’s and women’s champions this year will receive P100,000 each with P50,000 worth of sports equipment going to their respective schools. This year’s sponsors are Smart, Speedo, Great Eastern Hotel, Cebe, Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Mikasas, Kenny Rogers, Philippine Airlines, WG&A and Astring-O-Sol.

Other winners in the men’s side were PATTS over STI, 21-14, La Salle Dasmariñas over St. Louis University, 21-11, PMI-QC over Baguio University, 21-15, and Central Colleges of the Philippines over Philippine Normal College, 21-12.

Also getting off to a quick start in the women’s division were Letran over UP Los Baños, 21-15, SSC-Cavite over Perpetual Help Laguna, 25-23, Centro Escloar over Assumption, 25-23, FEU over PCU-Manila, 25, 23, SLU over Pampanga Agricultural College, 21-19, and Mapua over Bulacan State U, 21-6.

The Visayas elims are set March 13 and 14 and the Mindanao elims on March 15. A total of 24 teams (12 men’s and 12 women’s) will make it to the semis on March 16 with top 16 (8 men’s and 8 women’s) going to Boracay for the finals on April 5 and 6.

University of San Jose Recoletos won the men’s crown last year in Boracay while Adamson University was crowned women’s champion. Foundation University of the Visayas was the losing finalist in both divisions.