Baguio belles sow terror

The team that was almost kept out of the competition is now the team being talked about by the rest of the opposition.

University of Baguio, which made it to the entry list only after Polytechnic University pulled out at the very last minute, booked its third straight victory yesterday afternoon, then bared its ambitious plans of winning a lot more in the seventh Nestea Beach Volley Championships.

Maria Kristine Enola and Madonna Rimando, who arrived in Manila from Baguio by bus, just a couple of hours before Friday’s opening matches, spiked their way past Centro Escolar University, 21-16, at the sun-baked sand court of the Rockwell Center in Makati.

And, with a perfect 3-0 record in the women’s division, the team that was not even listed in the official press kit nailed a slot in today’s cross-over quarterfinals for Luzon. The four winning teams will advance to the semis on March 16 along with the four qualifiers each from the Visayas and Mindanao.

With their late inclusion, and early surge in the sizzling summer event, the others in the hunt for the P100,000 top prize are beginning to wonder just how far this chinky-eyed, rosy-cheeked tandem could go.

"I want to go to Boracay because I haven’t been there," said Madonna in Pilipino as the 18-year-old student taking up computer science looked forward to the finals scheduled April 5 and 6 in the world-famous island paradise.

"We are not going to waste this opportunity. The moment we received a call Thursday evening that PUP had pulled out and that we’re in, we were overfilled with joy. That’s why we want to win as many matches here," said Maria Kristine, the taller, older of the two at 5-foot-6 and 22 years old.

"We had to miss today’s closing of the Panagbenga (the traditional flower festival in Baguio) just for this. So, we have to make the most out of everything while we’re here," added Maria Kristine.

She made it to the Boracay finals last year, seeing action for the Baguio Colleges Foundation that finished eighth and last in the women’s side.

This year, however, might just bring an entirely different result — a better more memorable one at that.

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Two former champions in the men’s division and another title contender in the women’s side also went unbeaten at the close of their respective elimination round schedules yesterday to assure themselves of quarterfinal slots.

San Sebastian Manila held off St. Louis University, 21-16, while Far Eastern University scored a twin kill over Santo Tomas, 25-23, and Letran, 21-14, as they swept their three matches in the elims.

San Sebastian Manila won the title in this event in 1998 while FEU won the crown the following year.

In the women’s side, also posting a 3-0 record was Letran, which pulled off a stunning 21-16 win over reigning champion Adamson.

Yesterday’s results:

Men’s — FEU def. UST, 25-23; CCP def. SSC-C, 21-19; SFAC def. RTU, 21-11; UP def. PMI-QC, 21-18; UPLB def. PCU-D, 21-11; FEU def. Letran, 21-14; SSC-M def. SLU, 21-16.

Women’s — PCU-M def. LCBA, 21-11; SSC-M def. PSBA, 21-11; BSU vs PSCA defaulted by both teams; SJC def. SLU, 21-8; Leran def. Adamson, 21-16; SSC-C def. STI, 21-14; UB def. CEU, 21-16; FEU def. LCBA, 21-18; PAC def. SJC, 21-18.