"One more day and hopefully two more wins," said Jose Carlos Cagadas yesterday after he and partner Orpheus Cubillas sailed smoothly into the Final Four of the men’s division.
Cagadas and Cubillas are first-timers in this annual Nestea event. But they hardly look or play like rookies as they continue to regale the crowd with their superb plays and court antics.
After sealing a 25-22 win over St. Francis, Cagadas and Cubillas celebrated like they’ve already won the title. Playfully, they exchanged high fives and ran like headless chickens around the court as the crowd egged them on.
"We’re just too happy — first making it here to Boracay and now making it to the semis," said Cagadas as he rested under the players’ tent while watching the closing matches in the quarterfinals.
In the semis, scheduled this morning, Capitol faces Adamson while defending champion St. Benilde takes on Mindanao State University. The winners will dispute the title in the afternoon, and Cagadas could only hope and pray that they get there.
In the women’s division, it will be St. Benilde against University of Southern Philippines, and USJR vs University of San Agustin. A new champion will be crowned since Southwestern U failed to advance this year.
While Capitol sailed smoothly into the Final Four, St. Benilde had to use the backdoor to advance and keep its hopes alive, needing to sweep its two matches yesterday to do so.
St. Benilde toyed with Ateneo de Davao, 25-7, before pulling off a 25-23 thriller over 2002 and 2004 champion University of San Jose Recoletos at noon and under the sweltering heat.
St. Benilde is the reigning NCAA champion in men’s and women’s beach volleyball. But it will surely have its hands full in the semis where the best from the Visayas and Mindanao are also eyeing the P100,000 purse.
"That’s beach volleyball. You can never really tell what’s going to happen. We played bad the other day but we did well today. There are too many factors, and a lot of breaks," said Patrona.
The tournament is sponsored by Le Soleil de Boracay, Speedo, MTV, Power Shot, Hey Jude, Mikasa, Cebu Pacific, Seventeen, D-Mall, Villa de Oro, Club Ten, Schering-Plough Coppertone, Crystal Sand Resort, ClicktheCity.com, Boracay Gold Crowne Club, Bantay Kalikasan ABS-CBN Foundation, Nautilus by PJ Aranador and La Salle Greenhills.
Adamson with a 25-18 decision over San Carlos, and MSU with a stunning 25-12 triumph over 2001 winner Foundation U.
In the women’s side, St. Benilde advanced by beating University of Mindanao Tagum, 25-16, USP by shocking University of the Visayas, 25-22, USJR by crushing University of Mindanao Davao, 25-14, and USA by surviving Adamson, 25-22.