RP springs surprise in beach volley tilt

The unseeded Philippine tandem of Heidi Ilustre and Diane Pascua defied the odds in finishing tied with Switzerland for fifth place at the 16-team Crocodile FIVB Beach Volleyball tournament in Kowloon Park, Hong Kong, last weekend.

Tony Boy Liao, chairman of the Beach Volleyball Council of the Asian Volleyball Confederation, said the Fil-Ams’ surprise showing indicates they’re ready to vie for top honors at the Asian Games in Doha next month.

"Nobody thought Heidi and Diane would go far as they weren’t even seeded," said Liao. "But after losing their first match to China, they scored three straight wins and stamped their class among the favorites."

Ilustre, 28, and Pascua, 29, took the bronze medal by beating Indonesia’s Timy Rahayu and Devota Rahawarin, 21-19, 21-16, at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games here last year. They came close to advancing to the finals, losing a 21-12, 14-21, 15-9 decision to eventual champion Thailand in the semis. It was the pair’s only setback in seven matches.

Since the SEA Games where they competed as a team for the first time, Ilustre and Pascua have been busy campaigning in the world tour to prepare for Doha. Last July, they finished fourth in a Seoul competition and a month later, ninth as the 22nd seed at the Cuervo Gold Crown Boulder Open in Colorado.

Ilustre and Pascua, who are both 5-10, fell to the Chinese duo of 6-1 Zhang Yi and 5-9 Zuo Man, 21-17, 21-13, in their first assignment in Hong Kong. The Fil-Ams led, 15-13, in the first set but the Chinese broke out to a 19-16 edge and cruised to victory.

"Our girls tried very hard to match the taller Chinese but with Zhang’s superb blocking, it was difficult to win," said Liao. "Diane commented after the match they had too many unforced errors and with Zhang’s towering presence at the net, they just couldn’t spike over the block. It was a great experience playing China especially since we have high hopes to win a medal in Doha."

Relegated to the losers bracket in the double elimination format, the Fil-Ams blasted Anne-Lie Andersson and Camilla Nilsson of Sweden, 21-13, 21-19, to stay alive.

"We easily won the first set, thanks to Heidi’s hard spikes and Diane’s timely blocks," said Liao. "But in the second set, the Swedes matched our girls point for point up to 17-all. The Swedes are regulars in the FIVB tour and had the advantage of experience. Luckily, Nilsson committed a service error to give us an 18-17 lead. Diane scored three consecutive kills to finish the set and the match."

Liao said the girls were pressured to win over Sweden, realizing a loss would boot them out of the tournament. But they showed toughness under fire to eliminate the Swedes.Then, Ilustre and Pascua picked up their second win, defeating Malaysia, 19-21, 21-13, 15-10. They went on to stun Thailand, 21-13, 21-18, and played Austria for a spot in the top four.

Austria’s Sara Ebenbichler and Sabine Swoboda, however, spoiled the Fil-Ams‚ hopes of barging into the semis, 21-15, 21-18.

The Philippines‚ 3-2 record was good for a fifth place tie with Switzerland.

The final standings: 1. China I. 2. China II. 3. Thailand I. 4. Austria. 5. Philippines and Switzerland I. 7. Thailand II and Switzerland II. 9. Malaysia, USA I, Japan, Canada. 13. Sweden, USA II, Hong Kong I, Hong Kong II.

Ilustre’s parents Hermie and Linda are University of Santo Tomas graduates who migrated to the US in 1973. Their oldest child Harbell was born in Manila while Heidi and the youngest Hedder were born in the US. The Ilustres trace their roots to Bulacan and Pampanga.

Ilustre played for the University of Hawaii varsity and has earned nearly $14,000 in four years on the US beach volleyball circuit.

Pascua’s father Rodney was born in the US and is a full-blooded Filipino from Ilocos Sur. Her mother Lynn Marie Grossklaus is an American of German descent. Pascua was a star volleyball player at Gonzaga University in Washington where she earned a physical education degree in 1998. She has earned close to $40,000 in six years on the tour.

Ilustre and Pascua said their most memorable experience as beach volleyball players was clinching the bronze for the Philippines at the SEA Games. Now, they’re setting their sights on a medal in Doha.