Cheering Pinoy fans heat up volleybelles

DOHA — Diane Pascua and Heidi Ilustre continue to relish the warm reception and all-out support of the Filipino fans in this cool, desert city that they seem to get fired up each time the big crowd holler their names and cheer their every shot.

"It’s unbelievable, I’m proud of it," said Ilustre, after her teamup with Pascua produced another resounding 21-12, 21-9 triumph over Sri Lanka at the Sport City Monday night.

"I heard there were a lot of Filipinos here but I really didn’t expect this crowd," said Pascua, perhaps recalling the treatment accorded them during the SEA Games in Manila last year.

Although the Sri Lankans were overmatched, the crowd, including the RP tennis squad of Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino, made the match livelier and more interesting by cheering the RP bets to the beat of the "Pinoy Ako" jingle.

The victory was second in three starts for the comely Fil-Am pair as Ilustre and Pascua stayed in the hunt although they face a must-win game today (Thursday) against a tough Thailand side.

"We have to serve tough so that they cannot answer and we will gain proper control of the ball," said Ilustre. — Dante Navarro