MANILA, Philippines - The Puerto Princesa Baywalk comes alive today with the staging of the 2009 Petron Ladies’ Beach Volleyball Tournament’s final leg, dubbed the Battle of the Champions gathering the season’s winners and their runners-up.
Third-leg champions La Salle-Dasmariñas standout April Almaden and Jennifer Manzano, and second-leg titlist Pau Genido, who will team up with a new partner, are among the favorites to win the 2009 crown.
All eyes will particularly be on Genido, who is coming back to the scene of her second-leg triumph, but with a new partner in tow.
“My Puerto Princesa win in the second leg was a memorable one and I hope to do well here again,” said the University of the Philippines standout.
“Although I have a new partner in Amanda Isada, I am confident that we will finish decently because as her schoolmate, I know how she moves inside the sandcourt, so the familiarity is there,” added Genido.
The holding of the Petron volleyball circuit’s final leg, sponsored by Mikasa Balls, Speedo and the City of Puerto Princesa, and coinciding with Mayor Edward Hagedorn’s birthday celebration, is part of the city’s thrust as a top sports tourism destination in the country.
It also aims to promote Puerto Princesa’s Subterranean Underground River as a world heritage site and one of the finalists in the global search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
“The people of Puerto Princesa will be in for a treat, because only the best will be coming to play,” said organizer Tisha Abundo, a former commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). “I expect competitions to be raised several notches up because practically in the roster are past winners and their runners-up. So we are assured of topnotch competition from elimination all the way to the finals.”
Only first-leg champions of Adamson Hannah Suarez and Angela Benting failed to join the Battle of the Champions due to a prior commitment, but in their place are several past semifinalists, who are hungry for the recognition.
Aiming for the ultimate prize this time are University of the East’s April Ann Soriano and Jimberly Dizon, and Ateneo bets Asia Urquico and Sharah So, who were all semifinalists in the past legs.
La Salle-Dasmariñas spikers Jeusl Wensh Tiu and Regina Tungol are teaming up, while schoolmate Precious Grace Abano will have Satchel Senupe as her new partner.
Philippine School of Business Administration ‘s Dyrene Rose Benecio will be there with Angela Quijencio, along with Emilio Aguinaldo College standouts Kristine Levanza and Annabelle Dionela.