CEBU, Philippines - All eyes will be on former Philippine team member Jusabelle Brillo and Apple Eve Saraum as they defend their title in the 2nd Rider Beach Volley tournament, which gets underway today at the Green Lagoon Park in Compostela, Cebu.
Brillo and Saraum, both crowd darlings in the Cebu volleyball circuit during their collegiate days with the University of the Visayas and University of Southern Philippines Foundation, respectively, represent one of the three commercial teams seeing action in the two-day tilt.
They will go up against the top squads of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. led by CESAFI grandslam champion Southwestern University-Phinma Education manned by Frolamel Rodriguez, who will be playing this time with Janelle Cabahug.
“They have played together already, but I hope they can adjust with each other as partners,”said SWU coach Lemuel Dave Arreza.
The other CESAFI contenders are the USPF, University of San Jose-Recoletos backed by Vgood Health Drinks, University of Cebu, and University of San Carlos .
Adding depth to the competition is the entry of two powerhouse teams from the UAAP in University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University.
Tournament director Jordan Paca said the 10 teams will be divided into two brackets. They will play in a single round robin format, with the top two qualifiers per bracket advancing into the crossover semifinals. The winners will then clash for the championship.
On top of the exciting giveaways, the grand winner will receive P15,000, while the second and third placers will pocket P10,000 and P5,000, respectively.
Since last year, TSE has included two sporting events to spice up the 2016 Ipanema Summer Sunscream, the country's biggest music festival. These are beach volley aquathlon. Both are sponsored by Rider Sandals, a Brazilian brand that is driven by a culture that celebrates an active, outdoor lifestyle and a spirit of freedom and self-expression. — EBV with Caecent No-ot Magsumbol and PR report from Zoominglife.com