CREAMLINE 1’s Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons set in motion their bid for back-to-back women’s titles in the Beach Volleyball Republic on Tour by winning two straight-set matches on Thursday in Santa Ana, Cagayan.
Rondina and Pons hammered a 21-9, 21-11 victory over Sta. Lucia 1’s Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño, right after opening their Pool A campaign with a 21-14, 21-13 conquest of Biogenic’s Roma Joy Doromal and Heather Guino-o.
Creamline 2’s Dij Rodriguez and Dzi Gervacio, third placers in the first leg, also posted a 2-0 record in Pool B.
Rodriguez and Gervacio overcame a slow second set start to repulse Sta. Lucia 2’s Bang Pineda and Chay Troncoso, 21-12, 21-13, and later withstood first set struggles to defeat PLDT’s Ella and Iza Viray, 22-20, 21-10, to seize the solo lead in their bracket.
The Viray twins topped their Pool B opener, needing 42 minutes to carve out a 21-16, 16-21, 15-9 triumph over Black Mamba Army 1’s Nene Bautista and Jeannie de los Reyes.
Bautista and Delos Reyes rebounded with a 21-19, 21-16 conquest of Toyota Tuguegarao’s Nicole Tiamzon and Jho Maraguinot for a 1-1 card.
Pineda and Troncoso came through with a 21-17, 21-12 triumph over Eastern Telecommunications Perlas Spikers’ Mich Morente and Jules Samonte to enter the win column. Morente and Samonte, who pulled off a 23-21, 21-19 squeaker over Tiamzon and Maraguinot, fell to 1-1.
Estoquia and Demontaño, who scored a 21-18, 21-7 romp of Delimondo’s MJ Ebro and Bianca Lizares to open their Pool A stint, also hold a 1-1 record.
Ebro and Lizares beat Black Mamba Army 2’s Jem Gutierrez and Audrey Paran, 21-9, 21-18, for their first win in two matches.
In a rematch of the men’s semifinals in the first leg, Creamline 1’s Krung Arbasto and Jude Garcia reasserted their mastery over EVI Construction’s Doy Barrica and KR Guzman, 21-12, 21-14, to open their quest for a second consecutive championship in style in Pool B.
Barrica and Guzman swept Army 1’s Joel Villonson and Randy Fallorina, 21-13, 21-11, to rise to 1-1 record in their bracket. Villonson and Fallorina, who topped Orchard Fresh’s Rhenze Hu and Benjaylo Labide, 21-18, 24-22, in their first match, dropped to 1-1.
In the other Pool B match, DeliRush 2’s Nichol Jundana and Jeffer Guerrero turned back Hu and Labide, 21-19, 21-15.
In Pool A, Negros Occidental Beach Volleyball Club’s Deanne Neil de Pedro and Eljhay Ronquillo fashioned out a 24-22, 21-19 win over Army 2’s Jason Uy and Josh Barrica, while Tuguegarao’s AJ Pareja and James Pecaña overcame Creamline’s Ranran Abdilla and Romnick Rico, 24-22, 16-21, 8-15.
Uy and Barrica defeated DeliRush 1’s Evan Laraya and Joven Camaganakan, 21-11, 21-15, while Laraya and Camaganakan later sent Abdilla and Rico reeling to their second straight defeat with a 22-20, 19-21, 13-15 win.
Pool play action resumes at 8 a.m. Friday.