The beach volleyball fever is bound to get hotter as “Beach Volleyball Republic” (BVR) brings its tournament to the Kahuna Beach Resort in San Juan, La Union featuring 16 teams in the Men’s and Women’s tournaments this coming April 1 and 2.
BVR founders Charo Soriano, Dzi Gervacio, and Bea Tan, with Richard Emslie of Kahuna Beach Resort and Nestea Philippines’ representative, announced the format and lineup of the leg, which includes teams from the top colleges and universities, in a presscon held at the Kahuna Restaurant in Bel-Air, Makati last March 23. Joining them also were UST Tigress Kassie Gormley, Gervacio’s partner in the Lakawon leg, and former UAAP beach volleyball champion from Adamson, Amanda Villanueva.
For the La Union leg, participating in the Women’s division are two pairs composed of BVR founders, UST, PNP-Davao, Air Force, San Beda, and University of Perpetual Help System – Dalta (UPHSD). Over at the Men’s division, UST, FEU, Cebu, Air Force, Navy, Bacolod, UPHSD, and Lyceum will duke it out for cash prize and a slot in the National Championships happening this June.
BVR has gone to Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, Dagupan, Pangasinan, and Lakawon Island, Negros Occidental this year for the first three legs of the 2017 BVR tournament. After the La Union leg, it will also go to Visayas this May and then to Ilocos Norte before the culmination on June.
For this tournament, there is double elimination where winners of the previous leg will automatically be seeded. Winners in the first leg were UST’s Kris Roy Guzman/Anthony Arbasto (1st), FEU’s Jeremiah Barrica/Kevin Hadlocon (2nd), and BVR1’s Emir Akdogan/AJ Pareja (3rd) in the men’s tourney. Topping the women’s division are BVR1’s Bea Tan/Charo Soriano, BVR2’s Dzi Gervacio/Jackie Estoquia (2nd), and Air Force’s Camille Abanto/Jocemer Tapic (3rd).
In the second leg: UST’s Kris Roy Guzman/Anthony Arbasto (1st), FEU’s Jeremiah Barrica/Kevin Hadlocon (2nd), and UST’s Ian Yee/Jaron Requinton (3rd) in the men’s tourney. For the women’s division, the winners are BVR’s Bea Tan/Dzi Gervacio (1st), SWU’s Floremel Rodriguez/Therese Ramas (2nd), and BVR’s Amanda Villanueva/Rapril Aguilar (3rd).
In the third leg: FEU’s Jeremiah Barrica/Kevin Hadlocon (1st), Iloilo’s Belson Ocampo/Jason Laboyo (2nd), Davao’s Calvin Sarte/Kim Abian (3rd), and BVR2’s Dzi Gervacio/Kassie Gormley (1st), Iloilo’s Jackie Estoquia/Dhamae Demontaño (2nd), and SWU’s Floremel Rodriguez/Therese Ramas (3rd).
Stay tuned to “The Score” on S+A for updates on the “BVR On Tour” or log on to ABS-CBN’s sports hub sports.abs-cbn.com and follow @ABSCBNSports and @bvr_ph on Facebook and Twitter.
