SIPALAY CITY – National team mainstay Ranran Abdilla and young star Honey Grace Cordero seek to rule the Beach Volleyball Republic on Tour Sipalay City leg for a second straight season with different partners starting Saturday at the Poblacion Beach here.
Abdilla will now have Alas teammate AJ Pareja as his partner, while Cordero will be paired with fellow National University stalwart Kat Epa.
Last year, Abdilla won with Rancel Varga as his partner via five-match sweep, while Cordero, who won the 2023 championship with a perfect 5-0 record with sand court veteran Roma Joy Doromal.
Australia's New South Wales Phoenix stalwarts Luca Rocker-Graham and Killian Donovan will add spice to the nine-team men's competition, as they are going out for the win and give a major challenge against the field led by Abdilla and Pareja.
Cordero, a proud native of Silay City, headline a bevy of Negrense standouts who are no strangers in the BVR on Tour ready to showcase their talents in this laid-back city.
The Negros tandem Bea Tan and Bianca Lizares, paired for the first time ever, hope to wow their provincemates will their vast experience in the sandi n the event supported by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), SunPlay (official sunscreen partner), Smart, PLDT Home, Pepsi and Solasta Jewelry Shop..
One of the BVR founders, Tan is an alumna from University of St. La Salle in high school, while Lizares, a former Palarong Pambansa MVP who has been competing in the tour since 2018, is a product of St. John's Institute.
Far Eastern University's Melody Pons, younger sister of former BVR champion now PVL player Bernadeth, hails from Talisay City, seeks to perform well at home with Gerzel Petallo.
Other Negrense stars vying for the crown are Pontevedra's Erjane Magdato and Perper Cosas, UNO-R's Edrilyn Garbajosa and Kyla Gallego and two teams from Sipalay, the pairs of Kimberly Babe Deuyan and Trisha Gene Geneblaza, and Japttia Rose Arquiro and Princess Kyle Judilla.
Completing the nine-team women's cast are Strong Group Athletics' Gen Eslapor, a national team standout, and her younger sister Euri, and UST's UAAP champions Sofiah Pagara and Khy Progella.
Alas B's Varga and Lerry Francisco, UST's Aldwin Gupiteo and Dom Gabito, Far Eastern University's Kyle Retiza and Mikko Espartero, La Salle's Andre Espejo and Chris Hernandez, Air Force's Pol Salvador and Edwin Tolentino, Cebu's Samlet Booc and Michael Marabe, and two Sipalay pairs, Ivan Sanao and John Lloyd Guntan, and Johnrel Talita and John Joseph Mirasol are also vying for the men's crown.
The BVR delegation arrived here Thursday.
The BVR on Tour Sipalay leg was made possible in partnership with the City Government of Sipalay under Mayor Maria Gina M. Lizares which aims to promote sports among the youth and to boost the local tourism industry.
The BVR remains true in promoting beach volleyball lifestyle in the Philippines by providing a platform for athletes to train, develop their skills, build a community and compete in high-level tournaments all over the country.
Aside from the matches, there will be the BVR Sandroots program at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
A referees clinic was held on the eve of the two-day tournament, as well as a tree planting activity where the players also took part.
The games will be available live on beachvolleyballrepublic.ph website.
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