DEANNE "Toto" Neil de Pedro, who reunited with Eljhay Ronquillo and placed second in the recently-concluded Beach Volleyball on Tour Sipalay City leg, was very pleased with the outcome.
The experience of playing in the Finals against national team pool Ranran Abdilla and Rancel Varga is something that Toto worth remembering.
"It was really fun kahit alam namin na mahihirapan talaga kami. It was really a great experience especially to reach the championship," said Toto.
Toto and Eljhay first played together in the BVR on Tour Santa Ana bubble in 2021, where the Negros Occidental tandem finished in the top four in the second leg.
The second place finish in Sipalay City is an eye opener for Toto, as he is looking for ways to become BVR on Tour champion in the future.
"Considering that we don’t have proper training like our opponents, no financial support, no equipment or proper venue to train, let alone a coach or traininer to teach us systems and basic beach volleyball patterns that the other teams have, I am very proud of my partner Eljhay and I being able to reach the finals amidst all the struggles.”
Expect Toto, who played for Iloilo-based club D'Navigators in the Spikers' Turf earlier this year, to become a better player in the future BVR on Tour legs.
"I hope that someday we can be able to find the proper system to run and manage my partnership with Eljhay and we can be an even more compepetitive opponents and hopefully maka-champion na din sa BVR.”
said Toto, who admitted that facing national pool members gave them a tough challenge to compete for the crown. "Kahit lumiliit yung chance cause were not getting any younger, we are still we are vying for that spot to give pride to our province, Negros, where we’re from."
