(Photo courtesy of UAAP)
FAR Eastern University followed up its stunning conquest of reigning women's champions University of Santo Tomas with a 21-12, 21-7 romp of University of the East in the UAAP beach volleyball tournament at the Sands SM By The Bay yesterday.
Melody Pons and Gerzel Petallo took only 28 minutes to dispose the Lady Warriors pair of Van Bangayan and Andrea Germono, as the unbeaten Lady Tamaraws have already matched last season's three victories.
National University also has a perfect 3-0 record, as Honey Grace Cordero and Kly Orillaneda downed University of the Philippines' Euri Eslapor and Irah Jaboneta, 21-14, 21-13, to join FEU on top of the standings.
The Tiger Sands rebounded from the setback that ended a remarkable 38-match winning streak, as Gen Eslapor and rookie Sofiah Pagara overpowered La Salle's Julienna Levina and Sophia Sindayen, 21-13, 21-8, for a 2-1 record.
The Fighting Maroons earlier entered the win column after Eslapor and Jaboneta subdued Ateneo's Roma Mae Doromal and Gena Hora, 21-18, 21-16.
Doromal and Hora later gave the Blue Eagles their first win following a 16-21, 21-9, 15-7 conquest of Adamson's Ishie Lalongisip and Red Bascon.
UE later halted a two-match slide as the Lady Warriors bested the Lady Spikers, 21-15, 21-15. La Salle suffered its third straight defeat.
Men's titleholders UST, meanwhile, improved to 3-0 and has yet to drop a set in the season after reigning MVP Rancel Varga and Alche Gupiteo swept FEU's Vincent Nadera and JJ Javelona, 21-19, 21-14.
NU also remained unbeaten in three matches, but James Buytrago and Alex Iraya had to recover from a rough patch in the opening set to outlast Ateneo's Jian Salarzon and Amil Pacinio, 17-21, 21-14, 15-8.
UP and La Salle moved up to 2-1 after Christian Pitogo and Gelo Lipata beat UE's Jake Abria and Allen Buensalida, 21-18, 21-18, and Andre Espejo and Vince Maglinao made short work of Adamson's Francis Casas and Dan Gutierrez, 21-13, 21-12.
Salarzon and Pacinio, who topped Casas and Gutierrez, 21-10, 21-13, to enter the win column in the morning session, fell to 1-2.
Nadera and Javelona later earned their first win after repulsing Abria and Buensalida, 21-12, 21-8.
Adamson and UE are the remaining winless teams at 0-3.
Action resumes at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning for Day 3.
