Photo by UAAP
UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas set in motion its bid for a third straight girls title by securing the early lead in the UAAP high school beach volleyball tournament Friday at Sands SM By The Bay.
Grithney Jhyn Dadang and her new partner Angelica del Mar defeated UP Integrated School's Janella Guarino and Elisha Capus, 21-13, 21-13, before returning in the afternoon with a 21-13, 21-9 sweep of La Salle-Zobel's Aislinn Alemaña and Maria Sabine Mikaela Valdez.
Dadang was a part of the Tiger Sands squad with Khy Progella that won back-to-back last year.
Last season's runner-up Far Eastern University-Diliman also had a triumphant start as Sheena Cafe and Sheila Pascual overwhelmed La Salle-Zobel's Alemaña and Valdez, 21-12, 21-8.
National University Nazareth School, seeking to improve its fourth place finish last year, opened its campaign on a high note as Vilmarie Toos and rookie Faith Mangyao dispatched Adamson's first-time partners Ella Gonzalvo and Francheska Adem, 21-13, 21-15
In the boys division, defending champion NUNS split its two opening day matches.
After bowing to UST's John Michael Lagaran and Lance Malinao, 13-21, 17-21, in the morning session, Wayne Dionela and Kian Tan defeated University of the East's Clarence Gianan and Buenaventura Limpin, 21-13, 21-13, to enter the win column.
Dionela won the title last season with Sky Gemarino as his partner. Gemarino was part of the Bulldogs team which placed second in men's beach volleyball last November.
FEU-D also earned a split of its opening day matches as Zedrick Calimlim and Samuel Coronel defeated La Salle-Zobel's Antonio Luis Papa and Mario Roxas, 21-6, 21-9, to rebound from a 21-13, 20-22, 12-15 reverse sweep from the hands of Adamson's Brice Malinao and Gian Ynot.
UE's Gianan and Limpin, which beat Ateneo's Ken Nicolas and Santiago Avila, 21-17, 21-18, and La Salle Zobel's Papa and Roxas, a 21-19, 21-8 winner over UPIS' Terren Villanueva and Marcus Bamba, fell to 1-1.
