By Marcus Isaac D.G. Bandong

#SportsBites: Former Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraw Bernadeth Pons and Tamaraw Jude Garcia were named as the champions of the women’s and men’s division, respectively, in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) National Open last Thursday, May 25, at the Nuvali Sand Courts in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

The former green-and-gold volleybelle dazzled next to her Alas Pilipinas 1 teammate Sisi Rondina as they dominated the tournament through a five-game sweep.

After a strong quarterfinal finish in the Volleyball World Beach Tour Future last month, the pair reigned supreme in the 12-team field without giving up any sets in their first four matches.

Their final game sought an all-Alas match where the decorated pair accomplished a 17-21, 21-16, 16-14 reverse sweep against Sunny Villapando and Diji Rodriguez.

As for the men’s division, former 2nd Best Outside Hitter Garcia reigned supreme alongside his first-time teammate James Buytrago, also repping Alas Pilipinas 1. The duo went undefeated as well.

The same story followed the Garcia-Buytrago duo, claiming the title in an all-Alas matchup against Ronnie Rosales and Rancel Vergara. The latter squad had to retire from the match after Rosales suffered from muscle cramps.

Vince Nadera and Jeremiah Barrica represented FEU in the tourney. However, they missed out on the top four of the competition.
(Photo courtesy of Beach Volleyball Republic Facebook page)