Nestea Beach Volleyball 2015: DLSU settles for second, UST bags championship

The 18th Nestea Beach Intercollegiate Beach Volleyball Competition, this year’s edition of the yearly competition that draws various champion teams from across the country, was held in the island of Boracay last April 30 to May 2.

Last year, De La Salle University’s Kim Fajardo and Ara Galang were declared champions for the women’s division after winning against the 2013 tournament titlists, Adamson University. This year, La Salle came back to the sand court to defend their title with Fajardo and Cyd Demecillo, who replaced the injured Galang.

In the end, it was UST’s Cherry Rondina and Rika Rivera who took home the crown as they beat La Salle in a three-set match, 19-21, 21-17, 15-13, forcing La Salle to settle for second place.

Semifinals

At the end of the elimination round, DLSU, UST, University of Mindanao-Davao (UMD), and Southwestern University (SWU) were the remaining teams set to square off for this year’s crown.

In the match between DLSU and SWU, SWU first took the lead in the set, 4-2, but DLSU fought back to get a three-point advantage, 13-10. Throughout the set, DLSU kept their lead, winning it with the score of 23-21.

The Lady Spikers started out strong in the second set, leaving SWU behind by 4, 10-6. The match eventually ended with a score of 21-14, in favor of DLSU.

Meanwhile, in the other semifinal match, Tigresses Cherry Rondina and Rika Rivera wasted no time in taking the lead in the first set, 5-0. Keeping their distance, the Tigresses easily overpowered the UMD to win the first set, 21-12.

UMD got a three-point lead at the start of the second set, 5-3. Both teams rallied for points, refusing to give away a huge lead to each other. In the end, UST won the match with the score of 24-22.

Finals

After defeating their respective opponents in the semifinals, DLSU and UST advanced to the finals, giving way to an exciting rematch between the UAAP Season 77 Beach Volleyball Tournament finalists.

Similar to the previous matches, the Lady Spikers started slow, giving away the lead to the Tigresses early in the first set, 8-4. However, DLSU gradually trimmed UST’s lead and eventually got a one-point advantage over the Tigresses, 18-17. La Salle claimed the first set with a score of 21-19.

Early in the second set, UST trailed by two points, 2-0, a lead which they eventually turned into a 5-all deadlock. After a few smart plays, the Tigresses took the lead from La Salle, 11-10. UST held on to their lead and ended the second set with a score of 21-17, in favor of UST.

UST had a two-point advantage over La Salle at the beginning of the third set, 5-3. However, DLSU tied the score at 9-9. The Tigresses started to show their dominance as they racked up points to get a crucial 14-10 lead. Hoping to make one final run, the Lady Spikers scored a couple of points to cut the lead to one, 14-13. The UST duo, however, emerged victorious as they scored the last point, sealing the match at 15-13.