JOVELYN Gonzaga used to dominate the local beach volleyball scene winning every tournament she participated in. She then chose to focus on hard-court volleyball action as a member of the Philippine National Team and the RC Cola-Army ladies volleyball squad.
Gonzaga though made an exception by teaming up with veteran Nerissa Bautista to compete for RC Cola-Army A in the 2016 Philippine Super Liga Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup at the MOA Sands by the Bay.
The pair disposed of April Rose Hingpit and Jonafer San Pedro of Meralco, 21-17, 21-16, to tally their third consecutive victory and advance to the quarterfinals.
That win wasn’t a breeze, but their drop shots in the second set decided the outcome of the match. Their attacks at the net allowed them to top Pool D with an unbeaten 3-0 record. They finished ahead of Bernadette Pons and Kyla Atienza of FEU-Petron, who also advanced with a 2-1 card.
“Naka-adjust kami sa galaw nila. Kaya napapalayo namin sila sa net,” said the 24-year-old Gonzaga who is among the players to watch considering the many beach volleyball titles she has won before.
She burst into national prominence as team captain of the Central Philippine University volleyball team. She is from Sta. Teresa, Guimaras, Iloilo and has never lost in numerous beach volleyball tournaments she joined in the country and abroad.
She is a three-time champion in the Nestea Beach Volleyball, a many-time titlist in Iloilo and has won Asian Beach Volleyball tournaments as well.
In the quarterfinals Gonzaga and Bautista stopped Petron 4T’s Maica Morada and Ces Molina, 21-14, 21-12, to advance to the semifinals against Aiza Maizo-Pontillas and Bang Pineda.
Pons and Atienza, finalists in the past UAAP beach volleyball championship, clobbered Mary Grace Berte and Vhima Condada of Cignal Team Awesome, 21-14, 21-15. They could emerge as one of Gonzaga’s top rivals for the crown and advanced to the semifinals against the unbeaten pair of Cherry Rondina and Patty Orendain.
Semifinal games will held 11 a.m. today, May 29, Sunday at the SM MOA Sands by By the Bay with the finals later in the afternoon.