INQUIRER Sports

Four different teams stepped up to the plate and delivered the goods to come up with the four championships in the thrilling finale of the 2009 Governor Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball Cup, yesterday at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City.

Minglanilla was shut out of the title haul in the provincial cluster competition as both their men and women squads came away empty-handed against superior opponents in the final matches yesterday morning.

The men's side championship game ended up more of a coronation rather than a competition as the mighty spikers of Liloan went home with the title courtesy of a 25-17, 25-9, 25-20 bashing of Minglanilla.

Bolstered by the return of star spiker Junrey Sasing, who was not expected to make it back to the GUV Cup because of his stint donning the country's colors in the beach volleyball event of the 25th SEA Games in Laos, Liloan simply overwhelmed their opponents along with the stellar play of reliables Jade Becaldo, James Rivera and Jackie Yrog-Yrog.

The distaff side saw defending champions Catmon retain the crown with a dominating win over Minglanilla. Catmon struggled in the first set and dropped it, 23-25, before finding their bearings to win the next three sets, 25-13, 25-13, 25-20.

CITY CLUSTER CHAMPS

Meanwhile, Mandaue City and Talisay City brought home the titles in the men's and women's classes in the city cluster, respectively.

Mandaue needed the strength and pinpoint spiking of spiker Tolits Moncada to overhaul a one-set deficit as they became the first city champion in the newly-implemented men's division.

For a moment, Talisay appeared the hungrier team as they took the first set, 25-23, behind the great performances of Kevin Casia, who sunk in the final point, Norman Kong and Constancio Estella, Jr. They continued to lead, 12-10, in the ensuing set but suddenly crumbled down in the face of a 9-0 blast by Mandaue City led by Carlo Tecson and Roderick Arenasa.

The game's most thrilling moments came in the third set as both teams refused to give an inch to the other. The game went into extra-points and was tied at 29-all, when Tecson gave Mandaue the lead with a spike. Then, they came up with the match's most crucial defensive stop as they ganged up on Casia to block the latter's spike attempt and get the set point, 31-29, and the 2-1 set lead.

The fourth set proved to be a formality as Mandaue asserted their might early and led, 18-10, before cruising to the 25-18 victory.

The women's side saw Talisay come away with their second title in the GUV Cup as they leaned on the heroics of three-time Nestea Beach Volley Circuit champion Florian Gutierrez to eke out a 25-23, 25-9, 25-22 win over Mandaue. They last won the title in 2006.

The winning teams got a whopping P100,000 each, handed over by Governor Gwen Garcia and former Cebu Volleyball Association president Glen Soco.