Photo by Celest R. Florest/INQUIRER.net
PUERTO GALERA, Philippines—A new NCAA women’s beach volleyball champion will rise as Perpetual Help crashed out of the running while unscathed San Sebastian stretched their win-streak en route to the finals of season 89 Saturday.
Under the sweltering heat of the sun, the Lady Stags’ duo of Gretchel Soltones and Czarina Berbano collected their 11th straight win after likewise sweeping the round-robin semifinals.
San Sebastian overcame Emilio Aguinaldo College, 21-17, 29-27, Perpetual Help, 21-9, 21-15, and Arellano, 21-19, 21-19, at the Puerto Galera White Beach to get to the finale.
Meanwhile, Angelica Legacion and Elaine Sagun of the Lady Chiefs entered the finals after sinking both the Lady Altas, 17-21, 21-13, 15-4, and the Lady Generals, 21-7, 21-14.
“We’re very happy to be here, we didn’t expect to make it to the finals because we didn’t prepare much for this,” Legacion told INQUIRER.net in an interview in Filipino.
“We just persevered against the teams. We helped each other out there so we can get our goal,” she added as the Lady Chiefs vie for their first beach volley crown.
The finals will not have the Lady Altas vying for the crown for the first time in a while as the Lady Chiefs and the Lady Stags clash in a one-off finale also scheduled on Saturday.
Jamela Suyat and Vhima Condada of Perpetual Help, after finishing the elimination round with an 8-1 record, failed to notch even a victory in the all-important semis.
In the men’s division, two-peat seeking Perpetual Help faces St. Benilde in the titular round.