Gilligan’s duo upsets Cruz-Laborte pair, highlights PSL beach volley opener

Moving smoothly on the sand, Danica Gendrauli and Jane Diaz of Gilligan’s downed fancied Cignal A pair of Cha Cruz and Micmic Laborte, 21-19, 21-14, Saturday to lead the opening day winners of the PLDT Home DSL-Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup 2015 powered by Smart Live More.

Gendrauli and Diaz displayed familiarity with the shifting ground, setting up well-timed shots to score the victory before a large weekend crowd at Sands By the Bay, a makeshift court behind the SM Mall of Asia and across the famed Manila Bay.

“We know that we are not tall so we need to move well, make spins and set the shots,” said Gendrauli, a stocky PSL hitter who had a sterling beach volleyball credential, having won the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. in 2011.

But Gendrauli admitted that they are facing a strong field and said they’re just happy to win their first outing.

Foton Hurricane’s Bea Tan and Pau Soriano defeated Petron Sprint 4T composed of Alexa Micek and Fille Cayetano, 21-15, 21-14.

Tan said they prepared very well for the tourney as she dazzled with her speed and power. She played in a tournament last May which featured mixed players, something that the former Ateneo spiker claimed to have helped her a lot.

Samantha Dawson and Marleen Cortel of Army also hurdled their first-round assignment after beating Evangeline Pastor and Kim Ygay of Accel Quantum Plus A-Perpetual Molino, 21-7, 21-13.

In men’s action, Asian Beach Games veteran Edward Bonono and Sandy Montero of Cignal A beat their counterparts from SM By the Bay-B and Centerstage.

Bonono and Montero drubbed brothers Tim and Daniel Young of SM by the Bay-B, 21-15, 21-14, in the morning before disposing of Rence Melgar and John Carlos Lozada of Centerstage, 21-17, 21-19, in the afternoon.

Also posting wins in the first of four Saturdays of the tourney backed up by TV5, Accel, Sands by the Bay and Maynilad, were Champion Infinity A, which bested Perpetual Molino A, 21-18, 21-9, and SM By the Bay B, 21-12, 21-8; Cignal B, which trounced Perpetual Molino, B, 21-12, 21-4; and Champion Infinity B, which stopped Instituto Estetico-Manila, 21-15, 21-15.