Meralco pair gains q’finals

Hardly given a second look before the tournament,  Jusabelle Brillo and Jem Gutierrez of Meralco have  become one of the title favorites in the PLDT Home Ultera Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball 2015 powered by Smart Live More.

Despite teaming up only recently, Brillo and Gutierrez barged into the quarterfinals following impressive victories at Sands By the Bay in SM Mall of Asia.

Brillo was supposed to partner with University of Santo Tomas stalwart Cherry Rondina but was replaced by Gutierrez at the last minute.

“We are not like the other teams which have been playing together for weeks if not for months,” said Gutierrez, who is a Behavioral Science student at UST. “But Jusabelle has been very patient with me and we trust each other on the court.”

Brillo, who hails from University of the Visayas, and Gutierrez got off to a hot start after dumping Benguet Electric Cooperative (Benelco) of Cindy Benitez and Florence May Madulid in this prestigious tournament organized by Sports Core with Accel as official outfitter.

“Beach volleyball is not just about height, skills and experience. It’s important you and your teammate trust each other,” said Brillo who saw action in the Asian Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia and Phuket, Thailand.

Meralco will take on Cignal B of Wensh Tiu and April Ross Hingpit in the do-or-die quarterfinals on Saturday.

“It’s going to be tough because Cignal B is a strong team, but we will rely on each other. It’s hard to beat a team which plays solidly,” said Brillo. Marc Anthony Reyes