Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Beach volleyball in the Philippines doesn’t enjoy the same mainstream notoriety as that of the indoor variety but that hasn’t stopped Ilonggo athletes from pushing the envelope.
Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño have always been one of the top pairs in the sport and they reached the status through their constant triumphs in the Beach Volleyball Republic.
The two started their BVR careers in 2016 and appeared consistently on the podium for every leg of the BVR on Tour.
Apart from the BVR, Demontaño and Estoquia were also constant figures in the Philippine Superliga Challenge Cup reaching the top tier of the competition several times over.
“BVR is one of the famous beach volleyball leagues here in the Philippines, this league was what gave beach volleyball players the chance to play especially those from the provinces,” said Estoquia in Filipino. “We were given the chance to dream and experience playing against the famous players from Manila.”
“The BVR prepares teams in order to play in the National Championship that’s why players will really step it up,” she added.
Apart from local competitions, Demontaño and Estoquia have also represented the Philippines in tournaments making their international debut in the 2018 Beach World Tour Manila Open before another stint in the 2019 edition in Boracay.
“Playing in BVR was one of the turning point of my beach volleyball career because it paved way to local players like me to show our skills and play against the best players locally and internationally,” said Demontaño.
“Being able to represent our country in an FIVB tournament is so overwhelming, playing against top players/teams from other countries is a dream come true. Both years are memorable to me, because it is held in Manila and Boracay so playing in front of our home crowd is one of the best moments because we got all the Filipinos cheering for us and it gives me confidence to play well and give my best,” added Demontaño.