Asian Games: Eslapor, Rodriguez post PH’s best beach volley finish at 5th

FILE-Gen Eslapor and Dij Rodriguez. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine women’s volleyball team’s stint at the 19th Asian Games ended after Dij Rodriguez and Gen Eslapor yielded to Japan’s Sayaka Mizoe and Miki Ishii, 21-16, 21-11, in the beach volleyball quarterfinal on Monday at Ningbo Banbianshan Beach Volleyball Centre in Hangzhou, China.

It only took 38 minutes for the Japanese to eliminate Rodriguez and Eslapor and advance to the semifinal.

Mizoe and Ishii remained unbeaten in six games heading to their semis clash with Thailand’s Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee and Taravadee Naraphornrapat.

Eslapor and Rodriguez, though, finished as joint fifth placers with the other Japanese and Thai teams and Indonesia, marking the country’s best finish in the Asiad beach volleyball since the seventh-place finish of Diane Pascua and Heidi Ilustre.

The Filipino pair won four of their six assignments, finishing the group stage with a 3-1 record before eliminating Macau’s On Leng Leong and Weng Sam Law, 21-15, 21-15, in the Round of 16 on Sunday.

Rodriguez was the lone holdover of the two-time Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist team after Sisi Rondina, Bernadeth Pons, and Jovelyn Gonzaga decided to return to indoor action in the Premier Volleyball League.

The pair of Rodriguez and Eslapor had the best finish among the four national teams after Khylem Harl Progella and Grydelle Joanice Matibag got eliminated by Thailand in the round of 16.

James Buytrago and Jude Garcia were also booted out in the round of 16 after falling to Indonesia’s Ashfiya Mohammad and Bintang Akbar, 17-21, 21-16, 6-15, while  Jaron Requinton and Ranran Abdilla didn’t make it to the knockout stage with a winless Pool B campaign, losing to Qatar and Indonesia.